Welcome to HPFGU-Feedback

[annemehr]

Hi, everybody!
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First, thanks to all the elves for picking up yet another
responsibility, but I'm thinking this group is going to be helpful.

On to the topic at hand:
 
> If you could change one thing about HPfGU, what would it be?

It's nothing that we can deal with here.  I was wishing some of the
long-time posters who've disappeared since before OoP would post once
in a while.  Maybe only once a month or so?  Maybe, as Tabouli says
about herself (on OTC), they're burned out, on to other things.  I'm
just disappointed that some people who were around even when I joined
(Sept. '02), and then faded away, never returned to discuss OoP even
after the list calmed down.

And, thanks to all you long-timers who still do!

> 
> Should there be some formal recognition of good/long-time posters?

Hmm.  Well, that would mean another task for someone, wouldn't it?  I
don't know, I think such posters automatically earn recognition from
the rest of the list.  The epitome might be when Elkins became "The
Elkins" -- that was cool, spontaneous, and well earned.  I'm not sure
it's good to pick out some people as "good" posters because it'd be
too easy to hurt the feelings of some who are left out, but maybe
"long-time" could be done.

> 
> If past experience is any guide, we'll be getting a surge of new 
> posters next June when the PoA movie premieres. How should we deal 
> with it? 

Though on OTC I once agreed with trying a "no-post, enforced lurker"
status for new listies, I've changed my mind.  I think the best thing
is to make sure there are enough trained elves to handle the surge
(and the PoA movie surge ought to be much smaller than the OoP book
surge, I'd think), and also for experienced posters to be as good
examples as possible.  Maybe, just *before* a new book or movie is
released, a special notice could be sent out to current members
suggesting we review the HBFile just to reinforce our memories as far
as what good posting practices are.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good about the state of the main list these
days -- it's recovered quite nicely, and many of the newest members
are now some of the best posters.  TBAY, I'll admit, is still pretty
devastated, but hey, that was some hurricane!  (And yes, I'm reading
Evil!Bill/BB GUN and expect to wander out of the Safe House with
something to say!)  ;-)


Finally, even thought I've joined this group, it's not because I
actually have any gripes!  I even think the main list will fare better
when book 6 comes out because of experience earned after the OoP
release.  I also think the current method of choosing new elves is
better than having general elections, because the current elves have a
much better idea of who would be good than the list at large.

Maybe, if you want to try electing some elves, some of these ideas
might help:

-Don't replace the whole team with elected elves.  Instead, elect a
few to replace retiring members or increase elf numbers if needed.  If
you want to have regular elections, don't replace more than a quarter
of the team at once.  And I wouldn't be against having some
"permanent" team members, either (i.e. not subject to elections).

-Even if we are electing some elves, maybe the Admin. team should
still be able to invite people to join the team if they think they
would be valuable members?

-Maybe there should be something like a "voting age," meaning perhaps
only people who have been members for, I don't know, six months or
something should be able to vote.  I don't actually have any idea how
long the time period should be, but it should be long enough to get a
good feel for the list.

-I don't think a yahoo group is necessarily a democracy.  If you do
decide to try elections, and they end up hurting the list, you need to
be able to put a stop to them.

-I'm certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and some of my
suggestions might be baloney.  I just think they're worth discussing.
 I don't see what goes on behind the scenes, but the lists I'm on
(main and OTC) actually seem to be pretty healthy and to be able to
weather a storm -- and I'd hate to see anything jeopardise that!

Annemehr
having gone on *way* longer than she expected...