On Sat, 2 May 1998, Darren Wyn Rees wrote:
> Do I really need these figures? Well, yes, as I think it's opened
> my eyes to some 'odd' things : I'm looking at figures that say that
> one list has three times as much posting activity compared to a list
> with twice as many subscribers ... and I'm working out 'why is
> that'. That said, I'd still much like *your* opinion on the matter.
<majordomo-users removed from Cc:>
I believe we did discuss related issues on list-managers a while ago.
As I recall, the general consensus was that you can not make useful
numerical comparisons of mailing lists. The volume of traffic and
other statistics will be very defendant on the topic and other
list-specific factors. For example, entertainment fan type mailing
list tends to attract a much more chatty crowd than a depression
support group.
Even forums which are superficially similar can have very different
personalities. I host two technical lists on similar topics. In one
group, many subscribers are very open and helpful. In the other
group, most subscribers tend to treat every bit of knowledge as
closely guarded proprietary information. Both of these lists serve a
useful purpose but they are quite different statistically. I don't
see statistical analysis is generally useful as a list management
tool.
- murr -
