Hi all
As we have now had postings from about 50 different listers - the supposed number of active Prodig listers - I would like to make a few list mum comments as this thread starts to come to a close.
First some statistics.
Prodig currently comprises 1279 subscribers, at the same point in 2003 it was 1137 and in 2002 - 926.
So a steady growth but not a massive explosion.
Each year we also lose about 75 members. However, Some of those may be resubscribing with a different mail address. We don't know.
My personal archive currently goes back to Nov 22 last years - a total of 9468 messages (though that also includes of list correspondence also). A quick - but probably not totally accurate - trawl through my archive shows 527 separate posters - and my quick and unscientifically arrived at impression was that probably 85% of those had posted at least 10 times.
Now to my mind that is a highly respectable ratio for any email list and although on this , as on any list, the highest proportion of posts comes from a few, it is a pretty good overall level of involvement.
On the 241 posts that I have "list mummed" this week I have needed to send only 10 messages reminding the poster about trimming, rich/html text or quoting email addresses. The previous two list mums needed to send 13 and 17 messages respectively. This is hardly the "where every other posting is ruled out of order," quoted by one lister. We do of course have other list mum correspondence sending welcomes to new members and offering list advice when asked.
As far as closing threads. A quick trawl through my archive shows that the list mums and the list owner have done this 18 times in the last year. However in all but 5 or so cases this was because threads had moved off topic or had run their course and had become repetitive. Of the others which were closed down more quickly subject matters deemed to be OT were ebay scams, Win XP/wireless, blogging software, ISP connectivity recommendations and email settings. I can see no particular increasing trend to closing threads. Maybe we don't always make the right call - and indeed one list mum did recently reverse a closing thread decision, but sometimes a line does have to be drawn.
Being a list mum I would say this - but I do not believe this is overzealous list mumming. On the contrary I think this is an extraordinarily well behaved and responsible list, and part of that lies in the fact that we do have guidelines that are known to be enforced when required, and it was like that long before I became a list mum.
As far as the discussion that has taken place on Acceptable Threads, I have personally found it very interesting. When Prodig first started nearly seven years ago, professional digital photography was a very different arena, populated by a fairly small band of dedicated and inquisitive trailblazers. As we all know, Digital is now mainstream. A changing Prodig merely reflects that. I really don't think it would be possible to take it back to where it once was
Although there was a diversity of opinion - some wanting less traffic, some wanting more, some wanting a narrower subscriber base some a wider, some wanting a wider topic list, some wanting less "noise" - my over-riding impression was that given everything Prodig is doing it about right.
One thing did come out clearly though. Longer term listers do find it irritating when the same old chestnuts come up over and over again. Of course a newbie may have no idea that it is an old chestnut. However I do think it is encumbent on all listers - old or new - to check the archive, RTFM or in some instances Google, before asking the list.
Undoubtedly the guidelines need a revamp and apologies from all concerned that it hasn't happened yet.
Ed - the list owner is working to move the list to a new server - one which will give many more facilities - it may even make getting messages quicker, though till it happens that won't be known, It's not a matter of finance, it's matter of Ed finding time to finish it all. But I do know he is very excited about it all and the possibilities it offers. The intention was always to introduce new guidelines along with the server switch. It will however require you all to resubscribe :-0
Hopefully it will all happen soon.
Meanwhile I suggest that we let this thread run until the end of Monday (when I end my list mum stint) in case anyone has any further comment, by which time I think it will have run its course and I will close the thread - as long as that doesn't cause a storm :-)
Happy weekend all.
best
Francis Newman Prodig Duty List Mum
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