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Zen and the art of list maintenance



The list is simply the list.
It is neither inherently useful nor garbage, it is only useful or
garbage from the point of view of the individual within the context
of their personal situation and work environment.

An unmoderated cacophony of voices at the water cooler perhaps.
I don't buy the conference analogy because I get more useful
information in the 20 minutes or so between sessions chatting with
colleagues than I see on the list in two or three weeks of postings.

I am always amused by the self appointed moderators who try and
quell perfectly legitimate discussions of issues like certification, or
insist
certain topics like funnies or this discussion of the value of the list be
taken offline. Yeah these topics return periodically, over and over and
over - and it doesn't matter how much you whine and piss and moan
about it - just like ol' Arnie - they'll be back.

Use the delete key, unsubscribe, or start a moderated list of your own
where you can ensure only topics of your choice are discussed. This
list is ultimately democratic and very messy. The noise ratio is very high,
which is why many folks don't bother. Those that choose to stay have
obviously made the choice to put up with the garbage, although whining
about it seem to be a subculture of its own. Personally, the noise ratio
prompted me some time ago to follow the list from home since it is a
waste of my work time.

I disagree with Jeff O'Brien's assertion that any question asked of the
list is guaranteed a worthwhile answer. I would agree that most often
responses are of sufficient quality to meet the needs of the original
questioner - usually pretty basic stuff. I have had queries generate
zero responses public or private and I have occasionally seen responses
containing mis-information or incorrect information.

Let's not forget in the "reply to" discussion that when the list was
defaulted
to reply to the list - all those automatic "out of office" messages were
automatically posted to the entire list as well. How soon they forget . . .
And as Jill pointed out, lurkers far outnumber the active voices. Too bad,
it's their list too and I think the poll was a fine way to handle the "reply
to"
question. It's that democracy thing again, apparently some of the more
active voices feel that by virtue of their being more active they have the
right to determine how the list works for everyone.

As I poster I have the choice of how to respond, publicly or privately
(regardless of the default) and I choose primarily to respond privately.
I find by doing this I am able to get what I want out of the list and to
communicate and share information with sources that I find to be most
useful for my purposes.

Long live the list, and may you all continue to find utility in it (even if
it is merely whining publicly - a virtual pounding of the shoe on the
podium as it were    ;-).

Craig Wright
Minnesota Historical Society
__________________________________________
Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time;
serenity, that nothing is.            - Thomas Szasz

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