List Close and OpenTimes - 2 Cents

[Petra]

Mike:
> it doesn't matter where the elves live, we gotta suck it up and
> get back in the game. ;))
 
bboyminn:
> I think it /does/ matter where the majority of the
> List Elves are, though I concede they may be so spread
> out that there is no clear 'local' majority. If we
> open and close the group on Australian time, but a 
> majority live in California, that puts them at a 
> disadvantage; about an 18 hour disadvantage.
 
Petra:
You are correct, I believe, that US Pacific time zone will be the 
most populated time zone that gets the least number of hours in 
which to read DH, as compared with the rest of the world.  But 
I calculate the disadvantage to be 8 hours, not 18.
 
According to JKR [see * below]:
 
Thursday 1 February 2007
 
Publication Date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be published on Saturday 
21st July 2007 at 00:01 BST in the UK and at 00:01 in the USA. It 
will also be released at 00:01 BST on Saturday 21st July in other 
English speaking countries around the world.
 
Petra:
I read the above to mean that the USA will get the book release at 
6 different midnights, one for each of the 6 time zones (Eastern, 
Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska, Hawaii).  All "English speaking 
countries around the world" including the UK (of course) will get the 
book released at 00:01 BST.  Australian Eastern should therefore 
be getting the book at 9am their time.
 
00:01 Saturday in the UK converts to 16:01 Friday my (Pacific) time.  
The rest of the "English speaking countries around the world" will 
therefore get their books 8 hours before I can.  It's not the whole 
Pacific time zone, I think British Columbia will get the book 8 hours
before I do too.  Same with Australian Eastern though it's many time 
zones away.
 
See?  I hope that made sense.
 
bboyminn:
> I'm trying to find a way that serves the greatest
> number of List Elves and starting from the time
> when that majority actually get their hands on the
> book. 
 
Petra:
It's incredibly gratifying to hear the sentiment "whatever will work 
best for the list elves' elfselves" from y'all.  :)  

Hmm...that is different than "whatever the list elves decide" though.
 
Which is why hearing everyone's feedback is so incredibly helpful.  
While you guys want the best for the list elves, the list elves want
the best for the whole membership.  Each group is left to *guess* 
at what would be the best for the other.
 
How reminiscent of "The Gift of the Magi" eh?  <g>
 
Best, in most cases, can mean *more* than one specific time.  I 
doubt more than a handful have schedules that are so full that one 
and only one particular time can work for them.  Which is why I
find making this decision without more facts so hard.
 
It seems to me that the trick is to find a re-open time that as many
people as possible have in common as being "best" for them.  Or,
if that is impossible, a time that is most commonly "do-able" 
among the membership and list elves alike.  We list elves can
figure out our own requirements but what are the members'
best times and do-able times?
 
So I would personally find the following points to be the most helpful 
in trying to decide re-open time:
 
 
 
GENERAL - LENGTH
 
How much time do you think it would take you to digest DH, 
personally?  (I ask this to answer "What is the closure length that 
would optimize the quality of our discussion?")

Approximately:
 
*  7 days
*  6 days
*  5 days
*  4 days
*  3 days
*  2 days
*  1 day
*  no closure at all
 
 
 
SPECIFIC - TIMING FOR YOU (part 1)
 
Please consider your personal schedule with regards to when you 
want to post.  If you are a conscientious poster who likes to read 
the whole thread/the whole board before formulating your own 
thoughts please take that into consideration.
 
* Do you prefer to post before work, school, real life...?
 
* Do you prefer to post during "working" hours (roughly 9am - 5pm)?
 
* Do you prefer to post during the evening (roughly 7pm - 10pm)?
 
* Do you prefer to be up with nite owls (10pm to the dark thirties)?
 
Whatever your choice(s), what is the BST equivalent?  Or tell us
what time zone is your reference.  [see **]  
 
 
 
SPECIFIC - TIMING FOR YOU (part 2)
 
* Personally can't post before work, school, real life....
 
* Personally can't post during "working" hours (roughly 9am - 5pm).
 
* Personally can't post during the evening (roughly 7pm - 10pm).
 
* Personally can't be up with nite owls (10pm to the dark thirties).
 
Whatever your choice(s), what is the BST equivalent?  Or tell us
what time zone is your reference.  [see **]
 
 
 
Petra
a
n  :)
 
 
 
[*]
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=97
 
[**]
http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc
 
 
 

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