[Milsurplus] Please stay on topic - from your friendly list admin

[Todd Bigelow - PS]

Barry Hauser wrote:

>Hi Ralph, Floyd & crew:
>
>It's not so much that ebay is "off topic" is that it's a powderkeg subject
>and threads tend to go out of control into an unrecoverable power dive into
>the depths of .. well .... unmoderate-ableness.
>  
>
Excellent post, Barry. I also agree that posting questions to the list 
about an item or pointing someone there to say "this is what it looks 
like" is fine. Getting into the issues of whether it's right or wrong is 
just wasted bandwidth. It's yet another tool for locating items and even 
learning a bit about some obscure pieces. Just don't believe everything 
you read or assume that ePay is the End-all determining factor of price. 
High end, sure, but not the entire market by any means. Auctions aim to 
get the *highest* price, by design. Selling outright (classifieds) are 
more meant to move an item, regardless. If you're seeking specific items 
or specialized pieces for any interest, you're simply foolish not to use 
every tool available to you.

The problems Ralph is trying to avoid are the ones relating to opinion 
(who's is right?) and also the possibility of turning the list into a 
mess like the newsgroups. When the posts turn from "what's this?" to 
"here's my xyz widget on epay, please bid on it for me" then the 
floodgates can be pried open and the list as we know it, trashed. Not to 
mention members wondering why you'd list something on ebay and expect 
people to pump up the price for you rather than simply posting it to the 
list. Hey - if we're good enough for the link, why aren't we worthy of 
an open offer to sell? Not saying you can't or shouldn't sell there, 
just pointing out the conflict it can create when you use a list to post 
your auctions. This could certainly lead to a less-than-good impression.

Two important points overlooked thus far: ebay is a multi-billion dollar 
for profit business. Al Waller is not. Why load his lists with free ads 
for them when they contribute *nothing* to his expenses? Also, (and this 
is just an astute observation on my part), if we're all at least bright 
enough to log on here and check our email account or surf the net, 
shouldn't we also be considered sharp enough to know how to use ebay and 
find things for ourselves? Posting the typical 'for bid' ads on a list 
implies that we are not, or we're too lazy to.

Questions about identification? Sure, makes sense. A good joke even? 
Absolutely. Dave S. has posted some VERY humorous links in the past for 
outrageously @@RARE *LQQK* command sets (actually just wildly modified, 
painted pink, etc) and other items which really can get you laughing. 
Some of the descriptions.....oh my....  But getting off topic to the 
point of "I think it's bad because" or "I think it's fine because" just 
drags the list down. Same with posting ads. We're bright children (for 
the most part), we can find things on our own without being given 
pointers. Afterall, there is the list which Al set up for just that purpose.

Enough from me. Barry's right - use the other list for ebay-related 
business, please confine the references here to identification questions 
or similar. We'll all be better off for it.

73 de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ