RE: ADMIN: FYI

[jgarison -at- ide -dot- com]

At the risk of restating what I and others have already said, and in an
attempt to keep this on target and relevant:

One of the most important things new writers need to learn is to do their
homework before they start asking questions. There is no better way to
alienate information sources than to ask uninformed questions. You not only
waste your time, you waste the valuable time of your sources, and if you
make a habit of it, you will lose the respect of your SMEs and access to the
information they have that you need.

When you joint this list, you receive instruction about behavior and
etiquette. Included in the instructions is a list of resources, including
the archives. New subscribers who do not read (or worse, read and ignore)
this information get what they deserve.

I do not make a habit of flaming them. Neither does anyone else. But when
one member deigned to go <sigh> before referring someone to the archives it
was used as an example of denigrating behavior. Bull pucky. The poster was
the offender because s/he did not do their homework.

So here's the situation as I see it. We have three choices:

1. Ignore them. If someone comes on the list and asks a question easily
researched in the archives, just delete it and move on. Don't tell them why.
Just ignore them. 

2. Be nice and point them to the archives instead of answering their
question. Risk offending them by pointing out that this is the first thing
they should have done. 

3. Answer their question and continue to perpetuate such behavior. Become an
enabler of lazy writers.

I vote for number 2. And if it's too much for some of these people, than I
respectfully submit that they are in the wrong profession, and that
eventually this will come out. Better it happen sooner than later for them,
their readers, and their co-workers.

Next topic?

John

John Garison
Documentation Manager
IDe
150 Baker Avenue Extension
Concord, MA 01742

Voice: 978-402-2907
Fax:    978-318-9376
http://www.ide.com

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