As per your advice, I've posted a request for a replacement / assistant. No
response yet.

Sorry we don't live up to your standards...

...I guess we will just have to muddle on as best we can!

---
James Newton (PICList Admin #3)
mailto:[log in to unmask] 1-619-652-0593
PIC/PICList FAQ: http://www.piclist.com or .org

-----Original Message-----
From: LISTSERV list owners' forum
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Paul Russell
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 09:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Duplicate Posting problem


Change the configuration to "Default-Options= Repro,Review". This will
cause postings from future new subscribers to be sent to the moderator
for approval. On-topic postings can be approved; off-topic postings can
be deleted, or returned to the sender with an appropriate explanation.
When the moderator is satisfied that the newcomer is posting in a
responsible manner, the newcomer's subscription can be changed to
"Noreview". The review/noreview option setting can be changed only by
the list owner, not by the subscriber. If you want to impose the same
restriction on existing subscribers who have not yet demonstrated
their ability to post on-topic, issue the command:

        quiet set listname review for [log in to unmask]

for each subscriber who is to be placed on review. Change "listname"
to the list name and "[log in to unmask]" to the subscriber's
address. These changes may alleviate the problem, but they will not
resolve it.

<RANT>
As a LISTSERV site administrator, I am concerned by your description
of the ignorance and apathy (don't know and don't care) exhibited by
everyone involved with the list, including the list owners. It seems
to me that the principal problem with the list is not that it may be
poorly configured, but rather, that it is poorly managed by owners
who are apparently unwilling to accept their responsibilities.

We explicitly inform our list owners that they are responsible for the
day-to-day management of their lists, including adding and deleting
subscribers, serving as the initial contact point for subscribers who
have questions or problems, and dealing with any social problems which
may arise on the list <http://listserv.nd.edu/guidelines.html>.

If the current owners are too busy to be bothered to fulfill their
responsibilities, then perhaps it is time to find new owners. The
logical place to start the search is with the current subscribers. If
none of the current subscribers place enough value on the list to make
a commitment to keep it going, then perhaps it is time to retire the
list. We have retired more than one apparently active list because the
owner left the university without providing a forwarding address and
no one else was willing to take on the job. It sounds harsh, but it is
realistic. TANSTAAFL.
</RANT>

--
Paul Russell
Senior Systems Administrator
University of Notre Dame