This seems to be an ongoing argument, on just what is mete for this list and what isn't, with little agreement between those with a broad definition of what pertains to biofuels, full eco- and other context and all, and those who, at their most extreme, want technical input on biodiesel, straight veg oil, ethanol, maybe methane, and not much else.
A lot of listers appreciate the broad definition. Limiting the discussions would deprive them of information they value, and it would also greatly weaken the archives. Not limiting the discussion means those with a narrower definition get email they don't want, but it doesn't deprive them of anything, nobody's forcing them to read it, and there's such a thing as a delete button. So the argument against limiting the scope of discussion is much the stronger. I know it seems very obvious to those who call for it, but I'd by very surprised if even those with the most narrow definitions could agree on what's relevant and what's not - it just isn't that simple. Any such limitations would inevitably amount to a loss, not a gain. Again, we could (probably will!) argue forever about what's arguably on-topic, but it's very clear what's definitely off-topic. Off-topic posts aren't banned, but it's only good manners to be very sparing with them, and they MUST be labelled as such. And don't make threads of them - go off-list if you have an OT response to an OT message. Lots of members are discussing lots of things with each other off-list, which is as it should be. I must apologise, by the way: I'd have called a halt to the merrie jests a bit sooner, but I was otherwise occupied for a couple of days and couldn't download my email (and then I got nearly a thousand messages all at once, like Steve!). In a previous mailing I mentioned listers' responsibilities, and several people have touched on that. Yes, we do need to cooperate. Jerry makes some good points: for instance, the subject changed, so he changed the header too: "Re: OT posts, was ..." That should be standard practice, but very few people do it. And this matter of cropping off all the dross at the bottom is always coming up, but again very few people ever take any notice, or not for long. Snipping what's not pertinent from the message you're replying to is also basic - not just a nicety, these small things are fundamental to being a worthy member of a big, high-volume list, which is what this one has become. Let's have some self-discipline please, as well as cooperation. Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ List owner Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
