[HPFGU-Feedback] Re: Ignored Posts and Reading Strategies (was: Welcome to HPFGU-Feedback)

[Shaun Hately]

On 22 Nov 2003 at 16:27, abigailnus wrote:

> Full disclosure: I am a list elf, and have been one for about two months.  I've 
> also been a member of the Fantastic Posts writing group since June.  I'm 
> writing this letter in my own personal capacity as a member of HPfGU.
> 
> --- In HPFGU-Feedback at yahoogroups.com, "Shaun Hately" <drednort at a...> wrote:
> > I think in an environment where posters feel 
> > their posts are ignored (and I'm afraid I think HPFGU may be getting that 
> > reputation) 
> 
> Sorry to snip so much, but this particular comment seems very important 
> to me.  Is this your own personal impression, Shaun, or is it something 
> you've noticed other people commenting about?  How about other people 
> here?  Do you feel that your posts are being ignored?

Mostly, I am going on what other people have said. As I've mentioned before I'm 
on a lot of e-mail lists and naturally enough, being on a mailing list with someone 
often indicates shared interests - I have recommended HPFGU to quite a few 
people at times, and quite a few of them have joined. And more than a few of 
them have voiced the complaint that HPFGU seems cliquish and that they gave 
up posting because they felt their posts were being ignored. These are people 
who've been on a lot of mailing lists over the years - they do know how they work, 
they do know that not every post gets a reply - but they still have the impression 
that the level of 'ignored posts' on HPFGU is unusually high.

Personally speaking, I can point to one thing that makes me wonder if my posts to 
the main list are getting read. I know some of them are, but there's been one 
incident that makes me wonder how many posts are being ignored. On both the 
main list and HPFGU-OTChatter I've been involved in discussions at times about 
the nature of the role of prefects in schools.

Recently I came into possession of a document that outlines in a reasonable 
amount of detail, how the prefect system works in a number of highly-British-style 
schools in Australia. Thinking this might be of interest to some people, I offered to 
send it to anyone on the main list, and anyone on the OTChatter list who might 
like to see it.

>From OTChatter (which is a list I am confident that most posts are read on) I 
received about twenty requests for the document. From the main list (which 
nominally has about 8 times as many members) I received *one* request.

To me, the most likely reason (not necessarily the only reason) for that type of 
discrepancy is that far fewer people read the post on the main list.

I've also been involved in other threads where, as part of a discussion, someone 
has asked a question which within 10 posts or so has been answered by two or 
three people - the conversation continues and 100 posts later, there are obviously 
people who haven't read those answers - but have clearly read posts before and 
after them, from what they are replying to. It seems to me pretty clear that many 
posts are just skipped even by people participating in particular threads.
 
Now - in and of itself, this is pretty much inevitable on a large list. But I think it 
probably is putting some people off, and I know people who when they see this 
happening, and then saw posts around OotP time discussing 'reading strategies' 
did simply give up on the list. So whether it's true or not, the perception is having 
an impact.


Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at ... | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia