Re: CLPM - a help group?

Michael Carman wrote:
Adam Worrall wrote:
Yes I meant 'help desk', but you are wrong in assuming that a 'help desk' always has to be a formal service for customers. There are, in fact, many volunteer-run help desk, and this newsgroup, like many others, functions as exactly that. People volunteer their time to _help_ others.

I believe that the aversion to calling c.l.p.misc a "help desk" is because that term carries a connotation that the purpose of the group is to provide a service where someone will solve your problem for you. The regular contributors to this group are, on the whole, very resistant to that idea. "RTFM. What have you tried? Show us your code."

nobull phrased it very well:

"Get real! This is a discussion group, not a helpdesk. You post
something, we discuss its implications. If the discussion happens
to answer a question you've asked, that's incidental."

The purpose of the group is to discuss Perl: it's strengths, weaknesses, idioms, quirks, dusty corners, etc. The asking and answering of questions are merely a mechanism by which discussion topics are identified.

I understand what you are saying, but it still doesn't answer my question: who exactly gets to decide what is and isn't acceptable for everyone in a news group? AKAIK, no one simple person can claim ownership of a news group, so telling someone something along the lines of "this is not a help desk" is legislating your own beliefs, which is contrary to what Usenet is and how it works (at least in terms of open non-moderated groups.)

- Adam
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: CLPM - a help group?
    ... desk' always has to be a formal service for customers. ... There are, in fact, many volunteer-run help desk, and this newsgroup, like many others, functions as exactly that. ...
    (comp.lang.perl.misc)
  • Re: CLPM - a help group?
    ... desk' always has to be a formal service for customers. ... There are, in fact, many volunteer-run help desk, and this newsgroup, like many others, functions as exactly that. ...
    (comp.lang.perl.misc)
  • Re: CLPM - a help group?
    ... In article, Adam Worrall ... everyone in a news group? ... The charter decides that. ... This still isn't a help desk, but I'm usually happy to help people when ...
    (comp.lang.perl.misc)
  • Re: CLPM - a help group?
    ... established service where customers walk up and someone helps them. ... Yes I meant 'help desk', but you are wrong in assuming that a 'help desk' always has to be a formal service for customers. ... There are, in fact, many volunteer-run help desk, and this newsgroup, like many others, functions as exactly that. ... There's also not anything that states that it isn't it's purpose either, but reality speaks quite well for it self; people ask questions, and other people freely answer them in effort to help those asking the questions. ...
    (comp.lang.perl.misc)
  • Re: CLPM - a help group?
    ... brian d foy wrote: ... who exactly gets to decide what is and isn't acceptable for everyone in a news group? ... but I don't think you've ever spent any time on a volunteer-run help desk before. ...
    (comp.lang.perl.misc)