Re: st: intro social science stats book

[Suzy <scott_788@wowway.com>]

I agree with you on all the counterpoints raised and Nick  responded to 
this suggestion previously  with the same basic counterpoints the first 
time I mentioned it, I think early last year.

I'm personally very comfortable with the minimum etiquette that is 
requested on  this listserv. I agree with you that  it is not 
excessive.  I also do understand why some people get some rough 
treatment at times. I'm just looking at this from a  strictly new 
user/student perspective,  and perhaps a younger generation perspective 
(although I'm not in that category). It's just an (unpopular) idea  
based on a general observation. I  don't want anyone to be required to 
do extra work and I can certainly see that there would  be no incentive 
for our current moderators. I'm thinking that such a listserv, however, 
might  expand the list of "usual suspects" that answer questions, since 
the questions in general  might be of a more fundamental nature. Please 
know that I'm not strongly advocating for a new listserv - it's just a 
thought!
Best wishes,
Suzy


Kit Baum wrote:


> Suzy wrote a very interesting post about SPSS/SAS/Stata, and said
>
> Off the beaten track somewhat, but something that  might be helpful in
> the long run for encouraging  new Stata users, which I've suggested once
> before and I'll bring it up again. It might be nice to also have a
> beginner/student Stata listserv - something just a bit more
> newbie/student friendly. By that I mean  a little more easy-going, not
> too protocol intensive, a place where perhaps more basic questions can
> be just  asked and answered without too much fuss or concern. I truly
> believe that many students  simply can't afford the manuals, don't know
> where to look for information, and truly do not have the time to spend
> looking for an answer that is perhaps easy to find (for those with
> extended exposure to the world of Stata). Since younger people tend to
> use the Internet and listservs quite a bit, their first exposure to
> Statalist might be a bit of a shocker  - I know it was for me and I'm
> not that young. Nonetheless, I got over it, learned the basic rules, and
> try to follow them as best as I can. However, not all students may be so
> inclined.
>
>
>
> I am not sure that there would be much incentive for "the usual  
> suspects" who respond to questions on Statalist to subscribe to such  
> a list. I'll let people like Nick Cox, Mark Schaffer and Clive  
> Nicholas offer their own views, but I would think that staying  
> abreast of _two_ lists might be somewhat much to ask. Furthermore, I  
> take it that you are concerned about the "bit of a shocker" aspect of  
> posters who respond to questions somewhat brusquely, or even with  
> some hint of annoyance.
>
> That annoyance is often well deserved. Agreed, many people can't  
> afford the manuals, and many who have them do not have them within  
> arm's length at a point in time. That is excusable. But not being  
> able to figure out how to use the on-line help is not. Perhaps the  
> acronym should be "RTFOLH."  If one can send email to Statalist, one  
> can use "findit" or "search", tools that many posters do not bother  
> to try before asking the q on Statalist. People ask "does Stata do  
> the x y z procedure?" when it happens that "findit x y z" retrieves a  
> quite useful list of references. I don't think that there is any way  
> that knowledgeable respondents will not find that sort of post a bit  
> annoying.
>
> Also annoying are those who say, contrary to the good advice of the  
> Statalist FAQ, "I tried this command and it didn't work" without  
> providing any of the diagnostic information that might allow a well- 
> meaning respondent to say something helpful.
>
> And messages from those who post "winmail.dat", HTML-encoded mail,  
> etc. --repeatedly in many cases--are immediate candidates for the  
> circular file.
>
> These are aspects of etiquette that are relevant to many listservs,  
> not just Statalist. So creating a "kinder, gentler Statalist" where  
> responders might have more tolerance for manners better suited to the  
> fast-food joint than the fancy restaurant could be done, but it may  
> be a land where the one-eyed person is king.
>
> Kit Baum, Boston College Economics
> http://ideas.repec.org/e/pba1.html
>
>
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