[Foundation-l] The state of Foundation-l (again) was: Recent firing?

[Thomas Dalton]

2009/11/8 William Pietri <william at scissor.com>:
> Thomas Dalton wrote:
>> So people would rather I decided what they are and aren't interested
>> in? Surprising... most people I know like to make their own decisions
>> about things like that...
>
> My guess is that people here want what pretty much anybody in a shared
> context wants: consideration and respect for their experiences.

People talk about "consideration and respect". What they usually mean
is "agreeing with me". Disagreeing with someone is not being
inconsiderate or disrespectful.

> You
> don't have to unilaterally decide what interests people; if you're
> unsure, you can just ask.

It is hardly practical to hold a vote before sending an email - that
would take up even more of people's time. Anyway, what proportion
would I need being interested in what I have to say before I say it?

> Elsewhere on the Internet I moderate a couple of mailing lists, and I
> frequently get questions like these:
>
>    * I'm new to the group, and wondered if it would be ok to ask about X.
>    * Have I been talking too much about Y? People seem interested, but
>      it's a little off topic.
>    * I'm worried that thread Z has gone too long. Am I beating a dead
>      horse?

And how do you answer them? Based on your experience of what is
usually accepted on the list in question? Who should I ask that has
more experience of these lists than I do?