Re: Newsgroup etiquette

Tim Rentsch <tr.17687@z991.linuxsc.com> writes:

Richard Heathfield <rjh@cpax.org.uk> writes:
>

On 28/03/2025 18:03, Tim Rentsch wrote:
>

bart <bc@freeuk.com> writes:
>

On 27/03/2025 19:31, Keith Thompson wrote:

>
<OT stuff snipped>
>

And this is *way* off-topic.

>
That didn't stop you having your say first /then/ declaring it
as way off-topic!

>
I agree with the implied criticism here.

>
Fair comment.  OTOH, a wise man once said that posting on-topic
articles is like paying pennies into your account, and posting
off-topic articles is like taking out dollars.
>
Over the years Keith has posted many thousands of on-topic articles.
>
That doesn't make OT stuff topical, but it does earn Keith a lot of
slack.

>
I have the opposite reaction.  Certainly Keith is well known and
generally highly regarded in the newsgroup.  But it is precisely
because of that status that he should hold himself to a higher
standard than others (and the same is true for other similarly
situated newsgroup participants).  Casual posters see what leaders
do and think because a leader does it the behavior is okay.  The
best people should try to set a good example, not be granted an
exception for bad behavior.

This may hold true in kindergarten.  If Keith is highly regarded here,
then he is already a good example and an occasional off-topic is not
going to change my perspective of him.  Posting an off-topic post is not
bad behavior.  The very fact that he is highly regarded might even imply
that his off-topic could be of interest to others here---the psychology
of people here (if you will) likely has similarities to that of Keith.

Ignoring a thread is cheaper than not letting a good contributor discuss
his off-topic.

When casual posters make the mistake of thinking that they will get the
same treatment, the USENET will discipline them like it's been doing it
since its birth.