I'm afraid I don't see such a system as easy to implement on h-cost, where
we have a membership that's extremely diverse, representing people from
many countries and of varying levels of ease at handling language and
niggly bits of formatting.
In fact many more h-costume members are native English speakers than on
the translators' list, where the tags are all in English but a high
proportion of the emails is not. I'm not sure some members read English
at all.
But as English is the only language h-costume posts are in, almost all
members are fluent in it. I don't really see that having maybe four
headings is too much of a mental strain, or that a simple colon is that
finicky in terms of formatting.
Even one heading, CHAT: versus everything else with no heading, would be
extremely useful.
In fact, I have seen such a tagging system
attempted for another group, with much the same level of variation as on
h-cost, and despite eager support for the tagging system by some members,
the burden of following the rules was difficult enough for many others
that they simply stopped posting, or came away feeling that they would
only post if they absolutely needed to because they were so afraid of
getting it wrong and being scolded for it. The group suffered badly and
has never recovered its once high posting levels.
So what about a system of CHAT: for chat, compliments, me-toos,
computer problems, off-topic, and in short everything not a substantive
message on costuming, versus no header at all for everything else?
A high level of postings is no boon if a large number of them are
irrelevant.
I consider it an asset of h-cost that it is easy for people to join and to
engage in discussion, even if they are new to costuming, new to historic
costuming, or new to e-mail lists, and where even newcomers who don't know
the lists's traditions are treated, for the most part, with consideration
and seriousness, and educated by participation.
I don't see that a tag system--again, even one tag for chat--would ruin
that. Surely people can figure out off-topic discussions are chat?
I have heard people say
that the activity and the wealth of expertise on h-cost intimidated them
as newcomers, making it hard for them to get up enough courage to post. I
would not be inclined to add an extra burden -- real or perceived -- to
newcomers or existing members who are not adept communicators.
I kind of thought we were all literate, mostly native English speakers,
and mostly college educated.
Fran
Lavolta Press
http://www.lavoltapress.com
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