At 12:19 PM 1/3/2009, Allan Streib wrote:
>I think lists like this are more than just knowledge resources, they are
>a community of sorts and as such we need to allow (within reason) some
>amount of more "social discussion".

'Zackly.  This list has shown great discretion and wisdom in avoiding
and quickly squashing political topics; in instantly ejecting the
heater expert and unregenerate Nazi when he showed his colors; and in
maintaining a civil tone.  But in my experience over ten years or so
it has always been a social list, not strictly a technical one, and I
don't think the relative amount of "off-topic" posting has changed
all that much over that time.

There has always been a certain tension between the folks who want a
strictly focused and/or all-technical list, and those who like myself
consider the list an avenue of friendship and contact among a
like-minded community scattered across the country and to some extent
around the world.  I believe this tension has served the list well,
keeping it to a middle path.  I think that (judging by behavior) Ron
Lussier and Tom Carrington were of similar mind, and that Jim Arnott,
though restrained in his actions, was/is very much of the
highly-focused philosophy, and trying to keep a middle road has taxed
him severely.

I personally was dismayed by both the tone and content of the
"charter" recently imposed, though I understand the frustration that led to it.

The subaruvanagon list is a good example of a highly focused list,
and it works well.  It is a technical list concerned with suby engine
conversions into vanagons, and anything else is decidedly off-topic;
and the line is sharply and consistently drawn by the moderator.

With this list it has been more the case that certain subjects are
absolutely off-topic and forbidden, and then there is a sort of
sliding scale that centers on Vanagons and slopes gradually off in
all directions from there -- I think this is appropriate.  Vanagons
are largely a state of mind of Vanagon-minded people, and they tend
to have other interests and values in common, so it's natural for
them to befriend each other.

My two cents...
David

--
David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage," '85 GL "Poor Relation"