Well, I thought I'd weigh in on this discussion, since I am a new, and
still not technically skilled, listowner. I co-administer with 3 others -
Bruce Dienes, Lary Jones and Steve Thompson. My bacon is pulled out the
fire several times each month (sometimes it seems like several times a
day!) by them on questions that are new or confusing.
 
I subscribe to LSTOWN-L in order, over time, to learn more by reading the
posts of others. I'm reluctant, sometimes, to jump in with really
simplistic questions...but I see and save information here that has
helped me sort out how to handle various problems.
 
Part of the difficulty, I think, is that the documentation for listserv
remains pretty inaccessible and difficult to sort out (sorry Eric, I
think it's a great tool - and you are certainly very responsive to
questions, concerns, bug-fixes...). It's just that the documentation is
pretty technical, so learning it - especially if one has a regular job
and other responsibilities, takes some time.
 
A while back, there was discussion on the list about a manual that would
be more user-friendly. The model that occurred to me was the "Using XXXX"
books that are available for many of the larger software packages. They
go beyond technical documentation, to a more readable format. I'm not
trying to re-start that discussion - we sort of did it to death, and the
resource issues seemed to be a real problem - but perhaps as the system
continues to expand, it will become more cost-effective...
 
One of the things that might make the current documentation more useful
for *new* listowners is a simple overview of what documents they really
should read first. This information, right now, is sort of buried. Also,
the availability of the www site is a great boon, and a pointer to that -
in a simple document that is sent to prospective listowners, would be a
help...If postmasters/sysops on the big (and even little) systems had
such a document available, they could forward it to prospective
listowners when they make their initial inquiry...
 
In the interim, I remain indebted to a *great* extent to the Quaker
co-administrators and to members of this group who have been generous
with advice, thoughts, and information....
 
Sylvie McGee
Administrator for the Week - Quaker-L/Quaker-P
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University Friends' Meeting - seattle wa