If one has a list which is subscription-by-owner, a "contract" might be a
good idea.  I assume all such are fairly small and there isn't much
signon/signoff traffic.  But, if the list is large, with a lot of traffic,
or the listowner flat hasn't the time to deal directly with each new
subscriber because of traffic on the list or running several lists, each
with its own demands, the idea seems impractical, as indicated by Nathan
Brindle.
 
And if your list is gatewayed to Usenet, the contract idea is pointless.
You just have to make your policy clear in that instance.
 
We have around 3000 subscribers and it takes two of us to keep it running
reasonably smoothly (divided duties).  We have twenty to thirty
signon/signoff per day, for various reasons (not a few students working on
class assignments), and if we had subscription-by-owner we would need
another listowner to handle only that.  Then of course there are the
gateway readers, who can also post, who would not have to "sign" the
contract.
 
To me, better to have a stated policy in the WELCOME, or adopt a
consistent policy, which is clear from what you do, since the gateway
readers will never see the policy statement in the WELCOME, unless you
regularly post it to the list (which can become irritating, and someone
can always claim to have simply "missed it"). A consistent policy,
self-evident through the way in which the list is run, may be the better
course for larger, gatewayed lists.
 
        Douglas Winship    Austin, Texas    [log in to unmask]