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Subject:Daily Messages From:Arnold Colodner <arnold_colodner -at- MAIL -dot- STIL -dot- SCITEX -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 20 Aug 1997 19:10:44 +0200
Sometimes I can open my email in the morning and find about 100
messages. If I am away for a long weekend, the list is so much longer.
Too few of the messages are useful and helpful. Most are not. WHY?
Well, let me take one recent example. Someone posted a question on 12
August relating to He/She/They. That same day I received 25 replies on
my email. On 13 August it dropped to 16. On 14 August, 12. And on 15
August, only 3. Total: 56 messages. And most of the answers had
nothing to contribute. Many were repetitive, but ervery one of those
writers felt he/she/they had to get their 2 cents in. It's like a
bunch of lemmings drawn to reply. Most of them could just conduct a
one -on-one conversation with the originator or someone else with whom
they may have a difference of opinion. But to broadcast so many
meaningless messages is counter-productive. I also wonder how much
time many of these writers spend writing on the Internet vs productive
work.
Previously there was a flood of messages on whether writers should be
accredited. I couldn't count the number each day. It was enormous. And
before the STC conference, there were a bunch of inane messages asking
the same question about registering or whether one needs a passport to
Canada!!
I am sorry to say, but most of these writers who think they have
pearls of wisdom that everyone is dying to read really have nothing to
say. It would be wise if they were more careful in what they say, when
they say it, and how often they write.
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