Cross-posting. -greg
Begin forwarded message: > From: Gregory Varnum <[email protected]> > Subject: New, lower traffic, announcements only email list for Wikimedia > developers > Date: 30 June, 2012 1:23:11 AM EDT > To: [email protected] > > Greetings, > > Following discussions with Wikimedia developers more on the "fringe" and not > as engaged in frequent IRC or mailing list conversations, the request for an > announcements only mailing list came up. I wanted to let folks know that > this list has been created and is ready for membership: > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-announce - > [email protected] There will also be a signup list for > this and other lists at Wikimania Hackathon. > > Unlike this list, which allows for discussion, or the MediaWiki-announce > list, which focuses exclusively on MediaWiki release announcements, > wikitech-announce will be used for occasional announcements on both MediaWiki > and broader Wikimedia developer related news items. This includes an > announcement when monthly tech or engineering reports are posted, important > news updates on git or developer related tools, and information on upcoming > sprints, events or other major developer collaborations. > > Having presented this idea a few times, there are some common questions I > will get out of the way now. > > Why not just send these out on MediaWiki-announce? There was quick reaction > from several of these less-engaged developers that some really did want JUST > MediaWiki release info sent out on that list. In other words, the audience > of that list did not like the idea. > > Will this duplicate emails sent to wikitech-l? Probably, but it is not > designed for folks already utilizing wikitech-l - it is designed for folks > who would like less email traffic and want announcements - not conversations. > > Is this really going to save folks that many emails? In June, the wikitech-l > list had 639 individual messages (so far). It is unlikely that this list > would exceed 12 a month. For reference, MediaWiki-announce has sent out 3 > messages this month and mediawiki-l had 121 messages. This list presents a > middle ground between the two extremes. > > Do we not already have enough lists? Yes, but as our developer community > grows, so too must our means of communicating. Many individuals, myself > included, have been intentionally trying to engage developers generally less > present, but just as important to our community. Such as corporate > developers with an interest in sharing extensions who can benefit from > announcements about git. Similarly, some students would prefer to get basic > info that helps them stay on top of the latest developments. > > Generally, if you find yourself having a concern about this list, it is > probably not the list for you to join. However, if you find yourself excited > at the idea of less development chatter while remaining informed, this might > just be the list for you. > > Thank you to Sumana and TheHelpfulOne for supporting this effort and to > Daniel Renfro for proposing this idea and getting the discussion started. > > I have volunteered to moderate the list at its start, but will be interested > in recruiting others that are willing to help. Anyone with an announcement > can submit one, and a moderator will approve messages which fit within the > list's scope. > > Finally, like any new tool, I anticipate its usage will evolve over time - so > please do engage in discussion on any ideas you may have for its future. > > Thank you! > -greg aka varnent _______________________________________________ MediaWiki-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
