[alfa] re: the AD information pact

[Tessie McMillan <tessmc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm an information-holic. The more I can read, the better. The more 
questions I can ask and the more answers I receive, the better. The 
more discussion I can foster, the better. Information, especially when 
opinions differ, helps me make informed decisions and lead (what I think) 
is a better quality life. 

I don't agree that there's information which should only be shared with an 
'in' crowd. I think it should be available for everyone. Sometimes I 
encounter some tough issues with my car -- issues that my mechanic cannot 
always figure out right away. I know that he is using a variety of tactics 
to solve those problems, and if they include emailing a car digest, 
then I'm 100% for that. I'm paying him for the actual labor time and 
materials on the car, not for his time spent thinking about the problem. 
In fact, if he can get an answer faster by emailing a digest, I support that 
method 200%, especially if it generates discussion that might help him 
make a better decision. And if I happen to be on the same digest, that's 
even better, because it might cause me to think of things and question him 
and make our interaction more robust and more honest. (Well, so he might 
not be pleased with that diversion, but I am.) 

We could put the shoe on the other foot. People like Tom Sahines, for 
example, provide an extremely valuable resource to the digest when they 
take the time to comment on an issue, answer a question, or solve a 
problem. Tom is not charging for his time (that I know of &:-)) when he's 
on the digest. So it goes _both_ ways.

I'm not 100% sure where this thread came from, and the argument doesn't 
make a lot of sense to me. Seems to me the whole point of the digest _is_ 
to share information.

Tess
in Bellevue, WA, USA
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