[Air-l] writing effective questions to lists

[Charlie Balch]

Barry,
Great topic! I have a few additions to your guidelines:

* A sense of humor helps so long as it does not distract too much from the
question.

* Present the question in such a way that it will be of interest to members
of the list and within the guidelines. If you can't do this then the
question does not belong on the list.

* Avoid cross-posting.

* A challenge as part of the content showing that you have done your
homework often helps. I.E. I've found this and that, can anybody add to my
knowledge.

* Check and mention that you have checked the list archives to see if your
question has been asked before.

* An offer to share a compilation of results from all sources is also
sometimes helpful.

* Brief is usually better.

Let us know what else you find out...

Charlie
In Dissertation Hell
LSU - Instructional Technology 



-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Barry Wellman
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2006 7:25 PM
To: aoir list
Subject: [Air-l] writing effective questions to lists

I'm gearing up to write a book on writing for the social scientists.

I want to put in something about how to write in listservs, chat groups, IM,
etc.

I was struck this week by Abigail's Q (see below) which I thought was a good
example on how NOT to answer a question, because it was so broadly
framed: what is it about time that Abigail is interested in? (dissertation
advising manta).

Yet, I have been struck by how much interesting discussion Abigail's Q has
evoked. For one thing, there ain't much on time (altho did anyone mention
Evitar Zeruvabel?), so anything might be worthwhile. Second, the broadness
of the Q seems to have served as a projective test -- evoking a variety of
responses.

So, I am lead to wonder and to ask: what tips do people have for posting to
lists?

My quick guide is:

1. Be specific as to content and need.

2. Lurk on the list for a while to get a sense of its style.

3. Try to post something else first, so that you are contributing as well as
asking for information.

PS: I'd like to endorse Frank Thomas' request for evidence on Virillo's
conjectures.

 Barry Wellman
 _____________________________________________________________________

  Barry Wellman   S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology   NetLab Director
  Centre for Urban & Community Studies          University of Toronto
  455 Spadina Avenue    Toronto Canada M5S 2G8    fax:+1-416-978-7162
  wellman at chass.utoronto.ca  http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman
        for fun: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php
 _____________________________________________________________________

 On 12/7/06, Abigail Groves wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>> I am writing about the internet and its effects on time. I was
wondering
>>> if anyone could suggest some readings on this topic?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>>
>>> Abigail Groves
>>>
>>> PhD Candidate
>>> National Centre in HIV Social Research University of NSW 
>>> http://nchsr.unsw.edu.au


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