Re: "Carnivorous Plants" (sorry folks)
John Walker (jorwa@ix.netcom.com)
Mon, 12 Feb 1996 14:38:11 -0800
At 02:42 PM 2/10/96 -0800, you wrote:
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>> Hello MR NEWMAN R GUILFORD
>>
>> >Could you please send me some literature on carnivorous plants. If
>> >you have a catalogue, please send that too.
>>
>>
>> >Thank You
>>
>>
>> Well, MR NEWMAN R GUILFORD, that's us - you're local friendly
>> international mail-order service......
>>
>> Also, was I dreaming or did someone really post details of insurance
>> premiums onto our discussion group a few weeks ago.....
>>
>>(beginning to get annoyed)
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>Goodness, I hope this wasn't posted direct to Mr. Guilford, as it will
>certainly give him a poor impression of this group, particularly if it
>was the only response. Between this and the only posted response last
>week to the lady who asked for VFT information for her small son who
>was doing a science project ("Look it up in the CP WWW page FAQ"), we
>surely aren't endearing ourselves to the general public, let alone to
>those, like Mr. Guilford, who apparently are interested in joining the
>hobby. I would ask all who want to respond in this derogatory fashion
>to such inquiries from potential new hobbyists to do so off-list, and
>address your response only to the person who asked. Also, please be
>sure to sign your own name, and make it clear that you are responding
>only for yourself and not in the name of the CP group. Thanks.
>
>Sean Barry
>
>ps: flame me if you like, I'm all grown up and can handle it. Just do
>it off-list so that our readers' bandwidth and time are not wasted, and
>don't expect a reply from me.
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Sean,
I may very well be one of the "offenders" that you mention above. I am in
the habit of directing people with little or no CP experience to the FAQ
pages of Barry Myers-Rice. I don't see how anyone can can answer questions
like "I just bought my first VFT! How do I grow it?" over and over again.
It seemed to make sense to steer beginners twords the CP home page and
FAQ's. I thought that this is what they are there for. Below, I have
included a partial response from Jane Rosenthal, thanking people for sending
her to the CP FAQ pages. Perhaps Jane could let us know how she felt when
she found that the responses to her growing questions were to visit yet
another web site and not actual growing information. It appears that one
trip to the FAQ's was enough to convince her that she had struck pay dirt.
On the other hand I totally agree that it is not in the best interest of the
CP hobby to alienate anyone, whether they are just beginning to grow CP's or
are more advanced. I can still remember the night that I first discovered
this list and the CP home page. It was the warm responses from people like
John Phillips, Barry, etc. that convinced me that this was one of the few
mail lists that was worth subscribing to. While I still plan to steer
people twords the FAQ's, I will also try to let them know why I am doing so
and that there is 100 times more information contained there than I could
possibly send them in a reply post.
John Walker
jorwa@ix.netcom.com
ps: I never did understand the thread concerning Mr. Guilford, insurance
premiums, and mail orders....maybe I missed a post or two?
Jane Rosenthal writes:
The CP WWW page FAQ was an extraordinarily
exciting find for us ... (it was almost too good because it was everything a
kid could ever hope for for an extra credit report, all there in one easy
down-load) and absolutely perfect for the cp beginner. For all of this, I
thank you all.