[UrbanCropCircle] List (manually fragile or automaticly current) (Re: ECC plant sale)

[Michael R. Wolf]

On May 4, 2010, at 6:54 PM, C A ISAAC wrote:

> Hi Michael,
>
> The list can be fixed.  The 'listserve' service, or whatever it is  
> called, is a problem. We didn't want to make Fabricio who volunteers  
> do anything new because he, we are told is doign lots of  
> volunteering for S.B..  We decided to create a solution.  We have  
> been talking about this for the last few meetings.  I am so glad  
> Paula took it upon herself, and Susan will be helping, to get this  
> in a more usable condition. Everyone present was delighted.


It's not my intent to pop anyone's bubble.  It's my intent to warn  
that pseudo-lists that rely on due-diligence of everyone on the list  
has well-known problems.

Did you mean Fulvio?  (Was there an *actual* problem with Fulvio's  
maintenance or involvement?)

Yes, Fulvio does a lot of volunteer work on the web site, but I don't  
think that he needs to do any work to maintain the lists.  List  
management is a self-serve proposition.  Anyone who wants to join the  
list can do so immediately without any human intervention by  
navigating to this URL

     http://lists.sustainableballard.org/listinfo.cgi/urbancropcircle-sustainableballard.org

This link is at the bottom of *EVERY* message that flows through the  
listserv, so it's self-documenting, self-reinforcing, and self- 
service.  Everyone who gets a message can administer their own  
preferences.  What's more, anyone who receives a forwarded message  
from a member can add themselves to the list -- the list grows (dare I  
say) organically (dare I add) and virally.

Placing a human (or *every* human) in the loop only dilutes the  
quality of the listserv.

The listserv solution has evolved over decades to solve the kinds of  
problems the new process creates.

Michael

P.S.  I laud that you have shaved the distribution list on this  
message, but by doing so you have shown the kind of problem that the  
new solution causes.  Should anyone shave a list (temporarily) in an  
attempt to limit distribution, that shaved list can get mistaken for  
the real list, thus loosing members.  I've re-enlarged the  
distribution to make sure all involved get to understand the problems  
with the new solution.


-- 
Michael R. Wolf
     All mammals learn by playing!
         MichaelRWolf at att.net




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