Filtering discussion.

[Dan Marmion]

The analogy is not apt, and the key is in Dowling's statement that
"Listservs are push; web sites are pull."  We on Web4Lib did not
seek the "off-topic" posts, and the only way to avoid them would
be to unsubscribe (sort of the ultimate filter, I guess).  The porn on
the Web doesn't come to the library unless somebody goes out 
and looks for it.

Dan Marmion

>>> Marc Meola <mmeola at astro.ocis.temple.edu> 06/24 3:28 PM >>>
A straw man position is one that is easier to attack than the one actually
held by an opponent in an argument. So I don't think the analogy in
question below is a straw man. I think the term you want is false analogy.

I think the analogy is clever, intriguing, and apt. 
Dowling says "Web4Lib has a stated purpose, audience, and topical scope." 
Isn't this also true of libraries?

Marc Meola


On Wed, 24 Jun 1998, Thomas Dowling wrote:

> 
> This analogy is a pretty tired strawman.  Listservs are push; web sites
> are pull.  Web4Lib has a stated purpose, audience, and topical scope; the
> web as a whole is a free-for-all.  Feel free to argue your points about
> filtering--feel free to argue that the discussion belongs on Web4Lib, if
> you want--but don't exaggerate the implications of a call for focus in one
> professional forum.
> 
> 
> Thomas Dowling
> OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
> tdowling at ohiolink.edu 
>