Desperate measures

[prefectmarcus at yahoo.com]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., Pam Hugonnet <pbarhug at e...> wrote:
> I've been reading with interest this whole debate about whether or 
not
> the list membership should be closed.  I kinds feel the need to 
chip in
> with my own two knuts' worth, although I do realize that I may not 
be
> saying anything new.

> drpam
> who is anxiously finalizing the details for her daughter's Harry 
Potter
> party in two weeks!   ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!
> 

What an interesting thread to stumble upon in coming to the OT board.

For what it is worth, here are my thoughts.  You have to be very 
careful what you do.  Every on-line community has its newbies.  If 
they didn't, the list would shrivel up and die as old members go on 
with their lives.  They discuss the same ideas to death, then get 
bored.  You need a steady influx of new blood to keep it going.

Newbies must be made welcome.  The worst thing that you can do is 
tell a newbie that his question was discussed five months ago and we 
have no desire to do it again.  There are several reasons for that.  

(1)That is ancient history.  No Newbie is going to go through the 
archives in a list as big as this from its beginning.  You cannot 
expect or require them to. 

(2) They bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to the table.  You 
want to lose that?

(3) People change.  Your own perspective might have changed.  There 
is a different mix of people discussing it.  New dynamics will emerge.

If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to make any message over 
a week (two weeks, a month, whatever) part of the archive.  Once a 
message is considered archived, nobody refers to it unless the poster 
is seeking information or a detailed analysis.  If they are seeking a 
discussion, the archive is not mentioned.  

The oldies take on the role of wise old citizens who may say a word 
or two, but let the newcomers discover the details for themselves.

I have seen this rule enforced in various ways on other lists and it 
seems to work.

Another suggestion would be to have a second list for "in depth 
discussion".  All are welcome, but if someone pops in asking who the 
head of Ravenclaw is, they get forcefully told to go to the main list.

Marcus