Newsgroups: bit.listserv.medlib-l
Date:         Mon, 13 Apr 1992 09:19:47 -0700
Comments:     Warning -- original Sender: tag was
              cweaver@MILTON.U.WASHINGTON.EDU
From:         Carolyn Weaver <cweaver@U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Moderating MEDLIB-L
X-To:         Medical Libraries Discussion List <MEDLIB-L@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu>
X-cc:         Multiple recipients of list MEDLIB-L
              <MEDLIB-L@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu>

I vote for non-moderation on your part, Nancy, and personal moderation by
the rest of us (i.e., "Engage brain before talking [sending]!"- a
failure which I have occasionally been guilty of).  I too am
irritated by the glitches, goofs, and irrelevancies; but I prefer to judge
for myself what is irrelevant; and since I screen the list for about 10
other people, I delete any inappropriate messages before forwarding
the gold to my sub-list.  I personally appreciate the amount of time you
spend as list manager and would hate to add unnecessarily to your workload.

Carolyn Weaver
Associate Director for Administration
Univ. Washington Health Sciences Library
Seattle, Wa.  98195
cweaver@u.washington.edu     voice:  (206) 543-3401

On Mon, 13 Apr 1992, Nancy Start wrote:

> MEDLIB-L Readers -
>
> Regarding the recent comments about moderating the list...
>
> When I established MEDLIB-L in January of 1991, it was my hope
> that it could remain unmoderated.  I expected there would be
> "mistakes", but hoped they would be rare enough not to become
> disruptive.  As the list has grown in size (now 770+
> subscribers), the number of misdirected "set nomails",
> "subscribes" and "unsubscribes" has increased.  Remaining
> unmoderated also leaves the list open for the totally out-of-
> scope postings (reference questions from non-librarians and, yes,
> a job announcement for a physician...).
>
> At this time, I am still not in favor of moderating the list.
> However, I have reached the point where I am willing to consider
> it.  If MEDLIB-L subscribers are strongly in favor of moderation,
> I will give it a try.
>
> The positive side of moderation would be the elimination of the
> "noise" (mistakes and misdirected messages).  I cringe each time
> one of these is distributed through MEDLIB-L.  I don't want
> subscribers' mailboxes or time cluttered with nonsense.
>
> The "down-side" of moderation is breaking the flow of the
> discussion.  Distribution of messages would become dependant on
> my schedule.  On most days, postings would be sent out only once
> a day.  If I'm not here, they may not be sent out at all.  The
> current free-flowing atmosphere is one of the things I enjoy most
> about this list.  I would feel bad about losing it.
>
> Another drawback of moderation is the censorship imposed by
> editing.  Currently, any subscriber who wishes to post a message
> makes her/his own decision as to whether the topic may be of
> interest to other medical librarians.  That really is the scope
> of the Medical Libraries Discussion List:  whatever is of
> interest to the medical library professionals who subscribe to
> the list.  With such a broadly defined discussion list, each
> message is not going to be of interest to every subscriber.  If I
> were to moderate the list, I would not want to change this - I
> would not want to impose my personal viewpoint on what is "of
> interest" to medical librarians.  The only postings which I would
> NOT forward to the list would be the mistakes and misdirected
> messages.  But, I can't be sure - the power of being an editor
> could corrupt me...  :-)
>
> Moderating would also require an additional time commitment from
> me. I already spend anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or
> more each day dealing with bounced mail and other problems and
> questions.  For all of those misdirected postings to which you
> say "Argh!" and delete, I say "Argh!" and then have to do
> something about them...
>
> So, MEDLIB-L Readers, you have my views on moderating MEDLIB-L.
> I would like to hear your opinions.  Has the noise overcome the
> substance?  Or does the speed and flow of the current unmoderated
> list make up for the noise?
>
> Nancy
>
> *****************************************************************
> *  Nancy Start               //                                 *
> *  MEDLIB-L List Owner       //   Phone... (716) 831-3337       *
> *  Health Sciences Library   //   BITNET... HSLSTART@UBVM       *
> *  University at Buffalo     //   Internet...                   *
> *  Buffalo, NY 14214         //   HSLSTART@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU  *
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