On 06:54 AM 2/8/01, Charlie Summers wrote:
> Since it's apparent from the messages in the last digest issue that I'm
>regrettably in the wrong place, any chance someone clueful might point me in
>the right direction and tell me where I might find a list that _can_ help
>real list admins deal with the many modern challenges facing us?
I don't think your conclusion is apparent at all. In fact, I think your
conclusion is completely backwards. This list is exactly the right place
for list policy questions that span all types of list, and we have had some
wonderful threads on this topic since I joined (last August). This list is
exactly the right place for "what list server should I use" questions. If
you are already using a specific list server, then a list tailored to that
software package is probably the best and appropriate place for specific
questions about that software. But even then, don't expect every list
software list to be busy, I'm on the "listmanager" software discussion list
and it's damn quiet most of the time. This list is NOT the place to hang
out and chitchat.
I *love* this list. I've been mostly lurking for a while (received 213
messages, replied to 3 of them). This list goes in spurts, with lots of
discussion then lots of quiet time simply because no one has posted
anything that needs discussing. When I first joined, there were 2 posts
that day, then 2 weeks with no posts at all. Then there was a thread of 6
posts in 3 days on a single topic. There was a single post (no followups)
4 days later, then quiet again for another 6 days. Then there was a sudden
spurt, over 20 posts in 2 days (discussing the article at
<http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000820.html>). And so on. Quiet, then
bursty traffic when there is something to discuss. (Like now :-)
I would say that one "list rule" that is 100% applied to ALL lists is that
one should never post and whine that there "isn't a plethora of other posts
whizzing by that I can read and just lurk". That is just plain rude. You
should never jump on a list and then complain to the list that the list
doesn't meet some poorly defined need of yours, first because you might be
100% wrong about the list (because you haven't been patient enough to find
out what the list is about) and second because the list is obviously
meeting the needs of its present subscribers and users. If you need to
have something answered, post and ask! Otherwise just be patient, and see
what the list does, and watch and read and learn. Only after you have
figured out how a list works (which is rarely something you can do after
only a week or two) would you be in a sound position to discuss the meta
issue of how the list works.
jc (list manager for 2 years, presently managing a busy 1100 user ISP
industry list on majordomo, a 500 user hobby list on majordomo, a 100 user
geek humor list on listmanager, and about to take on a hobby list of ~500
novice users and migrate it to mailman, and start an industry list of ~125
advanced users also on mailman)
