Re Main list ideas/problems

annemehr annemehr at yahoo.com
Wed Aug 20 19:02:21 UTC 2003


Lita wrote: 
> Shutting down the entire list would, IMO, send a strong message to 
those who
> are breaking the rules. For one, it is the best way I can think of 
to get
> everyone's attention, which, let's face it, is a difficult thing 
to do with
> the current signal-to-noise ratio. :) A simple ADMIN message is 
just not
> going to cut it on its own. But closing the list to posting will 
demonstrate
> that breaking the rules won't be tolerated, which is, IMO, what 
really needs
> to happen.

Annemehr:
I agree with Lita.  I have been following this thread with great 
interest, and the more I think about it, closing the entire list for 
a while may be a very good idea.  I think (is this what you had in 
mind?) that it should be "read-only" for everyone but the ADMIN team 
during that time.  This way, the Elves get a chance to confer and 
decide what needs to be done, and there is the further (not to be 
underestimated) benefit that everyone can take advantage of the time 
to look through the existing messages.  Meanwhile, it might be 
useful to have some volunteers updating the FAQs or trolling 
for "fantastic posts."

Meanwhile, the ADMIN team would update us with their own posts.  
When the new FAQs and fantastic posts are done, they could upload 
those also. I am also wondering if you would need to close the list 
for more than a week, but offer updates at reasonable intervals, in 
order to accomplish what needs to be done.

As for having a "read-only" term for newbies when the list is 
reopened, I agree with this also.  When I joined, I admit I did post 
the same day ::blushes::, but this group was such a treasure that I 
would gladly have spent a read-only time reviewing the messages, 
FAQs, etc. 

Something certainly needs to be done to restore the group to the 
high standards it had before.  The only people you are going to 
anger in accomplishing this will be the people with lower 
standards.  This is not an "elitist attitude" (though you will be 
accused of having one), it merely results from the fact that this is 
HP for *grownups* and some people aren't going to like that.  I 
actually think that many of the rulebreakers have caught the 
rulebreaking "bug" and may appreciate bringing the standard back up 
as much as we would.  I, for one, am completely behind your efforts, 
and volunteer my services if I can be of any help.

Something that's just occurred to me is that maybe you cut the 
HBFile a bit too much, so that it is not quite as useful for those 
who want to post quality messages.  It seemed fine to me when you 
first posted the new version, but then I had been around for months 
already.  I think I will look at the two versions again, remembering 
how it was to be a newbie, and see where I might have been confused 
(as I tend to need things spelled out explicitly when I am learning 
something new). 

Annemehr
approaching my one-year anniversary on the main list, and not 
wanting to lose it now 






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