Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9162 total)
5 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,817 Year: 3,074/9,624 Month: 919/1,588 Week: 102/223 Day: 13/17 Hour: 0/1


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   General discussion of moderation procedures
JonF
Member (Idle past 168 days)
Posts: 6174
Joined: 06-23-2003


Message 41 of 304 (191324)
03-13-2005 6:12 PM


I like Bill Birkeland's messages
In Message 107 Adminnemooseus wrote:
Bill also supplies a lot of off-line references. While I do think it is good for Bill to show that there indeed are considerable amounts of such references in existence, I do think that the reality is that no one (other than Bill) is ever going to actually go to a library and look at the referenced articles. Thus, they are mostly just causing message clutter. ... While Bill does present a massive amount of information, I must now make the observation that (IMO) the writing style and message structure of Bill's messages leaves much to be desired. His messages (again IMO) tend to be tough to read (and I'm one who does have a (very rusty) geology degree).
I strongly disagree. IMHO references are the hallmark of well-researched and supported arguments, and the plain fact is that most scientific references are off-line. That my be changing, but it hasn't yet changed.
Bill's posts contain a lot of information and can be difficult to read. That's somewhat inherent in the subjects. He's not going to get it down to Reader's Digest level without inducing error.
I get most of what he says, and I don't have any formal training in geology.

Replies to this message:
 Message 42 by CK, posted 03-13-2005 6:26 PM JonF has replied
 Message 43 by Adminnemooseus, posted 03-13-2005 6:55 PM JonF has replied

JonF
Member (Idle past 168 days)
Posts: 6174
Joined: 06-23-2003


Message 44 of 304 (191339)
03-13-2005 7:29 PM
Reply to: Message 43 by Adminnemooseus
03-13-2005 6:55 PM


Re: I like Bill Birkeland's messages
But there is the art of presenting quality information to the scientificly disinclined.
Well, there's an art of presenting quality information to the scientifically ignorant but inquisitive; and there's a different of art of presenting quality information to the scientifically disinclined. Bill and many other scientists could be better at the former. IMHO none of us have figured out the latter ... what we're doing mostly isn't working ... so I'm leery of criticism (admittedly constructively intended).

This message is a reply to:
 Message 43 by Adminnemooseus, posted 03-13-2005 6:55 PM Adminnemooseus has not replied

JonF
Member (Idle past 168 days)
Posts: 6174
Joined: 06-23-2003


Message 45 of 304 (191340)
03-13-2005 7:32 PM
Reply to: Message 42 by CK
03-13-2005 6:26 PM


Re: I like Bill Birkeland's messages
more and more of the academic journals are now providing their material online and those of us who have access are able to follow those up if we choose (I realise this brings questions of access).
It's getting better. I don't know how the economics are going to play out, but more and more articles are bcoming available to non-academics.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 42 by CK, posted 03-13-2005 6:26 PM CK has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 46 by CK, posted 03-13-2005 7:46 PM JonF has not replied

Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024