>Yes, but if they do something recreational for a profession, what do
>they do in their spare time?.

If you never had any aptitude for baking or any form of food
processing( whether technical or craftsmanship) but was just forced to
train in it for the purpose of earning a living ,then its likely that
will be your mindset. But if you did it out of keen interest and it
has become a part of your life and had enjoyed practicing it from the
start as a hobby and it became your profession later; then the
purpose of practicing such trade(or profession) has dual benefits:: It
provides a sense of creative expression and a means of earning a
living. .
People in various professions who worked just for the keep, usually
feel the drudgery in their jobs and seldom find enjoyment in it. That
is maybe the reason they lurk( and even post) in the newsgroups to as a
form of outlet for their work related stress.And the nature of their
post shows the nature of their troubled life, They become net
troublemakers/, ,craving for attention, .posting petty unrelated
topics and replies.

>So the polite thing to do if you must post about professional matters on
>a rec group is label your posts, e.g. [OT](pro baker), so people know
>your comments are coming from someone who does baking for a living and
>not for the enjoyment which may or may not be part and parcel of your
>work place environment (i.e. bakeries).

I think there is no need for such. Only egocentric people do that,
Supposing If you are a professional baker (or food technologist , chef,
etc.) and in your free time enjoying,is the pleasures that internet
can provide( e.g.newsgroups) and you come across somebody who pose a
question that incidentally you know the answer, why should you prevent
yourself from giving light to a particular topic?
Just because you are not paid for that? But The internet is not paying
you either to use it as a pastime..
As long as it does not jeopardize your business or employment( whatever
be the case) then you have not done anything illegal.
Therefore ....If you are in a cookery related newsgroups
Helping somebody is the same, either its an old or feeble person to
cross the street or just a hapless cooking enthusiast looking for
answers to his/her cookery related questions.
Roy