Posted by medlib on August 2, 2001, at 2:04:41
Dr. Bob, et al--
It saddens and frustrates me so to see the tone of several threads on PB turn negative once again. Perhaps it's hopelessly retro of me, but I still believe that it's possible (and desirable) to disagree *without* being disagreeable--at least in a forum such as PB!
In every instance, problems seems to arise when the subject of a posted response is shifted away from the original question and toward the previous poster. I would love to see PB restricted to sincere med-related questions and responses to those Qs. If someone wants to query or address a previous poster in a thread, they would have to start a new thread on PB, or take it to PSB if it's not med-related.
For me, the most useful part of PB is the variety of response types. I believe that the vast majority of posters sincerely want to help others. Many offer their experiences; others, their opinions (informed and otherwise); still others, their information sources; and a few, their specialized knowledge. Each response has a real chance of being helpful to someone, IF IT ANSWERS THE QUESTION ASKED!
Am I the only one who sees a big difference between the statements "I believe strongly that ... is true" and "I believe strongly that you are wrong"? Wish we could have a PB without the latter.
Climbing down off my soapbox---medlib
poster:medlib
thread:1692
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20010718/msgs/1692.html