Date: Mon, 2 Jan 1995 22:41:03 -0500
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: DerekDrew@aol.com
Subject: F/ Re: Posting Sweepstakes
This message is a reply to varous messages in response to my message about
Posting Sweepstakes. Consider skipping this message unless you are really
bored.
--Derek
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Gerry wrote:
> says he is burning out on paying so much on upkeep to keep his van running.
I
> had sort of assumed that we all knew our vans were not practical vehicles
and
> that we employed this list to make them more so.
[]
This is the sentence that made me respond. My response is Whoa!!!
"not practical vehicle?" I've got one for sale if that's the case. I
bought the thing because I thought it was a practical vehicle. There
wasn't enough room in a minivan and a full sized van was too hard to
drive around town. I hope you'll retract or modify that statement.
Derek's new comment: You are right. I am wrong. It isn't that it is not a
practical vehicle.
It is just that you have to be a member of this list or it can hit you with
some steep bills some times that you won't like. Also, it is hard to find
good mechanics for it.
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David Schwarze wrote:
> This business of the posting sweepstakes is really too much. We gotta think
> about this one real hard before letting it go any further. Gerry had
earlier
> said he wasn't going to publish the sweepstakes winners to avoid encouraging
> people to post needlessly.
I don't think any of us really took that seriously. Do you really think that
some of us are going to post more just to be higher on that list? Naaaah...
Derek's new comment: You are right. I didn't really expect a huge
increase in list traffic. I just took this opportunity to pound on my
point.
[ ]
as well. There is a stronger bond between members of this list than I have
seen
on any other mailing list. To me, it has been more than a source of
information,
it has also been a source of new friends. I don't know if that would have
been
the case if our fearless list maintainer had been as "strict" with postings
as
other list administrators... in fact, I know it wouldn't. Maybe this was not
the original intent of the list, but...
Derek's new comment: I have nothing against this. In fact I love it. I am not
pounding aginst the friends thing or the togetherness thing. I am only
pounding
aginast contentless messages like, "You can say that again!" or "Well, you
could
always use that flywheel as a flower pot!" I suggest that such messages
should be indicated with the /F option or appended to the end of other
messages
which do have content, not sent as stand alones.
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Joel said:
well, first of all, that's NOT why i posted the things. i was concerned
that...
[]
my purpose was not to
extoll the virtues of Blabbering, but to kinda let folks know ... well,
something. i'm not sure exactly what. kinda like the friday stats
Derek's new comment: You don't need to explain yourself. It was perfectly
reasonable fun sort of thing to post the list. It just pressed my button so
I could make my point, that's all.
[]
>Someone a few weeks ago suggested that perhaps a list like this is sort of
>like a bar and that you have to expect a certain amount of bar talk. I
i prefer to think of this list as an on-going seminar or business meeting
.. either or both of which must, at times, include some tension-breaking
levity or foolishness. too much work doth make Jack a dull boy. too much
play don't pay the bills. :)
Derek's new comment: Agreed. Good analogy.
well ... practical is maybe not the right word here. "economical" is what the
vw buses are not. well, at least vanagons are not. maybe eurovans will be,
and the older buses are certainly economical ... hell, except for the beetle,
they are probably the cheapest, most reliable vehicles around. perhaps, one
day, the vanagons will evolve into that status. but for now, vanagons, and
especially the syncros, are NOT economical. practical? yeah. fun? yeah.
but cheap to buy and cheap to run and cheap to maintain, they ain't.
Derek's new comment: Agreed. I stand corrected.
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Ric said:
JeeeeEEEEEEEzzzz, lighten up Derek! As if we all have tons of time on
our hands to go pissin' around and bumping up the number of messages
so we can beat Joel, etc...
Derek's Comment: Where's my Ultra Slim Fast?
If you want technical stuff, why not get friendly with your local
VW service manager....hell after dealing with my local dealership
for 25 years I'm on a first name basis with the owners, the parts
and service managers and all the mechanics, etc...on and on ad
nauseum. I've managed to get a factory rebuilt engine for my wife's
bug convert at dealer cost, the service manager gave me his spare
set of EuroVan manuals, etc..etc.
Derek's new comment: I already acquired every possible manual there
is and yet I still get much information out of the Vanagon list that isn't
in those manuals. That is, the Vanagon list is priceless. Besides, my
dealer won't even let me *look* in his manuals.
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Dave Carment siad:
I hereby appoint Derek to engage my brain and determine the weightiness of
my messages. All messages shall forthwith be forwarded to said individual
to determine their conceptual and factual clarity, their net contribution
and parsimony and rank ordered accordingly.
Derek's new comment: Is this my punishment for my Posting Sweepstakes
submission? Actually, while there are a *lot* of Dave Carment submissions,
the best of these are quite good.
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Alistar said:
This mini tempest about "posting sweepstakes" and frivolous postings
pisses me off.
Derek's comment: This makes me feel wanted.
The analogy made about this group being like some
business/technical/scientific meeting is a good one. I think all of us go
to such meetings, listen to or give lectures, look at displays,
discuss/argue... But you also make jokes, catch up on (admit it) gossip,
go off on tangents unrelated to the meeting. We're humans, we thrive on
human contact. Admittedly the analogy breaks down, private - public
conversations are not so distinct on a list.
The digressions into non-van realms are unavoidable, just are digressions
in normal conversation. The thread usually comes back round or is dropped.
I think we all know when enough is enough, without being told.
I was the one who made the joke about a race for 2,3rd place in the
postings sweepstakes, but I made the joke assuming that the group knew it
was a joke. Did anybody really consider flooding the list?
I look forward to reading this list, I really enjoy the chatter and
especially the technical posts. In a way it is very liberating to be able
to ask or answer questions with a group of people who won't say, "jeez
Alistair, can't you think of anything else but your van?"
Come to think about it, the digressions are a wee peek into our other
interests.
Derek's comment: I don't mind the digressions at all. I only mind them
when they come as part of a message that lacks any useful or intelligent
data and they also lack an /f identifier or subject identifier that labels
them
for what they are. As far as I am concerned people should post whatever
they want in a subject heading entitled or "Meeting Time For Pizza", "It's
Friday Again" or "Joke About Your Transmission Problem."
The problem comes when you open a message titled "Re. Transmission
Problem" and the message says, "Hey, did you consider banging on it with a
rock! ...Just Kidding!"
