Posting, OT etc.

2000-11-9 09:00:00

The lastest results of the recount in Florida can be found at http://www.cnn.com/
Bush is presently 1278 votes ahead.

Don't worry about being off topic on politics today, my friends. We normally avoid this topic, but with a once in a millennium event as is this close election I don't mind making an exception. Besides that it's greasing up our juices for posting again.

And now this OT topic comes up again. Let me say a few words about it as there seems to be a small handful that does not seem to comprehend this simple subject.

If we simply apply the lessons we learned on the Middle way there should be no problem here. If we try and be black and white about this then the problem over what to post what to not post, what is OT and what is not will keep coming up.

The key to common sense is to avoid extremism and seek a happy logical place in the Middle.

Since I set the topic and I made a short post on the election then a reasonable post on the subject from members is not out of alignment. So far I fault no one for any post on this subject.

On the other hand, if you were to post 10 pages on some conspiracy theory then this would be out of alignment with the middle way and the sensitivities of most of the people on this list.

If you make a post that seems to drift off topic, even though two sentences are on topic, then this is not holding with the spirit of the list, especially if the post is a lengthy one.

If you make a post that is short, interesting, yet may be off topic, readers will be much more forgiving of your indiscretion.

We do not want to be black and white and we do not want to treat members like children. On the other hand, we ask members to not act like children and make posts that stretch the patience of other members to the limit.

I start getting a little impatient about the same time a lot of you do for I notice when I start thinking of a poster being out of sync that several members start calling him on the carpet.

90% of you use a lot of common sense in your postings. They are not too off topic, or rigid, or too long or too rambling. Hopefully the 90% can help the ten percent adjust their common sense and help give this list the direction everyone joined to become a part of.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."
Albert Einstein