I fixed your top-posting.
Mike Berger writes:
Bruce Barnett wrote:
Either you learn the terminology by reading and waiting, or you learn
how to use the tools of the Internet. I think the second is more
useful, which is why my first response to this thread told readers to
use google to search this newsgroup for acronyms used here.
Isn't clarity the point of communications? Why make it more
obscure than necessary?
first of all, I consider "teaching a man how to fish" more useful than
"giving a man a fish."
If I can teach someone how to use the Internet, then they can get the
answer to their question - ANY QUESTION - immediately.
If we just answer the question - well, - how much do we know about the
experience and knowledge of the person asking the question?
They have to wait for a response - and when they get it, they may not
understand it. So they have to ask a second, and a third question.
This might take days. However, if they know how to search this
newsgroup ( which only takes 15 seconds to learn) they can getdozens
or hundreds of answers immediately.
Second - I don't understand your point about Clarity and obscurity.
If every single post has to be written for a "Intro to Woodworking
level" then you won't get many responses. It takes too much time for
each and every one of us to define basic terms. Over and Over and Over
and Over.
And have you considered the frustration if someone spends 30 minutes
writing a very good response to a question, only to have someone ask
the exact same question the next week?
The clearest response is to have someone look up the earlier posting,
instead of asking for someone to repeat it.
It's also very selfish and ethnocentric,
It's selfish to expect everyone to bend over backwards to answer YOUR
questions. We shoudl consider answers a gift - freely received,a nd
gratefully accepted. You aren't paying us to answers. Heck - you
doon't even have to go to the local woodworking store and ask the
question. This newsgroup is GREAT!
And what do you mean by ethnocentric?
since this newsgroup encompasses a worldwide community. It's
enough that we force everybody to use English. We shouldn't
also force them to learn silly jargon... unless they're
middle school kids using ICQ.
What's ICQ?
Seriously - people here can have two attitudes:
a) I don't want to learn anything - I just want to solve my problem.
b) I am willing to learn
If you are not willing to learn, then why should we be willing to teach?
I posted the exact URL you can use to look up ANYTHING in this newsgroup.
All you have to do is bookmark it. This takes 5 seconds.
Let me repeat myself
It's
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.crafts.woodturning
You bookmark it. To use it, you go to your bookmark, type in the
phrases you don't understand, and click "Search This Group"
FIVE SECONDS OF EFFORT!!!
Now you are telling me that this is too much effort to do?
Besides - if you are serious about something, you can always ask.
Nobody here said they weren't going to ANSWER your question.
It's quite simple.
You can either ask a question, and if you don't understand
the answer, ask a second question, and a third, etc..
Or you can learn how to search this newsgroup for answers to
your question, and get the answers right away.
It's your choice. The first requires no knowlegde, but takes longer.
The second requires 5 seconds of effort, and can give you the answer in
5 seconds instead of days.
In My Humble Opinion, the second method is the BEST method. It's
faster, and can give you access to lots more information.
Forgive me for suggesting that you use this method.
Apparently it was very selfish and ethocentric.
--
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail to this account incurs a fee of
$500 per message, and acknowledges the legality of this contract.