Re: st: responses to new users

[Scott Cunningham <scunning@gmail.com>]

> This is a very good point.  I tend to just ignore those posters I  
> am starting to find annoying, but if everyone did that the poster  
> might never find out how to get a better response or solve the  
> problem on their own.  This listserv does seem to have a bit more  
> of an "edge" than some others I have been on, but overall the mix  
> of styles seems to work pretty well. Also, those responses that  
> might seem a little harsh or abrupt almost always seem to contain  
> an answer to the question.
I see both sides.  As an economist, I am sympathetic to serious  
policing of the listserv, because people who ask questions that could  
be easily answered if they searched through the FAQ are imposing  
external costs on everyone else.  Listserv congestion is a real pain,  
and seems like an electronic form of "tragedy of the commons."   
Trying to get newbies to internalize those external costs is a good  
idea.  So maybe I'm just being over-sensitive when the other side of  
me, the moralist, thinks that harsh, condescending responses to  
simple questions is so bad.  But I do find those offensive to read.   
Many newbies are not just newbies to Stata listserv; they're  
generally ignorant of listserv etiquette altogether.  True, being on  
the receiving end of a strongly worded email directing you to the  
obvious solution has motivated me to search out the answers more  
carefully the next time a problem arose.  But is there a way to  
pursue that same goal that does not look like bullying?  I don't  
know, but if there is a way to do that, I'd like to see it because I  
have felt at times the listserv is overly harsh.  It also has an  
unusually high number of gracious people who continually surprise me  
by how much work they put into answering questions, though.

But, like I said, I'm hyper-sensitive.  I stopped buying the albums  
of my favorite band after seeing the lead singer berate a fan on the  
front row for singing too loud.

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