Re: MERRYROSE: List Explosion Suggestion

[Robert J Welenc <rjwelenc@erols.com>]

At 23:42 6/1/96 -0400, Henry Best wrote:
>
> Regardless of whether _you_ think that the reader(s) should simply 
>give up access to timely Atlantian news if they cannot afford to scroll 
>through pottery breakage, _I_ think that it is in the kingdom's best 
>interest to have as many people as possible able to receive important 
>news. 
>       If imaginary tavern brawls interfere with our ability to 1) get vital 
>news out 2) permit the optimal amount of socialization, then we must 
>either declare tavern brawls "bad" or find a way to support them painlessly.
>       The most effective way that I can see remains that of breaking Atlantia 
>list into three basic categories:Announce, Discuss, Party
>       Persons who think 200 messages per day is all in good fun can subscribe 
>to all three. Persons who think that 10-20 messages per day is better can 
>take announce and discuss. And people who just want news can just take 
>announce, with a traffic count of maybe 3 per day, tops.
>       I can tell you that, irrespective of flying crockery, we are losing
large 
>numbers of folks who presently want _just_ the announcements and can't 
>get them without listening to us talk about period chocolate or 
>principalities. We ought to try to serve their needs.
>
        I am unfamiliar with list servers other than my own.  If others work
differently, please enlighten me.  Mine will let me sort the incoming mail
by various methods: by subject, sender, date, etc.  I normally sort the
Atlantia list by subject. This takes only a few seconds.
        By far the largest blocks have been those marked "Merry Thorns" and
"Flying mugs, etc."  It is fairly obvious after reading only 2 or 3 messgaes
where a thread is going and whether it is serious or shtick.  If the subject
is not one of interest to me, I can mark out the whole block and delete it
unread.  I have done so with things that did not interest me, such as the
thread about building battle bridges.  Time elapsed, about 15 seconds.
        Even if it is necessary to delete things one line at a time, it
should take no more than a few minutes to delete unwanted mail.  Why should
anybody need to spend two hours, then, scrolling through unwanted mail
trying to sift out the things of interest to them? 
        I was enjoying the 'flying crockery' thread(s) and am saddened that
they have apparently been squashed by the participants because they do not
want people angry with them.
        Lord Kendrick, your input would be appreciated here.  There are
several equally viable suggestions.  I favor the ATL/MRS format, but the
Announce/discuss/party format would work equally well.  If you would
indicate the preferred format, I will start to use it.  Presumably others
would too.

In service to Atlantia and Atlantians,

Alanna Volchevo Lesa
Ivan Borisovich Volchevo Lesa