In the Bloody Wake of "Thanksgiving 99"

From: Caffrey, Tim (tcaffrey@pweh.com)
Date: Thu Dec 09 1999 - 01:14:37 EET


Now that the smoke has cleared from last week's fireworks, I'd like to offer some comments and suggestions to the members of the rapid prototyping mailing list. I've been a subscriber for about five years, and I don't post too many messages, so at the risk of preaching, I'd like to ponder the question, "to post a message or not to post a message?" without being accused of hypocrisy.

Presumably, each person's time is a valuable asset. Although the "delete" button is always an option (as some members continually remind us via additional emails) it is still somewhat time-consuming to sort through the subject lines and bodies of all the emails from the rp-ml to try to determine which ones add value and which ones do not.

An electronic mailing list should never be confused with, or be substituted for, office banter around the water cooler. If you're thinking about firing off an email to the list that only reinforces someone else's posting, or simply swells the volume of traffic, but doesn't really add any value to the subject discussion, then STOP! and simply don't send it.

I think there was value in the postings by the two gentlemen who had gone to court with AAROFLEX, and I think the reply/rebuttal from Albert Young was necessary as well. A few other postings offered new and original perspectives. But all the other traffic on the subject was mostly unnecessary, at least in the context of this mailing list. Sure, I would like to have thrown in a quick, witty comment too, but if every one of the subscribers to this list added their two cents (or $1), it would produce an unacceptable quantity of mail. This is not Monday morning, standing around the coffee pot chit-chat, people. Several hundred individuals have to make a decision whether to read or not to read a posting to this list. If you don't have anything useful to contribute, then DON'T send an email!

If you are thinking about posting a message to the rp-ml, give yourself a sanity check: Is what I have to say valuable to the majority of the members of this list? Is what I have to say applicable to the industry that this mailing list serves? If I am replying to a previous post, is what I have to say really necessary (does it add value)? Is the real audience of this message a smaller group of people, and if so, shouldn't I just mail them directly instead?

I think the rp-ml is great. It is unsurpassed as a networking tool, and it inspires us to look above the mundane stuff at the "big picture" of this exciting industry. But it is frustrating to sometimes see 30 or 40 new messages when I open my email, especially when a large proportion of them are not really pertinent. Please show some restraint, so that this list can continue to be such an informative venue without becoming too time consuming.

Thank you.
Tim Caffrey
Pratt & Whitney
275 E. Robinson
Springdale AR 72764
501-927-5034
tcaffrey@pweh.com

For more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/



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