>We're now trying the tactic of fowarding every "warning: mini-disk is full"
>message to the list, with a brief description of which logs we are zapping
>as a consequence, and a reminder that excessive quoting and frivolous (e.g.
>especially "me too" and "thanks" messages) are filling up archive space and
>thus driving out substantive posts that are no longer accessible for
>logsearches.
 
We have taken to switching to approving all postings for a week whenever
the "me-toos" get out of hand.  It is really less work because we read
everything anyway, and we send off-list suggestions about nettiquette to
posters when we see problems.  The only real difference is that the
problems don't get to the list.  Since these "me-toos" tend to multiply
like rabbits, preventing them form appearing cuts down on the number
that are sent.  After things calm down, we switch back to open posting
by subscribers.  Some subscribers who are having trouble learning to use
our posting guidelines are set to REVIEW until it looks like they have
figured out what we want.
 
We have made it clear that we will switch our moderating style as we
deem appropriate to maintain the focus of discussion.  In fact, I
think that most people would not even notice the additional
"approved-by" line.  Thus, the notion that FLTEACH is moderated or
un-moderated has lost meaning in our eyes; we have several levels of
moderating style.
 
Bob
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Robert Ponterio                  | [log in to unmask]
 co-manager of FLTEACH            | State Univ. of New York Cortland
 Foreign Language Teaching Forum  -----------------------------------
 http://www.cortland.edu/www/flteach/