Dear FarmI; You wasted time writing it, - I wasted my precious time reading a wee bit of it, - now I will break one of my cardinal rules, and not snip, and the whole will clutter up the Archives.. Edna MacPherson Sabato ----- Original Message ----- From: "FarmI" <ask@itshall.be.given> Newsgroups: soc.genealogy.australia+nz To: <genanz@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 2:00 PM Subject: Re: nsw bdm- message format > "Lynnette Fiddick" <mail.list@lynnettefiddick.com> wrote in message >> Hello.....?? > > You can call me FarmI. I answer to that. > > I'll treat your comments as if I was doing a bit of research on an > ancestor so you can see why perhaps your wants may not be the same as mine > (and before you get a fit of the screaming heebygeebies at what I write, > this is just an excercise - I don't know you and you could be the most > lovely person in the world but I am analytical in nature and not a feely > person so I don't need to know someones name or anything about them. I am > interested in genie research for what it teaches me and not what others > can GIVE to me or DO for me. > > I don't ask for any help that requires off list/group resonses because I > want to do all work myself. The only time I have ever asked for help is > in terms of generalised information needs that could just as validly be > answered on the list/group as it could have been offline. I don't ever > post specific 'please do my research for me' requests. I want to do all > my own genie research but very occasionally I'd like some information of a > general nature from others who are familiar with certain > repositories/records that I've not used before. YMMV. > > I wrote about foilbes. I didn't ask for anything, I didn't suggest that > anyone must do something or should do something. I only commented that we > all have foilbes and mine are not to sign, not to want email and that I > don't find replying offlist helpful. To that I will now add that I firmly > believe that off list/group replys do not invlove the concept of sharing > or being helpful. Sharing and helping can come from learing about how > other think or what resources they have used or have found. > >> Normally, I would not reply to you simply because I do not know who to >> address, however, on this occasion I am replying just to explain why a >> name >> is important and a signature, of some kind, at the end of an email is >> useful. > > Poster claims their name is Lynnette Fiddick (note: this could be an > alias, further research required to establish existence of such a person > given source which is online and therefore needs verification) states that > it is 'important' to do something. (Why is this important to the poster? > Is it because of their upbringing or is it just a personality quirk? > Other possible reasons for their definiton of 'important'?) Note > time/date/season. > >> Providing your name is simply a way of expressing goodwill and courtesy, >> and >> surely these are important beginnings when asking someone to give of >> their >> own time to help you do something or find something. Something akin to >> shaking hands, smiling and introducing yourself when face to face with >> someone, or addressing and signing a letter. > > Does poster have a need to feel that they are the recipient of goodwill? > Note use of word 'courtesy' - 'gently raised' upbringing perhaps? Giving > of time seems to be 'conditional' on behaviour on part of others that > meets their own expectations. Check to see if poster did voluntary > community work and if this also had 'conditional' element attached. Any > evidence of poster doing things for others merely for altruism or because > query piqued interest? Poster responds as if there has been an actual > request for someone to 'do something'. Why? Is this evidence that poster > has comprehension problems or does poster always write in response to own > agenda? > >> You are certainly entitled to withhold your whereabouts if you so choose, >> but on email lists, without some indication of the GENERAL location in >> which >> you reside (no need to be specific or descriptive about the area) your >> proximity to various records and repositories is unknown, e.g., you may >> be >> somewhere in England, Germany, South Africa or even Australia, and this >> can >> affect my reply to you. > > Top poster - not longtime user with usenet background. Posts to rootsweb > email list. Poster gives no recognition that they post to a gatewayed > list. Why not aware? Oversight/ignorance? Possible scenarios - new > user/older user/average home user? Typed in haste/without thought > perhaps? - no spelling errors or other evidence of mistakes which often > occur with haste. Poster is perhaps unaware of 'properties' function and > what that can reveal - further evidence of previously mentioned > scenarios??? Check posting history. Do 'whois' check. > >> If you requested assistance of some kind via a mailing list, and you are >> residing in South Africa, it would not be useful for me to suggest the >> record you require is available by visiting the NSW State Records Office >> (archives) however, if I knew you were not able to take a short drive to >> that repository, I may be able to suggest alternative means to obtain the >> record locally or perhaps by applying online to that office and providing >> you with the contact details. Many listers offer to obtain documents, >> often >> at no cost and usually just for photocopying and postage, if they are >> aware >> the person requesting assistance is remote from the repository. > > Poster is near city of Sydney - says Central Coast in sig block. Check > Phone Books/Electoral Rolls spreading out from Sydney Northern oustskirts > proceeding Notherwards as far as Taree (prolly too far but could be > misdirecting). Note use of 'short drive' - given location could be a > misdirect? May actually live within 'short drive' distance from NSW > Archives - what is definition of 'short drive' in Sydney? If no go with > Central Coast location, start with 20 minutes from Archives (what would > that distance in Sydney be given traffic lights/traffic/time of day for > access to NSW Archives etc - more research needed to establish - may need > to revise in future as 'short drive' to poster could be five minutes - > note use of 'drive' has car or access to driver of car - more likely > drives self given wording)? Seems to think has been asked to do > something - why? Writes as if some familiarity with NSW State Archives - > given response is on genie list - prolly genie/family historian. Search > related online genie archives. Check GRDs for alias/name/evidence of > interests - may give time frame for interest/establish if name or alias. > Offers to give advice on resources - keep in mind when checking history of > community work (note 'advice' - not actually do something). > >> Re replying to the individual rather than the list....this is often >> because >> the person replying does not want their email address to made "public" >> for >> some reason, or they may be offering to assist in some way and do not >> wish >> to "go public" because they could be inundated with similar requests. For >> whatever reason, this is once again an option entirely up to them, but at >> least they have paid you the courtesy of replying to your enquiry. > > Not logical? ('askers' of help need to give valid email addys/responders > may 'have reasons' not to do so - goose/gander syndrome). Has probably > offered help offlist/group. Nice person to help or just has strong need > for privacy? Explore both options - sounds like nice person but could be > misdirect. May have been prevailed upon by opportunists in past given > comment about 'inundated'? Not prepared to acknowledge value of > archiving???? Keep in mind when checking genie interest - possible keen > amateur?? Again mention of 'courtesy' - strong theme developing there. > >> One last point: you said any genie is aware of the value of archives, >> including those for Mailing Lists, and I most certainly agree with that. >> We >> are also aware that in order to receive information, we have to show we >> are >> willing to share information. Unfortunately, your archived emails will >> show >> your reluctance to share even your name and general locality, and that >> may >> not inspire many people to contact you. > > Not thorough in research - did not check archives comprehensively. > Limited exploration of possible scenarios - more evidence of 'gentle > raising' or lack of exposure to life's seamier elements?? Requires > sharing or personal information. Why? > > ____________________________________ > That is a short (and rather sloppy) illustration of how I do analysis when > I receive information. It's not about you. It's about the information > given. It's about who, where, what, when and why and it doesn't matter > whether it is you who gives out information or if it is an ancestor I am > tracking. > >> 'Bye for now >> Lynne Fiddick >> >> =============================== >> Central Coast, NSW, AUSTRALIA >> =============================== >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: FarmI [mailto:ask@itshall be given] >> Sent: Monday, 16 November 2009 10:54 AM >> To: genanz@rootsweb.com >> Subject: Re: nsw bdm- message format >> >> We all have foibles. My foible is that I don't sign and I expect replies >> to >> be sent to where they are read ie: the list. Others have different >> foilbes >> such as wating a signature and repling direct by way of email to the >> asker. >> >> I think the latter habit of replying to 'on list' questions by email is >> very >> unhelpful given that any genie should know about the value of 'archives' >> included online archives. >> >> (unsigned and quite deliberately so) >> >> >> >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GENANZ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message >