The State of the List Questionaire - Oct 2007

[Jen Reese]

Oops, sorry for the accidental re-posting of the questions...twice, 
*blushes*).
 
> 1. What has been your general impression of the list since the
> release of DH?

Jen: It's different, I used to feel a sense of camaraderie with 
fellow members that isn't there as much now.  Maybe it was that sense 
of 'we're all in this together' and now with no more books that 
feeling is gone?  I'm not sure.  Some of the fun and lighthearted 
banter prior to DH is missing.  Things are more serious, and there 
doesn't seem to be as much courtesy such as people asking questions 
of each other to see if the point is understood, or apologizing if an 
unintended message came through to another member.  

Since DH I've also noticed an increase in posts directed toward other 
members or talking about fans in general instead of the books.  I'll 
second what Potioncat said about discussions on emotion - very 
difficult.  
 
 > 2. Have you been posting since the release? Less than, as much as,
> or more than you did before the release? If there is a change, what
> has caused you to change? If you haven't been posting at all, or
> been posting rarely, why do you think that is?

I'm posting less due to life circumstances and the reasons above. The 
list has been my main hobby for several years and it's hard to see it 
changing (or what I perceive as a big change anyway).  I've also 
backed off because my frustration was reflected in my posts and that 
meant it was time for a break.  
 
> 3. Are you happy with the way the list is handled and/or the way 
> things are going at present? If you feel some action should be 
> taken by the elves, what would you suggest? What suggestions would
> you give members in general to improve the list? What, if anything,
> have you tried to improve the list?

I can't really say much since I was an elf myself up until last week 
lol!  I'll leave that question for others.  As for the last part, 
I've attempted to post a few times with new topics that haven't been 
discussed much or replied to topics that aren't getting as much 
mileage as others.  This is a good time to give a big 'thanks' to 
members like Potioncat, Mike, and Bart (and others I'm probably 
forgetting), who consistently try to inject some lighthearted moments 
into the action. 

I like the idea about having a topic for the week.  It wouldn't have 
to be all elves either, members could volunteer. 


> 4. Now that we have all seven books and the speculation is over,
> what do you see as the purpose of this list? What would you
> imagine/want to see happening on the list a year from now?

If the list slows down enough at some point, it would be cool to see 
OTC rolled back into main like Ann mentioned. 

Until then, I liked Potioncat's idea about identifying new tags 
similar to TBAY or SHIP that might be used to separate certain 
discussions.  This seems to happen naturally at other groups using 
message-board type discussion groups instead of a group like ours 
where everything is mixed together (thinking about TLC's various 
forums for one). I brainstormed a couple of subjects that might work:

1)  Liked/hated the book - general impressions of series overall with 
more relaxed rules for discussion.
2) Strict canon discussion - meaning members participating are likely 
bringing in quotes and sticking very closely to the books.

Hmm, that's all that comes to mind at the moment.

Jen