Guys....
I am really saddened by the latest developments of our little community,
which now seems to split into two (any bets on how long it will be before
that "other list" is also carrying OM-discussions and the two lists
will effectively be competing???).
So yes....this is (was?) a community, where I felt somewhat
comfortable: people talking mostly about nice photograpic gear, nice ways
of using it etc. Ohhyes, we did even at time discover gear we had in
excess - or spotted a good deal for another community member - and
announced such...perhaps someone was even looking for just that piece of
gear, and would be happy for that announcement. Or perhaps someone really
wanted some piece of gear, expressed such, and voila! Another list member
helped acquireing such. I've sold lenses as well as acquired some nice
gear from list members that way - not much, but a bit, and trading within
a community I kinda know makes me much more comfortable when e.g. paying
in advance.
Ohyes, eventually the discussion on the list would drift a bit: we got a
funny story about using Tom's car to calm the "other halves" after
excessive purchases, we've seen pictures and heard funny stories about
eachothers kids, cars, guns, good and bad experiences in life etc. That's
what happens in a community (be that electronic or otherwise), and that is
why I feel that I kinda know Tom (I still maintain that he owes me a ride
in his car, if I ever get around his place ;) ), Giles, Lex and a lot of
other nice people.
Occationally, things get out of hand and a thread of postings about
gun regulations and SUV's (living in Europe, I still haven't figured out
what a SUV really _is_ - but I will do so elsewhere) and other such
things take over and occupy way too much bandwidth. And surely, that is a
bit annoying. Again, such happens in a community - and as we have been
around, self-dicipline is usually the best cure for that (or in my
case: instructing procmail to mute the OT threads I am not interested in
seemed to work also).
However recently, it seems that the tone has turned more hard, the
community is no longer comfortable - and some "postings" would appear
to have turned into "flamings" - of the evil kind which turns people
away....especially those postings which flame the original flame poster.
Apparently it has allready happened to some extend that people have
choosen to go elsewhere or to u*s*b*c*i*b* completely.
Interrestingly, this has coincided with the volume of the postings on the
list skyrocketing.
In any event, I do not feel as comfortable as before - thinking more than
twice before posting, and even then deciding not to post even if I would
be entirely on-topic. For example, I recently handled a very nice
champagne OM4Ti (mint - absolutely a beauty, and the seller was
willing to do 6 months money-back if the camera wasn't as expected or if
it broke from a "hidden defect"). It was up on sale for what I thought to
be a more than fair price. Not being interrested myself I thought about
posting to the list and (if needed) acting as a proxy for anyone who might
be interrested.
Even though I wouldn't want any financial gain for that, I decided not to
post the deal to the list: considering the latest flaming of a poster who
was selling gear he might just have bought, I was envisioning being
subject to the same if someone found himself in dislike of me at the
moment of my posting.
The same line of arguments prevented me from posting about a wierd optical
phenomenon that I have observed in some lenses. Since not specific to
zuiko's, that might also be off-topic and hence subject to flaming.
Now that's not how things work in a community...at least not in
communities I want to be part of. We're probably all to blame
for that (cirtanly, there is nothing wrong with the way the list is being
administrated, I would add). I wonder if it will be possible to revert to
the spirit of the "good old days" of the list - because I truely,
really miss them.
Mange hilsner / Sincerely
-------------------------------------------
Thomas Heide Clausen
Civilingeniør i Datateknik (cand.polyt)
M.Sc in Computer Engineering
E-Mail: T.Clausen@xxxxxxxxxxxx
WWW: http://www.cs.auc.dk/~voop
-------------------------------------------
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|