Padraig Breathnach

Hatunen <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Meta-topic posts are on-topic in newsgroups, but it helps if they
    >make sense.
I'll grant that but, unless they are very well crafted, they are
unlikely to be effective. We have now got another lively discussion
which has nothing to do with travel.

To address the OP's point: many (possibly all, but I'm not bothering
to count) of those who disport themselves here also contribute on
travel matters. It's like a convention, where there is a lot of chat
and social interaction, but the main business still gets done.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED

Hatunen

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 14:58:02 -0800,
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >John Bermont wrote:
    >>
    >>
    >> Padraig Breathnach wrote:
    >>
    >>> "Bob Houha" <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>>> After 30 plus yerars of travel throughout Europe I have enjoyed
    >>>> reading Rec Travel Europe daily for better than five years. I have
    >>>> learned much from many great people and have contributed to a few.
    >>>> It seems as if a few have taken the news group over as some sort of
    >>>> game or for personal expression. It also looks as if the number of
    >>>> requests for information has dropped and that many may have given up
    >>>> on the group, as I will have to do if this keeps up.
    >>>> Please lets get back to the original board.
    >>> Ironic, isn't it? This post is not about travel.
    >> Not ironic at all. The post is about the relevance of off topic posts on
    >> rec.travel.europe. And I agree completely with Bob Houha.
    >That's supposed to be an endorsement? (Considering some of
    >your own posts.......)

Meta-topic posts are on-topic in newsgroups, but it helps if they
make sense.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Hatunen

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 00:04:21 +0000, Padraig Breathnach
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >To address the OP's point: many (possibly all, but I'm not bothering
    >to count) of those who disport themselves here also contribute on
    >travel matters. It's like a convention, where there is a lot of chat
    >and social interaction, but the main business still gets done.

I like your analogy.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ([email protected]) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

Miguel Cruz

John Bermont <[email protected]> wrote:
    > Not ironic at all. The post is about the relevance of off topic posts on
    > rec.travel.europe. And I agree completely with Bob Houha. Those who
    > proselytize here are in the wrong place.

You're started an off-topic thread or two of your own.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

John Bermont

Miguel Cruz wrote:
    > John Bermont <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>Not ironic at all. The post is about the relevance of off topic posts on
    >>rec.travel.europe. And I agree completely with Bob Houha. Those who
    >>proselytize here are in the wrong place.
    >
    >
    > You're started an off-topic thread or two of your own.
    >
    > miguel

I have contributed to some but I can't recall starting any. But with my
bad memory I could be guilty. Any examples in mind?
John
--
------------------------------------------------------
* * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
------------------------------------------------------

Gerrit 't Hart

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > There are CERTAINLY not the "flame wars" here that one encounters
    > elsewhere!

Mind you we have seen many genuine posters pestered to such an extent that
they have left the ng!
I think of people like Jack.

Gerrit - Oz

Padraig Breathnach

"Gerrit 't Hart" <[email protected]> wrote:
    >"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >news:[email protected]...
    >> There are CERTAINLY not the "flame wars" here that one encounters
    >> elsewhere!
    >Mind you we have seen many genuine posters pestered to such an extent that
    >they have left the ng!
    >I think of people like Jack.
There has been genuine bad behaviour here from time to time, and that
is unwelcome. But most of the OT stuff currently is simply people
shooting the breeze. Harmless stuff, and not worth getting annoyed
about. People who don't like it can choose to killfile a number of
contributors, but then they must accept the possibility of also losing
a good deal of travel-related stuff.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED

Keith Anderson

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 12:53:48 +0000, Padraig Breathnach
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >"Gerrit 't Hart" <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    >>news:[email protected]...
    >>> There are CERTAINLY not the "flame wars" here that one encounters
    >>> elsewhere!
    >>Mind you we have seen many genuine posters pestered to such an extent that
    >>they have left the ng!
    >>I think of people like Jack.
    >There has been genuine bad behaviour here from time to time, and that
    >is unwelcome. But most of the OT stuff currently is simply people
    >shooting the breeze. Harmless stuff, and not worth getting annoyed
    >about. People who don't like it can choose to killfile a number of
    >contributors, but then they must accept the possibility of also losing
    >a good deal of travel-related stuff.

Due to a number of disruptions in life, I've been away from this
newsgroup for some months.

I have to say that I find it more on-topic now than it was then - much
more so.

In any case, sometimes (as with other newsgroups/message boards) the
OT stuff can be quite entertaining.

Miss L. Toe

"Padraig Breathnach" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "Gerrit 't Hart" <[email protected]> wrote:
    > >
    > >"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > >news:[email protected]...
    > >>
    > >> There are CERTAINLY not the "flame wars" here that one encounters
    > >> elsewhere!
    > >
    > >Mind you we have seen many genuine posters pestered to such an extent
that
    > >they have left the ng!
    > >I think of people like Jack.
    > >
    > There has been genuine bad behaviour here from time to time, and that
    > is unwelcome. But most of the OT stuff currently is simply people
    > shooting the breeze. Harmless stuff, and not worth getting annoyed
    > about. People who don't like it can choose to killfile a number of
    > contributors, but then they must accept the possibility of also losing
    > a good deal of travel-related stuff.

Or simply ignore any posts on threads that were started more than 2 days
previously.

Yves Bellefeuille

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005, Bob Houha wrote:

    > It seems as if a few have taken the news group over as some sort of game or
    > for personal expression. It also looks as if the number of requests for
    > information has dropped and that many may have given up on the group, as I
    > will have to do if this keeps up.

The simplest solution would be to create a new moderated group (not
moderating the existing group, but creating a new group), but there seems
to be little interest in going so.

Yves Bellefeuille
<[email protected]>

Padraig Breathnach

Yves Bellefeuille <[email protected]> wrote:

    >On Sat, 15 Jan 2005, Bob Houha wrote:
    >> It seems as if a few have taken the news group over as some sort of game or
    >> for personal expression. It also looks as if the number of requests for
    >> information has dropped and that many may have given up on the group, as I
    >> will have to do if this keeps up.
    >The simplest solution would be to create a new moderated group (not
    >moderating the existing group, but creating a new group), but there seems
    >to be little interest in going so.
Every individual can have a moderated newsgroup to reflect personal
preferences. All that is necessary is to spend a little time working
on filters.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED

Yves Bellefeuille

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005, Padraig Breathnach wrote:

    > Every individual can have a moderated newsgroup to reflect personal
    > preferences. All that is necessary is to spend a little time working
    > on filters.

I don't think that "cleaning" a newsgroup is as easy as you suggest,
especially for less experienced users. If it were, there wouldn't be any
moderated groups. I also think it's important that people who are
interested in this group and are looking at it for the first time not
leave in disgust.

In any event, everybody would be free to use either the existing
unmoderated group or the new moderated group, as they prefer.

Yves Bellefeuille
<[email protected]>

Chancellor Of The Duchy Of Besses O' Th' Barn

Yves Bellefeuille <[email protected]> wrote:

    > On Sun, 16 Jan 2005, Padraig Breathnach wrote:
    >
    > > Every individual can have a moderated newsgroup to reflect personal
    > > preferences. All that is necessary is to spend a little time working
    > > on filters.
    >
    > I don't think that "cleaning" a newsgroup is as easy as you suggest,
    > especially for less experienced users. If it were, there wouldn't be any
    > moderated groups.

There aren't many, actually.

    > I also think it's important that people who are
    > interested in this group and are looking at it for the first time not
    > leave in disgust.

What's to disgust though? Whenever anyone asks a question about travel
in Europe here, it's usually answered by several people, and usually
very well- despite the often imprecise nature of the original questions.

If OT posts got in the way of that, then I could understand the
frustration, but it patently doesn't. I wonder why posters who I've
never seen here before complain the newsgroup has been 'trashed' when
they've probably never tried it out- that is, by asking something!?

Maybe some posters just think that r.t.e is an online travel magazine?
If that's the case, there are plenty of them available online.

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Emilia

    >
    > If OT posts got in the way of that, then I could understand the
    > frustration, but it patently doesn't. I wonder why posters who I've
    > never seen here before complain the newsgroup has been 'trashed' when
    > they've probably never tried it out- that is, by asking something!?

Or answering something....

Magda

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 18:25:23 +0000, in rec.travel.europe,
[email protected] (chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn)
arranged some electrons, so they looked like this :

... Yves Bellefeuille <[email protected]> wrote:
...
... > On Sun, 16 Jan 2005, Padraig Breathnach wrote:
... >
... > > Every individual can have a moderated newsgroup to reflect personal
... > > preferences. All that is necessary is to spend a little time working
... > > on filters.
... >
... > I don't think that "cleaning" a newsgroup is as easy as you suggest,
... > especially for less experienced users. If it were, there wouldn't be any
... > moderated groups.
...
... There aren't many, actually.
...
... > I also think it's important that people who are
... > interested in this group and are looking at it for the first time not
... > leave in disgust.
...
... What's to disgust though? Whenever anyone asks a question about travel
... in Europe here, it's usually answered by several people, and usually
... very well- despite the often imprecise nature of the original questions.
...
... If OT posts got in the way of that, then I could understand the
... frustration, but it patently doesn't. I wonder why posters who I've
... never seen here before complain the newsgroup has been 'trashed' when
... they've probably never tried it out- that is, by asking something!?
...
... Maybe some posters just think that r.t.e is an online travel magazine?

A travel agency... a free one, at that. :(