[Sigia-l] Being considerate of others (Off Topic Posts)

[Skot Nelson]

On Mar-8-2006, at 5:39 PM, Lyle Kantrovich wrote:

> Instead we're left to guess what your
> opinions are, and wonder if you really have any opinions on IA, or if
> IA is just another buzzword making up part of a big UX soup in your
> reality.

Leading questions, and those who ask them, are the scourge of many  
mailing lists. This is, after all, what flame-bait typically is.

Anybody familiar with political campaigns knows this tactic: the  
person asks the question, people answer in good faith, the person  
then starts dumping on every answer and making a point which --  
obviously -- they were trying to make in the first place.

If you have a point, make it. If you have an agenda, put it forward.

If you're asking a question, accept the answers in the spirit in  
which they're intended.

Another great tactic for keeping these sorts of discussions going  
forever is to ask "Why" in response to every comment. "Why" is a  
leading question. For every "Why" there is an answer that starts with  
"Because." For every "Because" there is a "Why." It's a never ending  
circle.