PROPOSAL: A solution to the tired and stupid FAQ thread From: godot22@earthlink.net (PJ Killian) Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 00:00:00 +0000 I think that it is safe to say that the entire argument over the wording of the FAQ has degenerated to the point of private, personal disagreement, in which case it is also safe to say that I am not the only person who wishes that the argument would be conducted in a more appropriate forum, like e-mail. The fact that so many people have not said anything one way or the other (or tried their darndest not to, anyway) would seem to indicate that people do not care passionately one way or the other, in which case I humbly propose that everybody drop it. My vision of the subscribers of this newsgroup are that there are a small group of people who sincerely believe that periodic ads are fundamentally a good thing for the PBM hobby and the newsgroup, a similarly small group of people who sincerely believe the opposite, and a larger number of people who don't really care one way or another. Thus, speaking for at least one member of the third group, I suggest: 1. People who come here looking for games should be pointed to all the available resources. The law of the marketplace will tend to determine what people ultimately use as a resource. Perhaps a semi-objective List of PBM Lists could be set up that people would be encouraged to check out. There are several different lists that I have seen on the WWW that are attempting to be an omnibus resource for PBM/PBEM players, none of which quite make it in this quest...if there was one place to go where people could look for these lists, it would probably simplify telling people where to go to find information on what games are out there. 2. I personally think that it might be a good idea to have a seperate ng for game advertising, if nothing else because it would cut down on the tremendous amount of crap generated, not by ads, but by people complaining about ads. But you must realize that in any case that most people who post ads are either: a. complete slimeballs who don't care about the will of the group and probably don't know thing 1 about it, as in the case of sex-site spam and MMF posts, who aren't germane to the discussion, as they will post whether there is a FAQ or not; b. people who are confused as to the nature of this newsgroup, who are potential productive posters if the reaction to their posting an ad is a calm and rational explanation of why this is not the ideal forum for those postings, and a pointer to places that would better serve the information they wish to disseminate, including but not limited to Greg Lindahl's pbm list, and not having a hissy and threatening to inform the ISP; or c. people who have legitimate concerns about the current (quote-unquote) policy as laid out in the FAQ and are posting ads--perhaps as a protest? These people (and, all things considered, if I were a commercial game moderator, I would probably feel the way they do) probably would be better off devising some sort of alternate FAQ instead of meaningless squabbles over the current one. I can understand the need to keep protesting to make a statement even when you know it won't change the minds of your adversaries, but there comes a time when you have to go your own way. This would make it gut-check time for both sides in this dispute. Are you willing to divide an already-small newsgroup into two hostile factions over this dispute? If not, then quit saying the same thing over and over again and start trying to make something happen. If you don't like the tenor of the newsgroup, start another one, or abide by the will of the majority. If you don't like the PBM-List, write your own. But be prepared to face the consequences of splintering the finite number of internet PB(e)M resources. 3. Whatever, please, for Jah's sake, PLEASE drop the argument. Nobody has said anything that anybody not currently engaged in the debate could reasonably think of as "new" in a week and a half. There comes a time where something has to HAPPEN. I'm all for a lively exchange of ideas, but when the ideas stop moving, it's time to call it quits. Try to come to a conclusion of some sort; if you're sure that the will of the majority is on your side, then put it to the test. If no one is willing to do something, then consider your case made and quit trying to get in the last word; it accomplishes NOTHING useful and it just further diminishes your standing in the eyes of many. -- PJ Killian North American Indoor Soccer Union PBeM (http://home.earthlink.net/~godot22/home.html) **SPAM FILTERS ARE BEING TESTED. Do your worst.** Referenced By Up