On Sun, Oct 13, 2002 at 11:08:38AM +0100, Stuart Bruce wrote:
I have more time on my hands than I expected so I've already replied to the post I read this morning over on the Yahoo group. Here's my reply.
Some comments, as I let myself get a bit riled by the stuff about record collectors being business folk with no appreciation for music. Your reply covered most of my thoughts, the guy sounds like he's upset that his public forum is more "public" than "his". I've put OT in the subject line, as my rants aren't klf related, so delete now or forever hold your piece.
Well what is to stop you from adding fair comment after a post, commenting that you do not think a particular item is legitimate, or that a particular seller can be trust?
Fraud happens in any collectable market, and if people buy naively from unknown sources on a Yahoo! group (which are much more visible groups than this one) they should be aware of the risks. I can understand his point to that extent, but as you said, a response from the moderator saying "please be aware of the risks involved in buying over the internet blah blah blah" would be enough. If the response was a standard pre-written text then no-one should take offence at the suggestion they're not trustworthy. If he wanted to, and did it right, he could even help prevent bootlegs being passed off as the real mccoy by raising awareness of the various bootlegs in circulation, what to look for when buying, what prices are reasonable. But as he hates the market so much he'd probably rather just destroy it than help clean it up.
I am concerned that people might get run over by cars when they cross the road, but I don't announce that I am going to ban roads or ban cars. If anybody were to ever ask me, I'd tell them where I thought was a sensible place to cross.
Well put.
I'm not questioning that at all. But (as I am very keen on analogies) there are very few situations where if a community is struck by a contagious disease, the solution is to kill everybody.
Try telling that to the British Government. Before you know it this guy could be bulldozing heaps of burning vinyl into giant plastic lined pits on the moors, because it's suspected of possibly being infected with Boot & Leg Disease.
If people are mailing off-board to individuals announcing *records* for sale (which has happened to me, and I've had one list member complaining about) then that is an issue.
But it's an issue that is in no way resolved by stopping people e-mailling *on* list about a subject. Your 'solution' is not connected to this problem.
No. It is connected. Record collectors are responsible for all spam, and by eliminating record collectors you will be able to post to the internet without fear of unsolicited email. Er, so to sum up, he's got valid points about unsolicited mail, but that's a general problem when posting publicly on the net. I think The Simpsons is on now. jon -- "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson