Shut up! Don’t respond! Na … wa … dnt … Just shut up!

Flashcoders is turning into crap. Between the newbie questions and the off-topic questions/comments Flashcoders keeps sliding down the hill of respectibility. Every so often something happens on the list to make the list unbearable. It tends to rebound back thanks to Dave Watts, the admin, and some personal restraint.

Currently there is a thread going on (and on, and on …) that started out as an off-topic question ^[1]. I won’t get into the details as I don’t want to get into a discussion on the topic - although this is a much better forum than the Flashcoders list for such a topic. The thread started a conversation about the topic and that inevitably shifted to another as people’s passionate opinions come out.

However, the thread had nothing to do with FLASH CODING - the topic of the list.

People started chiming in to stop the thread. Then people who were involved in the discussion agreed but did so after adding their paragraph of text stating yet another opinion. More people ask for the thread to stop and again more include their opinions on the off-topic.

Dave Watts, the admin even told everyone to stop posting for a second (maybe third) time. So what happened? Someone responded to that saying “Yes please stop”.

Holy crap! Are you people so ego-centric that you feel YOUR opinion/comment needs to be heard or that it will be the one to stop everyone. Or are you just ignorant to the fact that posting AGAIN is adding to the thread and letting it continue?

If you feel a thread should stop, tell Dave Watts. Or post once to say stop. If someone ELSE posts saying stop, it’s ok, YOU don’t have to post again. Just stop - that means YOU!

Seriously, people. Show some restraint.

Admittedly, I don’t contribute to the list as much as others. Mostly I read the list to learn and reply when I can help. I’ll only post a question that I feel is worthy of such a list, otherwise I’m pretty sure I can find the answer, either in the archives or by through Google.

Now I can accept the newbie questions. Occassionally someone posts not understanding there IS a Flashnewbie list or that the Flashcoders list is for advanced discussion. Their questions can either be answered or directed to the newbie list and all is well.

It’s too bad. Flashcoders was (and is to some extent) considered the best of the best source for advanced talk/info about Flash ActionScript.

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If you have to put [OT] or another indicator for the post being off topic, you’ve answered the question about whether or not the post belongs there: it doesn’t! This goes for mailing lists, blogs, and forums.
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