Date: Sun, 29 May 1994 09:36:19 -0500
   From: Joan Korenman <[log in to unmask]>
 
Thank you (everyone) for your replies.
 
           Russell Nelson writes:
 
   > For control over their mailing list subscription.  Perhaps you LSTOWN
   > people are spoiled, but try getting on a busy Internet mailing list
   > that's controlled by a person who's just gone off for vacation.  Or a
   > funky listserver that you can't figure out how to operate.
 
           I'm not really sure what you're referring to.  I've gotten on and
   off busy Internet mailing lists without difficulty.
 
The quality of maintenance of random Internet lists is variable.  I
propose to raise it to a minimum level, for my subscribers at least.
 
   And if getting on and off the list requires the intervention of a
   vacationing listowner, how will you be able to help?
 
But, you see, they're subscribed to *my* copy of the list.  So, it
doesn't require anyone else's cooperation.
 
   > but if my users wanted to be on a mailing list and you
   > were uncooperative, I'd start my own parallel list.  That would be
   > unattractive, but who am I to tell my customers what they can and
   > cannot talk about?
 
           This seems to me quite silly and unrealistic.  If I run a list with
   3000 subscribers and want to refuse access to someone, you're unlikely to
   be in any position to create a reasonable alternative list.
 
I don't expect it will happen.  But if it does, it's like anything
else -- the cream will rise to the top.
 
   > It probably holds no attraction to users who are solely subscribed to
   > LISTSERV lists.
 
           Then I'm not sure your proposal has much of a future.  As you know,
   the LISTSERV software that Eric developed is about to be extended to Unix
   and VMS systems, and the other unix listprocessor software that already
   exists is continually improving.  As more and more lists switch to capable
   software, who will need your services?
 
Business is a matter of taking risks and getting paid for it if you
guess right.
 
   > I'll probably send an advisory note saying "I have subscribed Random
   > User to your list; please tell me if you want her removed."
 
           Whoa!  THAT I find disturbing.  I already get notified each time
   someone subscribes to my list.  If I want to remove someone, I can easily
   do so.  The LAST thing I want is a SECOND notice.
 
Ahhh, I see.  If EMList redistributes the list you own, there is only
one subscription, [log in to unmask]  I take care of everyone
subscribed to my copy of the list.
 
           I don't mean to be wholly negative.  I agree with Murph Sewall that
   you may indeed have a profitable market providing Usenet services, and
   there may also be some people who will pay you to help them deal with
   mailing lists as well.   I am still having trouble seeing why this latter
   service is needed by more than a few people, though, and thus why people
   would pay you to do what many of us already do for free (i.e., help folks
   who are having difficulty using our lists).
 
Maybe it isn't and maybe they won't.  But *I* perceive it as a
problem, and I expect that some percentage of the ten million people
out there also see it as a problem and are willing to pay me to solve
it for them.
 
Like I say, maybe this is a bad forum for bringing up problems with
mailing list management, because LISTSERV owners and users don't have
many.  But LISTSERV does not dominate the mailing list server market,
so I'm not worried.  :)
 
-russ <[log in to unmask]>      ftp.msen.com:pub/vendor/crynwr/crynwr.wav
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