Hi there,
Someone raised the importance of the notion of 'community' on lists. I
think that this is an important issue, that is all too seldom
overlooked. Judging by some of the remarks here, my main list PHILOSOP,
is pretty atypical.
My main tool in list management is what 'social engineering'. I have a
pretty nice statement of purpose that I can use to try and restore
order. The main problem I face is that, by the nature of the profession,
philosophers are pretty aggressive. Every once in a while a topic can
get out of control. I have found a very neat solution is to have a web
based chat system that can be deployed for contentious issues. This
avoids all the usual stupidity of 'you are a facist', but also moves
silliness off the list. It is funny how debate usually dies out quite
quickly off list.
Most of my subscribers lurk, but that is fine, as too much traffic is a
pain. However, it is nice that whenever there is trouble I usually get a
bunch of supportive messages. The trick to running the list seems to be
a balancing act -- allowing some things to slide, whilst being stern
when a major infraction occurs. Finding the right mix for this balancing
act is the hard part. I think that THIS is the hardest thing for new
list managers to learn and it is also what helps build the feeling of
community. Unfortunately, this is also the hardest thing to teach. It
seems to me that a set of "What to do if X happens" FAQS posted
somewhere, based upon the wealth of experience that resides on this list
might be a useful tool. At least there would be a place to point
newbies. I would certainly be willing to contribute. For instance, the
taxonomy of list persona-types, apart from being hillarious, might prove
a useful resource. Any takers on this?
On another matter, someone asked about making majordomo carry
attachments. I have the opposite problem: I want to stop majordomo
carrying attachments! We had a few hits from the notorious W32/Hybris@m
worm. I'd like to stop such things coming in. As I only have e-mail
access to my majordomo (although I have cordial relations with the folks
who have direct access), my guess is that I'll need some help. Can
anyone tell me (off list) what needs to be changed and where?
All the best,
Istvan
PHILOSOP Moderator
--
Istvan S. N. Berkeley, Ph.D.
Philosophy & Cognitive Science E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
P.O. Box 43770 Tel: +1 337 482-6807
Lafayette, LA 70504-3770 Fax: +1 337 482-5002
USA http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~isb9112
