[Nottingham] Too much traffic

[Duncan John Fyfe]

On Fri, 7 Mar 2003, Iain Alexander wrote:

> I'm kinda sorry I started this thread: (only kind of though)

Why, a good storm is good for clearing the air.

>
> I've clearly really upset a lot of people.

Not really, but some of us are putting a fair effort into building the
group and I got a little irked when you came along and pissed on it.
I know you didn't intend any offence but it were fightin talk and I
were in the mood ;)

> However there are also a number of linux/geek zealot who (IMO) resist
> any change whatsoever, abhore any form of user friendliness and take
> comment (not even cricism badly) offering the "this is the way it works
> and if you don't like you can just f*ck off" attitude. The "get a better
> mail client" or "get a faster connection" or "set up some mail filters"
> might seem a helpful suggestion but it really isn't. It's not always
> practical or possible to upgrade either of them, and in regard to mail
> filters/threading, maybe some people just don't know how.

You seem to be missing 'the big point'(tm) here.

This is a mailing list because it is a mailing list.  It is no more, no less.
If you want a web forum you are free too set one up (and I belive someone has), either on your own or with like minded people who would also like a web forum.

If you wish participate in the mailing list you are free to do so.  Similarly the web forum.

I (like you) am free to subscribe to the mailing list or the web forum but I am also free to ignore either of them.

'Voting' as some people have mentioned is through your choice.  If 9/10 people email the list and say 'I vote that we should do XYZ' then nothing will happen unless one of those XYZ organizes it.

Also, if 9/10 people 'voted' to communicate via a web forum or irc or whatever
then they are free to do so but I am also free to carry on using the mailing list even with a vaslty reduced audience.

The presentation meetings happen because some of us arrange them and enough people are interested in what we arrange (believe it or not I do ask people and listen to what sort of things they would like).  We are not a central lug comittee we are just people who are comitted to having fun and developing the lug so that people find it worthwhile (and hence might be around to answer your questions when you need them).

>
> To me at least the mailing list seems quite high volume (compared to my
> regular volume of email) and by association quite time consuming for me,
> both to find and read the topics that interest me and also sieve thru
> those that don't. I hoped that by mentioning my own thoughts it would
> spark debate (which It certainly has) and ultimately that would lead to
> a better solution (for my needs)
>

The volume is high for you and it is quite obvious others feel that way to.
A number of possible solutions have been mentioned and a web forum has been
set up.

> Clearly there are always going to be desenters and nay-sayers in any
> group, but couldn't we just a sensible discussion without resorting to
> childish attitudes. No one is personally attacking anyone's views or
> beliefs, we're just talking about the possibility of better ways of
> communicating with each other.
>

There are no desenters and nay-sayers.  All of us in this thread have made a choice.  We have subscribed to the mailing list.  This comes at a price - receiving the emails, even those we don't want.  If you are having difficulty dealing with the volume then the onus is on you to solve your problem (and we will help if we feel the request is resonable and we are able to).

Maybe if you had started the thread with:
	"I am using XXX/having to use XXX to read my mail and I am having trouble dealing with the volume from the list.  Can anybody help me."

You might have gotten a little more help and a little less bitten.

What are you using btw ?

Have fun,
Duncan

-- 
Duncan John Fyfe          X-ray Astronomy Group,
                          Dept. of Physics & Astronomy,
Phone +44 116 252 3635    University of Leicester,
E-mail djf@star.le.ac.uk  University Road,
                          Leicester, LE1 7RH, U.K.