Re: [epub] Requesting advice about discussion lists based on your e-pubs

[Jack <jj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Jack <jj@workbench.net>

At 03:19 PM 9/3/1999 -0500, Brian Alt wrote:

>Actually, by having a moderated list, you may actually *reduce*
>the time it takes to manage the list. I see a lot of list owners
>spending a lot of time apologizing to their unmoderated lists :)

I just want to comment on this.  For over two years now, I have been one of 
the three co-moderators of an Adult Attention Deficit Disorder list (info 
at http://www.maillist.net/aadd.html in case anyone is interested).  The 
biggest mistake we ever made was starting out the list 
unmoderated.  Several months ago we changed it to fully moderated, and have 
had no regrets.

The problem is that there are always a certain number of people who think 
that what they have to say is far more important than any silly old list 
rules.  If it's important to them, it must by definition be important to 
everyone else.  Even if it's a topic that expressly prohibited by the list 
rules, they still feel that they are the exception to the rules.

Where this becomes a real problem is when the person has been actively 
participating in the list for two or three months, and has made some 
friendships with others on the list, and suddenly decides that by virtue of 
their popularity (or something of that nature) they no longer have to pay 
any attention to the list owner (or his representative), or the list 
rules.  If they post something that is way off topic, and it starts a flame 
war, and you tell everyone the topic is verboten, they will then start 
complaining about censorship, and how you are violating their free speech 
rights, and even about how the list owner should be replaced (I kid you 
not!).  Then, when you finally get sick of them and kick them off the list, 
they will start privately e-mailing others on the list, who will relay 
their messages to and from the list for them, so you have to remove those 
people too.  Or else the "friends" will leave in a huff, each trying to see 
who can get in the most vitriolic parting shot at the list owner on the way 
out!

On a fully-moderated list, however, that initial provocative message that 
they feel is so important is never seen by anyone else on the list, the 
flame war never starts, nobody gets kicked off the list, and the list 
moderator actually has to put up with far fewer complaints.  And as a side 
bonus, people tend to write in a much more polite manner when they realize 
that their messages just might be rejected.

I will NEVER again have anything to do with an unmoderated list (other than 
perhaps as a subscriber, but only if the list is of such a technical nature 
that there are few off-topic posts).  In the case of a medical list, 
especially if any of the lists have to do with conditions that might be 
described as "mental", you without a doubt will want to make the lists 
fully-moderated.  Take it from the voice of experience on this one!

Jack


--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ----------------------------

ONElist:  your connection to online communities.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Epub is sponsored by http://List-Tips.com/
Subscribe to Sparky's List-Tips: mailto:join-list-tips@sparklist.com

To subscribe to Epub, mailto:epub-subscribe@onelist.com
To unsubscribe, mailto:epub-unsubscribe@onelist.com
Epub archives: http://EzineSeek.com/archives/