>We have a few options here:
>1)
>Make the list a regular newsgroup. I would recommend this.
I would not recommend this. I've been a "member" for over 2
years and also have reasonably good access to newgroups, but
there's no comparison (IMHO) between the type of direct
(and immediate as someone else has mentioned) interaction
that we have with british-cars and a newsgroup. Yes, it
takes some daily attention and I'd like to see the volume
constrained a bit more, but I wouldn't be as happy with
a newsgroup as I am with current conditions.
>2) Get rid of all the extraneous posts ie: Miata sucks/ Roll up windows
>suck/How to lift a roof truss. These things are a waste of time to most
>people on the list(IMHO take it as you wish).
I've really tried to hold off on my generation of non-important
items, cute replies, etc. I have of late made it mandatory (for
me anyway) to go through all the mail BEFORE replying to anything.
I've too often generated an answer after reading a post, only to come
across the same answer already provided by someone else.
Lastly, (soapbox on) while I fully support everyone's right to say,
or write what they think is relavent to british-cars, I do
believe that the primary purpose of the list is to support our
individual ownership, operation and preservation of our LBCs.
To do that, we really don't need the "miata bashing" (unless
you are realting a recent direct comparison, eg. I raced one
at the stop-lite gran prix, etc.), nor do we need to get into
the US, UK or world politics.
Perhaps a quicker way to help identify relavent messages to folks would
be to start each subject header with the individual marque/model
that is being discussed in the post. For Example:
Subject: TRIUMPH, clutch hydraulics problem
or
Subject: MGB, looking to buy
When I have the time, I enjoy browsing through every post, but
when I don't, I've been able to routinely skip over lots of
posts that had sufficent subject line detail to indicate that
I need not take the time to read that post.
Another aspect of thsi is the evolution of subject matter
from that which is indicated in the subject line. Many times,
folks respond to a particular post without changing the subject
line, even though the response has little, or nothing to
do with the original post.
One final suggestion is that those that are replying to a post
and are posting that reply to everyone via british-cars, should
please try to eliminate as much of the original post as possible.
In that way, the bandwidth and time to read the replies will also
go down. Too often there are brief replies posted to longer original
posts that could have been considerably reduced.
So..... I hope we can retain the mailing list operation, BUT
I do realize the decision ultimately needs to be made by Mark (mjb)
as it is only through his good will (and utah.edu) that this
list even exists at all.
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Bill Sohl (K2UNK) BELLCORE (Bell Communications Research, Inc.)
Morristown, NJ email via UUCP bcr!dancer!whs70
201-829-2879 Weekdays email via Internet whs70@dancer.cc.bellcore.com
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