It is my belief that the TAPI newsgroup is a wonderful place where people can ask questions and get answers from other TAPI developers. Eventually, if they stay in the newsgroup, they may start answering questions themselves. By this sharing of information, everyone benefits.
If someone has a question, by asking it in the newsgroup as a whole, they can get answers from several people, some of which may have special experience in that area. By answering questions in the newsgroup, the answers go to everyone, and everyone gains some knowledge, not just the person with the original question.
Because of this, I find it strange that I often get email sent directly to me. Sometimes people are asking questions that should really be asked in the newsgroup. Sometimes, people are replying to my answer, looking for more information. Sometimes it is because people are shy or because I've helped them in the past. I have been tagged as a "TAPI Expert", and questions often get directed solely at me via email. As I am not an expert in everything and because I do make mistakes myself, I prefer to do things in the openness of a newsgroup, rather than the privateness of an email.
I am an unpaid volunteer who is helping out in the newsgroup, because it is my way of doing "Open Source". It is something that I can put my knowledge into, making products better, without receiving compensation. But I do have a full time job, and sometimes I cannot afford the 15 minutes of work that it occasionally takes to research a question.
I check the newsgroups almost every day, and reply to every question that I can. Sometimes people post a question in the newsgroup, and if nobody answers, they will email me directly. Be assured that if I know the answer to a question posted in the newsgroup, I will reply. If I don't reply, that means I don't know the answer and asking me in email will not help.
This is not to say that all emails are bad. If you need to send a binary file, emails are good. If you are disclosing private information, then avoiding public distribution by using email is good. If there are comments about my website, email is just fine. But 9 out of 10 TAPI-related emails I receive would be better suited in the newsgroup. Before sending me email directly, please consider the most appropriate place for your question.
There are several newsgroups relating to Telephony, a list of them is in Links. If you wish to crosspost to several newsgroups, please do so by sending one message with multiple groups rather than multiple messages for each group. This way, people who read all the newsgroups don't have to read your message multiple times.
I also have an interesting generic document that describes a good newsgroup post. Although it is not entirely applicable to the TAPI groups, it does make some good points.
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