Off-topic threads and the alfa list generally

[Colin Talcroft <ctalcroft@domain.elided>]

Hi all

For what it's worth, it seems to me a maiing list is
like a party of one's good friends. They come together
because they have something in common, they enjoy each
other's conversation, etc. That said, at a gathering
at friends it would be absurd to scold the partygoers
for talking about subjects unrelated to the theme of a
specific party. It seems silly to me (just an opinion)
to get too uptight about off-topic posts. Those who
don't want to read them can ignore them, just as a
bored listener at a party can turn away and join
another conversation. Yes, Alfa Romeo should remain
the central theme, but we are all people with various
interests and various stores of knowledge. I enjoy the
Alfa content and the various peripheral threads
equally. Personally, I don't think anyone has been
anywhere close to too far away from the central theme.
A case in point would be the discussion earlier this
year about oversteer and understeer that evolved out
of someone mentioning a Porsche spinning out on the
highway. Fascinating reading, I thought, and
ultimately not "off-topic" in the sense that all on
this list (I assume) are drivers and interested in
driving.

Also, just wanted to say that this is the only one of
several mailing lists I belong to (the others are
mostly art and photography-related lists) that seems
quick to go off-list with replies. I got about nine
replies to my Italian tune-up question off list, only
one (I think) on the list. Seems to me that that
deprives the group of a rich portion of the
discussion. Same thing happened when I posted my first
question to the list about a year ago--about tires and
paint colors for my "new" 1978 spider. Most of the
replies came off list. Why not on list? Seems to me,
that's what the list is for....to share information.

Colin
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