[plug] List domains and netiquette

[Christian]

Leon Brooks wrote:
> > I quite like this idea in a lot of ways... however, there are a number
> > of possible problems.  For example, a lot of people would probably want
> > to be on both lists so the "low-traffic" list would just be adding to
> > the current traffic (most of which I don't really mind).
> 
> For those who want to watch both, is this really a problem?

Yes because it will make people less inclined to watch both. (That was
my point.)  Hence people may choose one list or the other, for me I
would probably choose the newbie list since I'm more interested in
helping newbies than in the discussions of limited technicality on
another PLUG list.  Of course, I'd rather have both all together...
wouldn't that be great...  oh wait, that's what we have now! :P

> > The other
> > thing is that, in my experience, low traffic lists often tend to die
> > since people eventually lose interest in something that's frequently
> > inactive.
> 
> The idea would be less that of starving the list and more of encouraging
> people who don't have newbie-oriented patience to stay around on what is
> to them a more interesting list.

I can't see that happening.  PLUG isn't going to attract many more
people with the advent of a new list, in fact, I understood the original
purpose of the proposed new list was primarily to stop losing people not
to try and attract new subscribers.

> > Finally, I've found that... well, sometimes (actually, quite
> > often) when I have a technical question that I post to the list I don't
> > really get an answer.  Sometimes there are answers but these often don't
> > really help (well-intended though they are).
> 
> The intended nett effect would be to have more people around to answer
> the harder questions for those people who _have_ harder questions.

Still, as I've already said and Bevan has re-iterated, PLUG isn't ever
going to be the place for serious technical questions so the new list
won't help very much with this.

> > Let's face it, the PLUG list doesn't break too many
> > technical boundaries.
> 
> That's the idea being a serious list.

See above.

> > Another thing is, this technical list would require quasi-moderation,
> > i.e., not moderation of each message but moderation of the current
> > status of the behaviour of the subscribers.  Of course there are plenty
> > of obvious cases but in the others, who decides when someone created a
> > problem and when they're just getting passionate?
> 
> Easy: the nominal moderator doesn't take action until he receives
> complaint email from three different list members.

I don't think that's a very good idea.  There's plenty of room for
collusion.  For example, one person doesn't like another so he asks two
friends to complain about him -- suddenly he's off the list on the whim
of one person (and the cooperation of two others who probably don't care
either way).

> > I think an FAQ is definitely in order (and, as I said before, I'm quite
> > happy to maintain it...) but I don't like the message footers.
> 
> Not even a one-liner?

A one-liner multiplied by all the emails that get sent just grows and
grows.  In fact, if people aren't careful with their quoting (which, on
this list, they typically aren't) the growth isn't even linear anymore!

How about my offer to maintain an FAQ?  Does anyone object to this? 
Does anyone else volunteer?  I've volunteered a couple of times now
(when this topic has come up) and no one has objected but still no one
has said "Hey, that's a good idea -- go right ahead!".

Regards,

Christian.