Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi I've not been a member very long either, but I have been a subscriber to mailing lists for a number of years, and I'd like to make a couple of comments. Brian Reid clearly takes a very laid back approach. I find this is very pleasant, and I heartily commend him for it. Three cheers! The LUG compares very well with other groups I've been a subscriber to- in fact, I have come to the view that heavy moderation by the Admin makes for a more unruly group, rather than the other way round! Maybe when people are left alone to exercise their commonsense and sense of responsibility, they do so; or maybe Leica users are just nicer.......I dunno. As for the specific subject, Brian is doing fine; he's let us know his preferences, so let's respect them. How often is it that you really, really can't wait a few days before putting a bit of kit up for sale? But this is a cool group, and so if anyone has a user M3 in perfect working order but ugly as they come for $200 and they absolutely have to sell it before Friday, then post it, please! Thanks to Brian's relaxed approach such commonsense flexibility is possible and I hope it will remain so. If the situation becomes such that action really has to be taken then my suggestion would be that commercial (or semi-commercial) subscribers should be strictly restricted first, and non-commercial left more open- so if you were a genuine amateur trying to sell no more than, say, 3 items, that would still be okay to post anytime, bearing in mind my comment above. . It is pretty clear that the standard clauses about "no commercial use" of this facility are being flouted- but then there are perfectly valid reasons for allowing specialist dealers the space, which have been rehearsed already, and which I don't propose to go into now. I am not a dealer, but I am a pro, and I would therefore restrict myself to Fridays (have done so far) on principle; my observation so far is that the commercial posters (if they are that) seem to do likewise. The arrangement makes sense- if you're on the lookout for kit, you know to keep the peepers peeled on Friday- a bit like searching the classifieds in the local paper. No-one should abuse the very relaxed character of this List. Neither should we ask Brian, our generous host, to do more work on our behalf, which would be the certain result of a stricter policy. I'm pretty sure he's busy enough, so self restraint and commonsense has to be the order of the day IMHO. As an aside, there are a some issues which are quite clearly hotspots for the US subscribers; here are a few- tax, the Constitution, Government, gun law. I've known lists where a complete ban on these topics was firmly enforced...........I'm not advocating that, but perhaps I might encourage a moment's reflection on whether it really is absolutely necessary to make (or respond to) a particular point before sending a post on one of these topics - to an international forum about cameras! Cheers Rod