Questions without answers

[Greg Woods]

> From: root at uisc1.UUCP (Super user)
> Message-ID: <50 at uisc1.UUCP>
> Date: 4 Jun 88 09:44:47 GMT
> Organization: Unicorn Information Systems Corp, Detroit, MI, USA
> Lines: 26
> 
> I would like to air one gripe that has been steadily building as I have
> been reading various posts on the question/advice oriented newsgroups.
> I have been running a public-access bbs under MSDOS for a large number
> of years now (for bbs standards large anyway), and it's also something
> I have been fighting on there.
> 
> The trend is to ask a question, and then to finish it by saying "Please
> reply to E-mail/private mail as I am too busy to keep up with this
> conference/newsgroup."

The obvious comment at this point is:  What's the problem with that, as
long as the originator summarizes and posts the replies?  This often the
case on the net, though it definitely could be done more often.  I doubt
most micro-oriented BBS's enjoy the same frequency of summaries because
of the inexperience of the vast majority of BBS users.  The article by
Harry Henderson in the Waite Group collection "Unix Papers" summarizes
the proper etiquette (page 74: "Reply by Mail or Article?").  Though the
entire section is quite applicable, the last two sentences sum it up best:

	"... when in doubt, use email.  Many articles will remind
	readers to use E-mail for replies; such requests should be
	honored."

If you are certain others will be interested in your reply, and you
doubt it will be summarized, you are free to both mail and post it.

> ... It's the answers and the advice people are reading it for.

And that's the beauty of the Net.  It is dynamic, and recurrences of
questions are not frowned upon, as long as they are not too frequent.
Even if a question does pop up too often, the asker(s) will usually be
pointed in the right direction, though often none too politely.

> ...if you read the newsgroup regularly, maybe you might learn something :-).

You can't learn much from reading the same questions over and over! ;-)

> Comments and Feedback encouraged, publicly to this newsgroup.

"these newsgroups"?  Though it may be relevant to all general discussion
groups, I'm not sure this discussion belongs in them all.

I'm no expert in Net Etiquette, but I have been bothered by this
problem before.  I only wish the everyone could be more considerate.
--
						Greg Woods.

UUCP: utgpu!woods, utgpu!{cpcc, ontmoh, ontmoh!cpcc, tmsoft!cpcc}!woods
VOICE: (416) 242-7572 [h]		LOCATION: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
-- 
						Greg Woods.

UUCP: utgpu!woods, utgpu!{cpcc, ontmoh, ontmoh!cpcc, tmsoft!cpcc}!woods
VOICE: (416) 242-7572 [h]		LOCATION: Toronto, Ontario, Canada