On Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:40:05 -0500, milt
<theatreguy_dunspam_@miltsweb.com> wrote:
> On 7/4/2010 3:17 PM, Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
> > On Sun, 04 Jul 2010 139:12 -0500, milt
> > <theatreguy_dunspam_@miltsweb.com> wrote:
> >
> >> On 7/4/2010 8:02 AM, Peter Foldes wrote:
> >>> Kenny
> >>>
> >>> The al.windows7 newsgroup is a joke and a playground for some people
> >>> using obscenities and foul language when they fight among themselves.
> >>>
> >>
> >> Why, just because its not run by Microsoft?
> >
> >
> > No, that's not the reason, but what Peter says is largely true.
> > There's much more garbage there than anything useful.
> >
> >
> You're getting the forums confused with the newsgroup.
Not at all. Have you looked at the alt.windows7.general newsgroup
recently? Unfortunately there is far more trolling there than real
content.
And unfortunately the trolls get answers and arguments rather than
being ignored. If they would get ignored, as they should be, they
would quickly get bored and stop trolling.
> >> Its a perfectly valid
> >> newsgroup to get help with Windows 7.
> >
> >
> > True. However the amount of garbage is staggering.
> >
> Not really, I don't see much garbage, however, trying to sort through
> all the noise on the forums is staggering.
> >
> >> At least someone is providing
> >> newsgroup help even if Microsoft is abandoning it.
> >
> >
> > Also true. But the ratio of help to garbage is very poor.
> >
> >
>
> Yeah, I guess the forums are better because its all about Win7 but its
> about the same 10 questions asked about 100 times and trying to find any
> helpful answers?
Absolutely true. There are many things wrong with the forums and
that's one of them. I am decidedly *not* in favor of everyone's
changing to the Microsoft forums instead of the newsgroups.
> Good luck with that. However, I'm sure as an MVP its
> your job to shuttle people to the forums and disregard any alternatives,
> especially ones that still show newsgroups as a viable alternative
> because that goes against what MS says.
That's completely wrong. I am *strongly* in favor of newsgroups rather
than the Microsoft forums, not simply as a "viable alternative," but
as a much better way to do this. In my view, Microsoft made a very bad
mistake by trying to move everyone from newsgroups to web-based
forums. I've even told that to Microsoft, but they weren't interested
in my point of view. That's their choice, of course. They make the
decisions, not me.
Regarding newsgroups vs. forums, I don't know what my job is "as an
MVP" and I don't care. I'm interested in helping people when I can,
and doing it the way that I think is best. If Microsoft has a view of
what's best that's different from mine, that's their prerogative, but
they won't change my view simply because that's their view.
I participate in the Microsoft web-based forums, the old
still-remaining Microsoft newsgroups (like this one), and the
alt.windows7.general newsgroup. But when I participate in the forums,
I do it via the NNTP bridge, and use my Forté Agent newsreader rather
than do it on the web because I can dramatically reduce how long it
takes me that way. So to me, the forums are still (sort of)
newsgroups.
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
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