Re: [ARSCLIST] The case for message boards.

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kiwi O'Connell" <kiwioconnell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Hi Brandon
> I agree with you.  In fact, most of the posts I don't even read, I just hit
> delete!  I find it frustrating that these conversations are carried on using
> the list.  Why can't people just email the given party directly?  Makes
> sense to me and then I don't have to keep going through unwanted mail.
> 
Well...your post basically translates as "This list should be run according
to MY needs and interests, and noone else's!" The flaw here is that many...
probably most...of the messages you find useless and uninteresting are
actually of considerable interest to more (often many more) than two
of the subscribers...even though the threads sometimes appear to
involve only two of same.

An e-mail list is, by definition, made up of a group of subscribers
who share at least one significant interest...and/or characteristic.
In the case of ARSCLIST, the shared entity is membership (or a
common interest) in the Association of Recorded Sound Collections.
That organization, in turn, is made up of both private collectors/ions
as well as public...and these are concerned with everything from
vintage wax cylinders to digital sound + video media, and the
preservation, cataloging, playing and archival of ALL of those!
Since there are few (if any) aubscribers, or even ARSC members,
with such a (small-c) catholic group of interests/duties, the
group (list) tends to splinter into "special interest" groups,
who then discuss and debate the "care and feeding" of every
aspect of their given set of interests. Thus, as a collector
of old 78rpm records (on a private, non-institutional basis),
I have little knowledge or interest in the intricacies of
magnetic tape, DVD+/-R usw.

However, I don't insist the list should only be used for 78-related
traffic...I'm one little segment of a VERY large body!

To make things worse, ARSCLIST (like any entity made up of human
beings will tend to do...) also becomes, to a certain extent, a
social as much as a subject-related entity. Again, this is all
but inevitable when humans are involved (our computers could
actually do a much better job of digital communication...?!)
and I have never been part of a list without this component.

Important things to keep in mind:

1) Bill Gates (and/or the Apple guys) gave you a "delete"
button...use it (i.e. you don't have to read messages that
are of no use or value to you...!).

2) Subject lines also serve as "thread identifiers"...for
this reason, they are often NOT changed as they become
increasingly irrelevant. Relieth upon them not!

3) If 99% of the traffic on an e-mail list seems irrelevant
to you: (1) you may be on the wrong list, or (2) you may need
to expand your life and interests beyond that 1%...! All work
and no play...eh?

Steven C. Barr