Date   : Mon, 04 Jul 2005 22:13:11 +0100
From   : "Samwise" <samwise@...>
Subject: Re: Mailbox overloaded - mailing list tools required?

Hi,

I'm quite surprised by the number of responses I've had, both on and off the
list (tho some of the latter, occurred due to the broken list headers).

The suggestion of a yahoo! group was more to start a discussion than any
real expectation it would prove popular - I know how hardcore the beeb lot
are.  :)  As far as the service agreement talking about sending
advertisements to subscribers, I think that was included more to cover
themselves.  I can't recall the last time I got an unsolicited email from
yahoo.

The best reason I've seen today, though, for not considering yahoo has to be
Jon's revelation that there are people out there accessing the list through
a BBS from an actual beeb - we totally have to support that!  Uber-c00l!

However, the majority of what I've read seems to indicate people have two
main points of interest:

a) a fix to the broken list headers
b) possibly some form of moderation or self-moderation, overseen by some of
the regular list users

Surely a) is just a technical problem which just needs to be fixed?  Jon, is
it something you think James is ever likely to look into, at some point in
the future?  I daresay there's plenty of technical details in the archive on
the issue.

Which leaves b) and whether there is a need for any kind of moderation.  I
take your point, Jon, about self-moderation being preferable and the large
influx of new users, but it appears to me that occasionally, some users
don't seem to heed the multiple, patient requests from others - it's never
struck me in those cases that they were just new users, getting their feet
wet.  Your idea of an official position held by selected list regulars (I
agree, James does enough already!) could remind someone of expected
behaviour, seems like a good start and I agree it would be best to list them
somewhere, like on the mailing list archive.  I think it also makes sense
that if you're going to have such a position, you need an official list of
guidelines for people to be directed to.

I'm happy to send you some draft netiquette suggestions privately, but it's
probably the kind of thing everyone should have a hand in (shame we don't
have access to a wiki) ...

Before going further down that line, however, I guess the big question is
whether the majority of users of this mailing list think it is time for some
sort of guidelines/official guardians of the peace, along these lines?

Or is everyone happy to continue as is?  (in which case I'll shut up ... :)

Now if only we had some sort of poll functionality for this question ...
(hehe - kidding!)

Peter.