[Asterisk-Users] Re: Top posting

[Alex Barnes]

From: Tom Ivar Helbekkmo [mailto:tih at eunetnorge.no] 
Sent: 11 November 2004 09:38

"My default is to move on; only if your posting quickly establishes that
it is, in fact, interesting to me, will I read it.  To put it bluntly:
if you can't be bothered to make an effort to communicate, what you say
can't be very important."

------------------------------------------

I certainly agree with your sentiments in a general mailing list sense!

I am of the opinion that this mailing list should entirely be devoted to
a "Question and Answer" style, and that is all.  So you point about Top
of Bottom posting being irrelevant rings true.  If people wish to
"discuss" open ended topics ("What XYZ Phone is the best?" or "Is VOIP
going to cure world hunger?") then another mailing list should maybe be
started. "Asterisk - Users Technical" and "Asterisk - Users Discussion"
maybe???

The problem with ignoring badly formatted replies is more often than not
the person replying couldn't careless if you ignored the reply but the
person asking the question will care, especially if the information
being supplied could be improved by your input! So sometimes its worth
being a little more forgiving, for example if the original poster did go
to significant lengths to provide a "good question".

I think the catch phrase should be "Ask good questions and Give good
answers".  This includes all the things you mention.

It would be extremely helpful if everytime someone gets an answer to
their question as a way of thanks and etiquette they take it upon
themselves to ensure that this answer is now covered in the WIKI. If
this always happened and if people checked the WIKI the volume of repeat
mails would drop hugely.


For Example:

Original Poster ---> Asks Question
<LOOP>
Reply ---> Request Improved Question (more detail / config files / logs
/etc)
Original Poster ---> Resubmits Improved Question (Snipping irrelevant
info)
</LOOP>
Reply ---> Answer
Original Poster --> Reformats entire thread based on all answers and
ensures question and answer are covered in an intuitive section of the
WIKI



Just my opinion.

Alex


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