Anthea Tillyer <[log in to unmask]> wrote about her over-busy, off-topic
list:
 
> I personally
> wouldn't mind because I am ready to throw in the towel anyway, but I
> think that it would hurt many members who have legitimate academic
> interest in the stated purpose of the list and who are pained by its
> current gutter level.
 
I personally like the approach taken on HUMOR@UGA, to which I'm a
subscriber.  (Get the HUMOR WELCOME file and the list header for an
explanation.)  Basically no one may *post* to HUMOR unless they've
been registered to post (by the owner putting them into a separate
list (HUMOR-G[?], my memory tells me), and then the headers are set to
"Editor=(HUMOR-G)", or something like that.
 
You might want to talk with Bill Edwards ([log in to unmask])
about his experience with the list.
 
My own lists (co-owned) are much smaller and quieter than yours, but I
still understand your frustration and have shared it.  List owning is
sometimes a thankless job often.  In my case the lists (Quaker-L and
Quaker-P) can be so rewarding, though, that I have stuck it out, and
the "meta-postings" come and go in cycles, so it's not always so hard.
Where we are today is a lot nicer than a month ago!  I don't know if
this is because of or despite a 10-day span of moderating that we
instituted.  We don't want to return to that.
 
En paz,
Steve
--
Stephen W. Thompson, U. of PA, Data Administration, 215-898-1236
E-mail (MIME): [log in to unmask] -OR- [log in to unmask]
   URL: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~st/st.html