[mapguide-users] PSA: Direct MapGuide questions to this mailing list first and not my personal email address!

[Jackie Ng]

I've blogged about it. I've ranted about it on various social media. But it
seems the message is obviously not getting through to some, so I might as
well rant at the source: This mailing list.

I am getting tired of receiving MapGuide-related questions through my
personal email address that have not being asked first on this mailing list.
I read this mailing list almost every day, if you ask a question on it I or
some other knowledgeable user can possibly answer the question for you.

Directing the question to me (and me alone) is selfish.

 a) You are denying other users who might have a similar problem the same
answer.
 b) You are hindering what we want this mailing list to become: A reliable,
searchable knowledge base of mapguide questions and answers.

Also, it's plain illogical. You'll have an audience of many by asking
MapGuide questions on the mailing list, whereas asking me directly there's
an audience of one (myself) and that depends on whether I'm actually in the
mood to answer your question since you've flagrantly disregarded the above
reasons that I've already stated for posting to the mailing list first.

The only times I'll acknowledge and likely reply to mapguide-related emails
directed to my personal email address is when:

 a) If I've asked you to email me in response to something in a discussion
thread.
 b) You're already a known or established MapGuide user/developer or
associated with one.
 c) It concerns something that is confidential in nature and can't be
discussed openly on a mailing list.
 d) You want to engage me or Zac for MapGuide
consulting/development/business.
 e) We have a pre-existing partner, business or client relationship, and for
some reason you don't know or have my business email address.
 f) It's concerning some issue/topic/discussion on mapguide-internals.
 g) It's a question about Maestro, FDO Toolbox or mg-desktop. Projects where
*I am* the sole developer of so I am at least somewhat obliged to listen
what your queries are and am more lenient about in this regard. MapGuide is
not one of these projects. It has many developers and users, with an
appropriate forum for questions/answers/support (this mailing list and
Trac). I expect such questions and queries to go through the correct
channels (the mailing list) accordingly.

I won't name and shame the guilty parties that have triggered this ranting,
I'll just ask you to strongly consider next time (and every time after that)
to ask your MapGuide-related questions on the mailing list first, where
people besides myself can also help you instead of just me!

Sadly this *is* a mailing list and not a web-based forum, because I'd sticky
this post as mandatory reading material for all new users!

/end rant

- Jackie



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