On Sat, 18 Feb 1995 21:09:49 -0500 Norm Aleks said: >[Chris Barnes] >> It's my gut feeling that more and more Listserv lists will be mirrored by >> Usenet groups. > >I'm going totally off the thread here ... I sure hope you're wrong, Chris. >The difference in s/n ratios between USENET and mailing lists amazes me. >One big reason, of course, is that newsreaders offer every newsgroup to >every schmuck in the world ("press y to subscribe"), whereas joining a >mailing list requires a little more up-front commitment. Another is that >MLM's usually send some sort of welcome message to the user, describing the >purpose of the list & appropriate behavior -- sort of a just-in-time FAQ. Perhaps you're right, but my Usenet group is moderated, so the s/n ratio is actually better than the mailing list norm. I've got a new newsgroup proposal in that I intend to set up as moderated, but have the moderator be an 'open' listserv list. This way posts can be distributed as soon as they are sent, but if a problem person appears, they can be dealt with. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chris Barnes (409) 846-3273 (home) [log in to unmask] (409) 845-9520 (work) If you want to make life easier for novice computer users, do NOT give them a restricted menu. A restricted menu is simply the lazy way to avoid teaching them what they really need to know in the first place.