No responses on the main list (Was: Wizarding Education )

[arrowsmithbt]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Amanda" <editor at t...> wrote:
> 
> Not quite four in my case, but close, so I feel qualified to comment.
> 
> Part of what you may be experiencing might honestly have nothing to 
> do with the quality of the posts. I was an enthusiastic poster for 
> quite a long time--in fact, in the old stats lists I topped the chart 
> for quite some time. My participation has tailed off for a couple of 
> reasons. One, of course, has to do with increased time demands from 
> other aspects of life. But another has to do with "list life."
> 
> By that I mean a natural progression of participation. I call 
> it "natural" because I have observed and discussed this with other 
> old listmembers--I don't feel I'm describing a phenomenon unique to 
> me.
>
> Snip> 
> 
> What I'm saying--In that time, when the list doesn't seem quite the 
> same and you're trying to figure out why, don't think it's entirely 
> externals. There have been discussions upon discussions of whether 
> the quality of posts was declining. The quality of posts has always 
> fluctuated. As David pointed out, we're coming off a spike, which 
> probably accounts for this particular fluctuation (if there is one).
> 
> But don't overlook, in analyses of how the list is changing, how your 
> interaction with the list may be changing and maturing as well. 
> 

Maturing? Me? Hardly. I'm growing old disgracefully.

Oh yes, I've tried to take into account the rush of enthusiasm that
carries you through the first few months, usually followed by a more
selective approach to posting. That is a natural progression, I  agree.

After you've been around awhile it's natural to grunt when some old
relic of a topic is resurrected for the umteenth time - not that again!
But take the time to read these re-animations and you'll possibly see
that the way they are composed and the handling of the subject 
matter is starting to change. This is the bit that worries/annoys me.

Where before canon was quoted, possibilities put forward, questions
framed, ideas exchanged and modified it's often not so now. I get the
feeling that there is an increasing tendency for the mind-set of 
"I want it to be like this." Refutation with hard canon makes no 
difference; the perception is fixed - and then others join in with
"Ooh! What a lovely idea!" Fortunately, up to now most of it has
concerned trivial items, posts and subject matter that you can flip 
past without feeling that you're missing something. To make an
analogy, it's as if the wishful whimsy of SHIPpers is spreading to 
other areas.

And no, I  don't want a hanging committee to adjudicate on the 
worthiness of the subject under disussion. Humour, a light touch
and even the inconsequential are to be valued on a site like this.
But how it's handled and presented does influence posters,
responses and threads that follow after. Careless and sloppy
breeds the more careless and even sloppier follow-up.

A year ago, if I made a balls-up, there was always somebody who
would adminster a boot up the backside - a strip publicly torn
off for submitting such tripe, quoting chapter and verse to enlighten
my ignorance of what the books really said. Haven't seen that recently.
Pity.

BTW, there  was a post today wondering at the ages of the posters; 
it's crossed my mind too. 

Kneasy