On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 14:26:15 -0700, Mark & Juanita
wrote:

If you want to wall off a separate room and put a guard on the door, go ahead,
but I suspect that it's going to be awfully dry, cold, and very boring inside.



Very well said. If this was pro.woodworking I think one could make the
argument that all inquiries should be on-topic all the time.

Not a chance. The same reasons would apply.

Since it is
*rec*.woodworking, the wide-ranging ideas and backgrounds of the group form
an important part of the group dynamic. After all, this is something we
are all doing for fun.

A good point , but the wrong emphasis. Try rec.*woodworking*. Also
"all doing for fun" [which is just fine] should include "fun for all".
The objection, mine at least, to OT threads is not so much that they
are there, but that they are at a point of taking over completely.
That beer-soaked group in the corner gets louder and louder until
nobody can hear themselves speak; a subtle, but important difference.
Trying to find useful information about actual woodworking becomes a
chore, not a pleasant evening's occupation. Nobody complains when
sent to a site that holds useful information, and nothing but useful
information. They point other people there as well, as a good place
to visit. The reason people complain is because there is something to
complain about. This becomes not such a good place to visit, so a
whole lot of potentially good contributors, who simply don't want to
wade through the crap, are lost in the shuffle.

Bill.