Elizabeth M. Bowles wrote:
>
> Dear Michael,
>
> Thank so much for this posting, I was feeling a little put out by the
> message about newbees.  Bee-L has been a lifeline to me for beekeeping.
> I'm glad to know some of you are there for us.
>
> I read recently on Bee-L that folks can change there subscription to get
> just the more technical stuff from Bee-L, perhaps those that don't want to
> hear about all our "newbee" questions and problems could try that way of
> getting the Best of Bee-L.  Of course this is your deal (not you personally
> Michael) and if you all really prefer that we go else wear I will sadly :-(
> go.
 
Elizabeth -
 
If you stay on this list long enough, you will see this same issue come
up again, I guarantee it. It must have something to do with human
nature. I took interest in your statement about this list being "your
deal" and "if you all really prefer that we go else wear I will sadly
:-( go."
 
First, this is NOT "our" list. It actually belongs to someone/s who has
ultimate control over it. The list owner is the one who decides and sets
the prospectus of the list, not the list members (contrary to the way
some make it sound). It so happens that BEE-L is not a monitored list
which means that one can expect a wide range of discussion to take
place. I guess you could say that it is self-monitored in a way.
 
While the "purpose" of BEE-L is "for the discussion of research and
information concerning the biology of bees. This includes honey bees and
other bees (and maybe even wasps). We communicate about sociobiology,
behavior, ecology, adaptation/evolution, genetics, taxonomy, physiology,
pollination, and flower nectar and pollen production of bees.",
according to the list owners, just what is and is not fitting tends to
depend on the pulse of the group in their replies to any given post. If
the owner of the list was unhappy about this, then I would expect there
to be a change and the list to become monitored and that would be that.
We would all have to abide by those rules then.
 
We should all be sensitive to the fact that this IS a discussion group
about bees and try to keep the talk, bee related. But as far as your
"newbee" question not being worthy of the group or the reply "we've been
over this before", there is no class separation on the internet. No one
is anymore elevated than the other (except in their own minds). Unless
someone does something to make the archives easily searchable, all the
talk about having been over this ground before is somewhat nonsensical.
If someone is tired of the "newbee" questions, let THEM do something
about it, not you. I don't recall seeing the sign, "newbees, keep out"
when I entered BEE-L. You're doing nothing wrong by asking. There is
BestofBee for those who want that format. There is the delete button
that works well too. There is the SIGNOFF  command that takes care of
"newbee" questions for good. And last but not least, you can just ignore
those that bug you (like several I'm sure are doing to this post).
 
Having said all this, I am in much favor of "some useability
enhancements" as Michael Reddell said. There is alot of good information
that gets said and passed on here but once it's been said, it's
basically gone into an abyss called the archives, forever to be safely
held for those who dare to have enough time and energy to locate the bit
of information they are looking for. Kinda like trying to find a word in
a dictionary whose words are not in any order. It would also be logical
for this list to have an FAQ to help cut down on the redundancy of some
questions and to give new subscribers a guideline of all the different
avenues and resources available to them just through this group itself
where there is a great wealth. Unless others are willing to do something
about the problem, there's little room for complaining as I see it.
 
Just a few thoughts.
 
Regards
 
-Barry
--
Barry Birkey
West Chicago, Illinois  USA
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http://www.birkey.com
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