in reply to Re^2: don't be nervous about OT
in thread don't be nervous about OT
I don't dislike OT posts out of arbitrariety, rather because they invite a trend toward slashdot-ness. One of the things I really like about the Monastery is that interaction here is mostly reasoned, civil, and mature, which contrasts tremendously with anything-goes sites. S/Nr++
I believe that the Monastery's fairly narrow focus plays a primary role in keeping this community a positive and enjoyable place to frequent. Personally, I have no end of (SQL|*nix|bash|win32|hygeine)-ish questions that I'd *love* to be able to post here. But I recognize that it would be detrimental to the community to do so. Hence, I bite my tongue, and spit dat chat in de CB.
For any who advocate a more laissez-faire approach, I'd encourage reading through some of Clay Shirky’s Writings About the Internet. I don't agree with everything he writes, but his commentaries on 'net communities and scaling make a lot of sense. Here's a couple notables, there are more.
- A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy
- Social Software and the Politics of Groups
- Communities, Audiences, and Scale