The problem of requests for information is becoming a regular and frequent
occurrence at around this time of year when students are embarking on their
dissertations, etc. This list is not the only one to have been the target of
these requests and the response has generally been the same. However, for
all those new to the list I'll put my listowner hat on and try to lay out
some basic ground rules once again. At this moment in time the list is open
to anyone who wishes to join and as long as this system does not get abused
I will keep it like this. Similarly, none of the messages sent to the list
are monitored, partly because I don't have the time to look at them all
before they are posted, but mainly because I would like to think that the
people on the list will not abuse it. Primarily the list was set up to allow
for interested people to discuss issues about tourism anthropology and a
number of good and interesting discussions have taken place. A number of
people also keep the list members abreast of conferences, journals, and new
books which is great although it can be a little repetitive for those of us
on too many discusssion lists for our own good. I have also seen on this
list and many others a large number of requests for help and here is where
the main problem lies. Detailed and specific requests for information that
outline a specific area of investigation and give a brief overview of the
sources already studied are generally the ones that gain favorable and
helpful responses. In contrast, the generalised cry for help that shows
little or no evidence of literature searching prior to the request is not
designed to gain a good response. I don't wish to curtail the flow of
discussion on the list, but these generalised requests do little to
stimulate such debate. On a final point, the list is designed for positive
discussions not for getting angry at individuals.

Sorry if you read all this stuff last year or if you think I'm wrong, if you
think the latter then feel free to email me directly, not over the list.

Cheers

Neil

Dr Neil Carr
Dept. of Tourism and Leisure Management
The University of Queensland
11 Salisbury Road
Ipswich
Qld 4305
Australia
Tel: +61 7 3381 1319
Fax: +61 7 3381 1012
Email: [log in to unmask]
Owner of tourismanthropology discussion group



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