People sometimes ask me to put their information on all of my groups. They may argue that their information is important or urgent, or that the information is applicable to specific groups. The information may be copied from another source or it might be their own concepts or ideas. It is frequently political in nature.

These people are often not interested in the topic of the group. They just want their ideas to be read by as many people as possible. "Put it on all your groups."

Some of these issues do not belong on any of these groups. Somebody may send the group owner the material with a note that they don't have time or they can't be bothered to join the groups.

These removed postings are one reason these discussion forums are moderated – in order to remove these issues from the groups.

Those issues do not belong on our discussion groups. Our regular subscribers are welcome to present their own on-topic postings, but this is not a place for others to spam our captive audience.

Some people, on the other hand, have relevant information, but they can't be bothered to join the groups themselves. This can be compared to one of the Four Sons in the Passover Haggadah. He asks, "What are all of these things that G-d has commanded you?" By removing himself from the Jewish Nation, he was not worthy of redemption.

A person who wants to present his own knowledge and opinions to a group is of value to us. The alternative is the son in the Haggadah who excludes himself with "lachem velo lo."

Anybody who says "Read my valuable information, even though I'm too busy to post it myself and I can't be bothered with it" does not have information that is worthy of being posted on our groups.

Everybody has advice

There is a reason why we have all these groups.

Now you come along with your own agenda. It's not likely to be identical to that of the group. You are an intruder, in the midst of an ongoing discussion. Nobody invited you to drop your own idea on the groups.

I know. your idea is important and worthy of posting on every group.

Perhaps. That's precisely why these groups are moderated. If everybody would be allowed to decide what is important and push aside the work of others, then we would be in a real mess.

Which it is.

And maybe now we know one reason why.