As a matter of fact, I am one of those, myself, who repeatedly considers unsubscribing because of the off topic messages and I will have to admit that I have been one of the contributors to them. The problem is that when a message comes along to which I have a response it is a bit difficult to restrain myself from responding and undoubtedly that is the case with everyone else too. The trouble is that there are just too many of us to be unrestrainedly responding to everything that strikes us. There is actually no moderator for this list, so it would be good to moderate ourselves if we can. In my recent telephone communications with a certain Bookshare employee he asked me what I thought of this list. I said that it has been very helpful for one thing. As a technically ignorant person not only have I learned a lot about the technical aspects of prepearing books for Bookshare, but I have also learned a lot about just how to use my computer in general. I then said that there is also a lot of chit-chat. On that he agreed and said that he had subscribed for a while but had quit because he just couldn't take it. He just did not have the time for all the non Bookshare related discussion. He went on to say that there should be a moderator, but if that was done there would be a lot of complaints from people who were being shut up. I added that it would be a whole job to do it too. I doubt that Bookshare can hire someone to specifically be a moderator and if an employee was assigned the job in addition to their current duties just think how much time it would take away from those other duties. So let us try to moderate ourselves with a little self restraint. And remember, when you respond to this very thread you are contributing to the problem by doing even that because discussing off topic discussion is also off topic.
_ _ _"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours"
Stephen Roberts The Militant: http://www.themilitant.com Pathfinder Press: http://www.pathfinderpress.com Granma International: http://www.granma.cu/ingles/index.html----- Original Message ----- From: "solsticesinger" <solsticesinger@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2010 12:32 AM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: A Request for Fewer Off-Topic MessagesI don't think the message had anything to do with whether or not people are kept informed. The occasional message concerning a topic of interest is fine, but, when 90 percent of the messages that come through have to do with food, birthdays, holidays, politics, etc., it gets a little old, and more than a little difficult to keep up with.
I know of a few people who have chosen to unsubscribe from the list, due to the high volume of off-topic messages. Many people do not have the time or inclination to weed through so much traffic, just to find out that nothing relevant to volunteering has been posted.
----- Original Message ----- From: Chela Robles
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 8:27 PM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: A Request for Fewer Off-Topic Messages Wow, ok, then!I'll do my best not to keep you all informed here on this list. Sorry. Just hit the delete key if you are so inclined. I'm leaving for the concert and won't be back until later. Taking my trumpet with me because I have a bone to pick with it. It needs some talking to.
--------"To me, music that breaks your heart is the music that stays with you forever. It's one thing to be melancholy and one thing to be sophisticated, but when you get the two of them together in a way people can relate to, then I think you're on to something. You want the sophistication to lie in the purity of the sound, the beauty of the arrangements, and the quality of the performances."-Trumpeter Chris Botti
---- Chela Robles E-Mail: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxx Skype: jazzytrumpet WindowsLive Messenger: cdrobles693@xxxxxxxxxxxFacebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=690550695
Cell: 1-925-250-5955Please join this group I'm an officer of called Smooth Jazz Music & Cruising Corner located on facebook at: http://facebook.com/group.php?gid=497886055511 I volunteer for a non-profit organization which makes printed materials accessible to those who are unable to read print due to disabilities. To find out more go to: http://www.bookshare.org
--------- Original Message ----- From: Emily Harrison
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 4:16 PM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] A Request for Fewer Off-Topic Messages Hi everyone,I would like to politely request a lessening of the off-topic discussion on this list. I joined this list in order to keep in step with the evolving nature of volunteering for Bookshare. I completely understand and appreciate that off-topic discussion helps bring a volunteer community closer, but I am finding it very difficult to keep up with the posts actually related to volunteering lately, as there are so many completely unrelated messages mixed in. A multitude of other online venues exist where it is more appropriate to chat about holidays, musicians, birthdays, politics and other such subjects, but this list is pretty much the only place to chat about volunteering for Bookshare. In the interest of continuing to make volunteering the great experience it is, I hope that most of the off-topic discussion here can be posted elsewhere. I am not trying to point fingers or be a downer, nor am I asking for a removal of all off-topic discussion, but the sheer volume of off-topic posts lately has simply been overwhelming. Thanks for reading!
-- Emily Harrison
greeniebone@xxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
