

| Subject: | Re: IS THE LIST GETTING SMALLER? with proposal! |
| From: | Sean Garrett |
| Date: | Wed, 29 May 2002 08:01:11 -0700 |
Me too Karl/Gary. I can burn CDs, help with formats/ compression/ utilities to make it work for as many PC platforms that there might be out there. Sean Garrett 1981 Westy (his) 1995 Eurovan Camper (hers) sean.garrett@asu.edu > -----Original Message----- > From: Karl Wolz [mailto:wolzphoto@WORLDNET.ATT.NET] > Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 3:49 PM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Re: IS THE LIST GETTING SMALLER? with proposal! > > > Frank; I'd like you to meet Gary Hradek, who is in the > process of putting > together a CD including just such information. His is a > noble venture, and > to do it properly, he could certainly use a hand. > > From my experience with the list stickers, I am fairly > certain that he has > no concept of what he's getting into; his is a wonderful > idea, and I don't > want to see him getting stoned to death, ala Ken Wyatt with > the stickers. > > You have my solemn pledge that I will do what I can to help with this > project, if indeed my help is wanted. > > Karl Wolz > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Frank Grunthaner" <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 1:43 PM > Subject: Re: IS THE LIST GETTING SMALLER? with proposal! > > > > In a message dated 5/28/02 11:20:17 AM, > dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET writes: > > > > << William, what you seem to be missing is that the people > who leave are > the > > ones with expertise and experience, who have given many > hours of effort to > > assist others. It is hardly censorship to remove oneself from an > > environment that has become unpleasant, and many people find blatant > > rudeness, hair-trigger squabbling, and endless pushing of > > politicosexualsociological philosophies quite unpleasant. > I count myself > > among them. There is another group who may leave -- that > is new members > > who have entered in the midst of a bout of incivility and > have not had a > > chance yet to discover the value of the list. I seem to remember a > certain > > feller from California who a) left in a huff after being > subscribed for > > roughly one day, and b) has proceeded since then to irritate a > considerable > > fraction of the list membership in various ways including > pushing various > > personal and political agendas unrelated to Vanagons. He > has in general > > been treated with considerable forbearance, and I must say > that IMHO he's > > gotten a lot easier to live with in the last couple months > as he absorbs > > some of the spirit of the list -- but he'd have done much > better to be a > > lot quieter in the beginning. Please forgive my not > mincing words in this > > situation. > > > > > > >Furthermore, to attempt to lay a guilt trip is outright latent (and > blatant) > > >manipulation. How childish. Really!! > > > > I beg to differ. People have, I suppose, every right to be > rude, although > > it certainly says a lot about them personally -- OTOH other > people have an > > equal right to expect an atmosphere of civility and to > vote with their > > feet when it is missing. If the people who leave are > ?coincidentally? > > those who have the greatest experience and expertise, then > I submit that > > the list is the poorer for it. > > > > On that basis I suggest that it pays to keep the old-timers > happy, and > that > > in the absence of self-control amongst list members it > might indeed be > > worthwhile to have a little more active participation by > some form of > > moderator (not necessarily the list-owner) who has/have the > power to say > > "This thread is ended, take it private" and make it stick. > > > > >I hope the list IS getting smaller. I also hope those that > want to leave > > >just do it and don't waste list band width telling us you > are going to or > > >why you did it. > > > > Does this include everyone? If Tom Carrington decides to > leave the list > > would you want to know why? And would you be prepared to > take over the > > ownership of the list, house the machinery, provide the Internet > connection > > for it and so on as he does? You already know if you've > read his postings > > that he's disappointed in the lack of self-control > evidenced by various > > recent flareups. If Dennis Haynes or Harold Nancy or Mark > Drillock or Bob > > Donalds or Brent Christensen or Ken Wilford or Ron Salmon or Frank > > Condelli or Joel Walker (to name just a few) leave would > you like to know > > why? I'll even venture an opinion that I myself give more > to the list > than > > I take from it -- if I get to the end of my tolerance would > you care to > > know what made this place not worth the effort to me? > > > > regds, > > david > > >> > > > > David, > > > > Well said. In my view, having been involved since nearly > the inception of > the > > list, I do feel that the technical, recreational and > societal content of > the > > list has declined markedly in the last few years. This is certainly > > abandonment by experienced and well informed former members. > > > > Part of this is due to the generation of focused sub-lists > and part is due > to > > the extended response to flames, off topic forays and > politically correct > > demands. Often, speaking for myself only, I delete whole days of > > transmissions in a unit time. > > > > One of the key separations between democracy and anarchy is personal > > discipline. Participate, but offer postings with a view to > contributing, > or > > probing for information after searching the archives and > FAQs. Tom's role > as > > moderator should not have to be punitive. Police yourself > least we drive > > another moderator into the drink. Share content, as opposed > to innuendo > and > > structured belief system pontification. > > > > (The proposition) BTW, with the increasing number of > newbies, and the size > of > > the archives, the FAQs for the group should be enhanced. Such an > undertaking > > is beyond the time resources of probably all list members. However, > > individual specific topics, taken on by a volunteer newbie might be > feasible. > > Said newbie would take on as a project, scanning the > archives on, for > > example, the topic of cooling system bleeding. After > pulling the material, > > said newbie could digest the material and piece together a > summary of the > key > > features with references to the archives for more detail. > The group could > > comment at length, after which said document owner could > develop his final > > piece on the matter and forward it to Vanagon.com for > incorporation as a > FAQ > > on the matter. The result could be newbie rapidly converted > to expert on > his > > topic and a wealth of info for all. > > > > My ill-considered thoughts, > > > > Frank Grunthaner > > >
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