[MacDV] Re: #s 2112, 2113, 2114

[Steven Rogers]

On Saturday, April 19, 2003, at 07:26  AM, RRSounds at aol.com wrote:

> Interesting how my favorite Mac Digital Video forum has turned into 
> some kind of chaotic discussion of War, Freedom, Rights and Ethnic 
> history.

Its for same reason as the last time list discipline broke down - an 
inflammatory off-topic signature.

It is rude and inconsiderate to post contentious ideas as a "personal 
identifier" in a forum that is dedicated to a specific topic, knowing 
that others will see it and be caught in a conflict between their 
disagreement and the rules of the forum. The force that holds the forum 
together is each person's willingness to set aside other views and 
focus only on the forum topic. But this one inconsiderate person says 
"Not me!"

If everyone attached inflammatory signatures, the forum would quickly 
be distasteful for everyone and many would leave. The person who tags 
an inflammatory signature on posts is counting on the discipline of 
others to hold the forum together while he uses it to put his unwanted 
message in front of unwilling eyes. This is no different than posting 
an advertisement or commercial message in a signature. It is the use of 
a group forum for an off-topic personal purpose - putting a message in 
front of eyes that would not otherwise be willing to see it.

SR