[thelist] was whitespace around form in firefox now OT rant

[Canfield, Joel]

> But, the bottom line, I think, is that its up to you whether you will
> take the response personally. Certainly more care could be 
> taken in the
> tone of responses to your question(s), but you're the one asking for
> help, and they are the ones offering their time. I think it's 
> sort of a
> take-it-or-leave-it situation.

disagreed.

if you want to spread philosophy (your comments on which I accept
wholeheartedly) you present it in a manner most likley to engender
acceptance.

if you present a philosophy in a manner which says "I'm smart, you're
not" you are damaging your credibility as a teacher, raising question
about your motivation, and detracting from the community.

those who answer questions here do so *voluntarily.* in my little
universe, you volunteer because you *want* to. that doesn't create a
'take it or leave it' situation.

being polite really isn't that difficult. knowledge and experience are
not a substitute for good manners. good business communication is
*essential* in convincing those who employ us to support web standards,
etc. 

I only reply at such length (or, for that matter, at all) because I care
about this community, and because I missed out on the first two years of
evolt.org because my first few newbie queries were met with nearly
vitriolic exclamations of my stupidity. took me that long to bother
trying again. 

yes, I'm sensitive. I've also, I believe, made a fundamental difference
at the last three companies where I've worked due to my *communication*
skills, not my web skills, despite the fact that my job description has
always had to do with the latter, not the former.

joel