John,
I suspect we are misinterpreting each other a little. As you say, it is easy to do so without the benefit of body language.
I did not mean to suggest that students should not trawl pprune for information. I think it is essential that they do so. But for them to benefit from this exercise, all contributors, particularly those with greatest experience, must remember their wider audience. Too many seem to assume that the reader knows as much as they do. As I said in my previous post, this has resulted in many students simply deciding not to bother.