Subject: Beeswax, Hams, IRC, Bells, A Survey, the meaning of life, and more

From: [email-masked] (Allen Dick 546-2588)
Date: Thu, 8 Dec 1994 02:48:28 GMT

There was some complaint about the level of chatter on BEE-L and the 
suggestion was made that this is the place for small-talk.

I don't know how many of the group have access to USENET, or (can) read this 
group, but here's what I posted over there. . .  

Some of this may be irrelevant here, but read down, you may find 
something interesting. . . 

Ignore my comments in the post to the list re replying by mail, because on 
USENET, it seems the more trivial the post the better ;-)

Allen

*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Charter:
BEE-L is for the discussion of research and information
concerning the biology of bees.  This includes honey bees
and other bees (and maybe even wasps).  We communicate about
sociobiology, behavior, ecology, adaptation/evolution,
genetics, taxonomy, physiology, pollination, and flower
nectar and pollen production of bees.

. . . So sayeth the FAQ

But please read on.

> >My thanks to all who contributed interesting uses. I find that 'what is
> >beeswax used for' close to top of the list of FAQ's at any public demo
> >on bees and beekeeping and was getting tired of giving the same old
> >answers. Apologies to those who found the correspondence irrelevant to
> >their own operations.

>    That was quite a set of responses about uses of beeswax, but may I
> suggest another procedure.  Broadcasting a question to all on the net is a
> great idea.  However, when three or four responses come in, I believe it
> courteous for subsequent respondents to reply directly to the questioner by
> the private number, rather than burden the net with dozens of calls.
>
>    If the initiating person then gets a good input of potential use to many
> on the net, the replies can be summarized and sent out as a summary on the
> net so that we get one long message rather than many many short messages
> that may or may not be of interest (and/or listed on the FAQ).
>
>    The reason for my comments:  some of us receive an audible signal that a
> new message has come in -- a very handy cue when we are expecting a return
> message about an important topic from someone.  If that bell goes off
> several times an hour and each turns out to be yet another response to a
> single question of only moderate interest, it becomes difficult to
> concentrate on other tasks.  It is sort of like a lot of people dialing the
> wrong number (ours) all the time.

Thanks for the explanation of why posts can be aggravating.  I have a
bell, too, but don't leave my mail reader on all the time, so it never
ocurred to me that it could be a problem beyond pushing 'd' ten or so
times to clear out uninteresting mail.  I don't feel compelled to read
everything in my mailbox.

I am sure that there are a range of opinions on what is fit for posting
on this list, from those who feel that only two or three things a year
are worth posting to those who would (like myself) wish to see lots of
topics posted daily, whether I care to read them or not.

To my knowledge there are no other places for such a discussion to take
place.  I enjoyed the enthusiasm shown in the few responses I did read -
and I approve personally.

Now, whether things fit the Charter or not, may be a judgement call.  In
this particular case, I confess that the subject was not read by yours
truly, but flushed (mostly) unread.  You can be sure, however that I know it
is in the logs for reference if I should ever need to know - and it is a
question every beekeeper is asked over and over.

I would personally *much* prefer to see some chatter on the channel, than
see days go by where people are afraid to post, and fail to bring forward
their thoughts and questions, no matter how banal they might seem to some
others.  The very fact that there were so many responses indicated that it
is an area of great interest!

Speaking of logs, those who are concerned about being disturbed by
incoming messages can unsubscribe, but keep up to date on BEE-L by
requesting the latest log from the LISTSERV whenever they feel like
reading it. (Email me if you haven't been able and need help).

Perhaps we need another bee list.  One for *serious* ;) discussion.  And
one for light chatter.  Unfortunately I don't (yet) have the software to
set up such a thing.  Maybe soon, we can split the list and have a
chatter group and a group which only receives summaries and bulletins.

In the meantime, not to ring your bell an extra time with the following
trivia, I wish to announce that so far ten (10) Bee-l'rs are also ham radio
operators and we may have a worldwide chat on ham radio as a result of my
last survey!!!

ALSO, how many would like to meet on IRC some night/day for a bee
chat???  Respond to me (NOT the list).

I confess I am just getting going on IRC, but please do email me - anyone
who is interested - under the subject heading 'IRC for bees' so that I
will read it.  Please bee careful with your reply and do not include bee-l
in the reply or cc line.  Read the header carefully before you send and
make sure it has *only* my address on it - OR you will ring some bells you
shouldn't!

I would like to hear comments form *everyone* who cares - on what is the
correct and proper use of this list.  Please email me your comments and I
will summarise the (printable) ones to the list.

Comments to [email-masked].  Flames to /dev/nul.

:)

W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                      VE6CFK
Rural Route One, Swalwell,  Alberta  Canada  T0M 1Y0
Phone/Fax: 403 546 2588      Email: [email-masked]

-- 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                      VE6CFK
Rural Route One, Swalwell,  Alberta  Canada  T0M 1Y0
Phone/Fax: 403 546 2588      Email: [email-masked]