newcomers

[woj@remus.rutgers.edu (uffda!)]

asteg@k12.ucs.umass.edu (Albert Steg (Winsor School)) sez:
>Am I right in guessing that as new people come to the group, some
>conversations will be rehashed with new conversants --and that old hands
>can simply choose not to join in?  Or should newcomers refrain from covering
>old ground somehow? (And how can we know what's been said before?) This
>is a genuine question.

and, considering the large number of people who are flocking to the
internet recently, it's a good one. there are two resources that a new
subscriber can avail of himself: the frequently asked questions file
(aka the faq) and the archives.

the faq is readily available from uli grespel. due to its size, he
doesn't post it regularly, but the changes to it are posted monthly as
well as a pointer to where it can be obtained from.

the archives can be accessed via anonymous ftp (which, unfortunately,
is another mystifying net.thing for the new user) from uunet.uu.net.

while it is courteous, when joining a new group, to familiarize
yourself with the group, its mores and its history, i do think that it
is somewhat imposing to expect *every* newcomer to find out *all* about
love-hounds before posting the first time. granted, it helps, but it
should not be required. this isn't a fraternity after all.

so my take on this question is that while i hope that new subscribers
would take some time to get the feel of love-hounds (or, for that
matter, any electronic group that they join) before diving into the
fray, i do not expect them to. the resources are fairly readily
available to find answers to simple questions or to find detailed
debate/discussion/argument on topics that are of interest but no one
should condemn someone out of hand for not doing so.

perhaps the thing to remember is that groups like love-hounds tend to
be very self-policing (love-hounds might be an extreme, in this case).
new folks are dealt with in the manner in which they approach the 
group: if you're courteous and reasonable, people will be likewise to
you. if you're belligerent, you'll be toasted to a cinder.

shrug. the law of the net, i guess.

+woj