"anne" wrote in message ...
[...]
50% at least of posts end up argumentative
because the regulars *have* to prove their knowlege and how good they are
and so friendliness goes out of the window.

But some people *love* a frank exchange of views: to me, that's what
friends are for. I wouldn't seriously argue with anybody I didn't feel
friendly to. Nobody has to join in one of the more excitable exchanges
if they'd rather not, and certainly nobody who does join in seems to
feel put down by it.

It's fine for info but not for passing the time of day as it were. I sit
here thinking dare I ask that question, is it too simplistic etc. [...]

That's a shame: lots of the questions here are from beginners, and
they usually get answered, and I reckon they're usually answered in a
straightforward way. You get some more complicated answers, but that's
usually because whoever it is is trying to be as helpful as possible.
It's hard to know where to stop if it's something you know a fair bit
about.

It doesn't even stop at gardening either, we *have* to post correctly too.
Left right left right all in line! It's quite amusing really how people can
be so straight laced, closed minded and pedantic too.

What, you mean about top-posting versus bottom-posting? Yes, some of
us do get confused by top-posting: it isn't really about being
closed-minded, just that if everybody bottom-posts I find it easier to
see what's going on. I think it's the agreed way on most Usenet
groups, so we've come to expect it and we know where we are with it.

Don't be put off: people are here because they're interested. Showing
off isn't realistic on Usenet, not for the mentally healthy anyhow,
because nobody knows who anybody really is. For example, I'm really a
shapely natural-blonde up-and-coming porn starlet from County Mayo who
gets all her gardening info out of the Encyclopedia Britannica: real
gardening would wreck my nails, darling! I pretend to be this bloke so
the other girls will never find out.

Mike.