"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) > > > >