large vs small group posting procedures

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

 

We are a large group. This is beneficial in many ways. We can have

multiple serious input from more contributors etc.

 

As with any group, there are new members entering and old ones

leaving, so there can be a fresh new input of ideas,... sometimes.

 

Most lists of this size are fully moderated, wherein only the

moderator posts or reposts only a fraction of member posts, because

the list can become chaotic.

 

If the list is real small, one of the nice features is the chatty

commaraderie that ensues, like a chat room. Also personal touches

make for interesting reading and community. In a big list, although

it can have personality too, it is also similiar to a newsletter

because it goes out to so many people. We have over 800+ members

here. So, please post here, but after writing it, look at it and

reread it.

 

Is your reply or post more appropriate to an email message to

another, more appropriate to a small group or does it sound like it

belongs in a chat room, or is it appropriate for a newsletter that

goes out to 800 people? Would a sizable portion of 800 people want to

read it?

 

That does not mean don't post. It means to think out your posts and

try and format them so they have complete thoughts and messages and

they are explained somewhat fully and completely.

 

Here is a big tip off. If two or a few people keep answering each

other back and forth in one or two sentence messages, do you think

that is because they wrote fully and completely the first time, and

do you think that that is a more appropriate style to a chat room for

a few people or is it a newsletter style. If you still can't see the

importance of this, go and get a chat room going and put hundreds of

people into it and see what the level of intelligent discussion will

descend to.

 

Also we welcome new members wholeheartedly. But just because you are

new here and don't know something on a certain subject, the group

should not have to undertake your education as a group endeaver

because you can't or won't take the time to read. Or are you caring

enough to search the archives for old subject messages or to try the

links to get a basic understanding. Otherwise. you are assuming that

you are so important that the group stop and rehash all of the basics

for you while the other 800 hear it all over again. Some of this

cannot be avoided, and it is good to revisit some issues to keep us

aware, but this cannot be the policy for each time someone new

enters. Some days we get 5 or 10 new people.

 

An example, say a new member comes and is in the dark about a

subject and says so to the group, and some in the group try to help

so they start with the very basics, even though, maybe the group has

covered that subject not only indepth but maybe could have beaten it

to death. ( there may be hundreds of prior messages in the previous

month on the same subject). (On a small board there are only a few

newbies, but on a large board you have many newbies and people

changing constantly.)

 

The newbie doesn't know that, because they never looked in the past

few months of messages, or didn't do a subject search in the message

archives or didn't search the links. This might be fine for a small

group but not for a large group. Can you imagine seeing this occure

in a newsletter type board. (actually this does happen on large lists

that have only one subject to cover, or on ones which they have some

products to promote, so they basically keep saying the same things

over and over).

 

What happens is that the level of discussion is primarily limited to

the lowest level of the newer members and keeps going back to that

point, on a continuing basis, with everyone else hearing it all over

again. Under these circumstances it is difficult for the group as a

whole to progress and reach out for more advanced thinking and

discussion as to a given subject. This eplains how a charming feature

on a small group can be the downfall of a large group.

 

I have written on this subject before.

 

The basic rule is " Is this what 800 people will consider

interesting ? or intelligent? or complete? or did I do any homework

at all? or do I not know any better, or do I only care of myself and

expect others to only care of me and expect them to do all of the

work involved? " Should they go and research some subject, in answer

to my problem, while i sit here and wait to receive it and do

nothing, and then i will ask another....all well and good, but

tomorrow will bring some more new people and then, we can start all

over again.

 

If there were no preparation done to help with this problem, it would

be easier to understand, but we do have an extensive links collection

and over 10,000 past messages to search here so it boils down to a

different issue.

 

I want this group to educate and help others, that is why it was

formed. It is just that we also need to understand that our little

group has grown to a good size now, with a constant supply of new

people, and what worked for 50 or 150 people doesn't, in the normal

usage, work for 800+ people.

 

respectfully,

 

Frank

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

 

I reread my previous post and it sounds way to harsh and it left out

some of the most important things. I apologize.

 

The one main reason for this group is to help others who are ill and

want to find some real solutions, and also to educate and disseminate

information on natural healing. Theoretical discussion is good but it

is second in importance.

 

Some members come with serious health concerns. They should be number

one, and have our wholehearted support in whatever way that we can

give it.

 

So, if you are one who is grappling with some serious illness, please

do not feel shy in posting if you want help in looking for solutions.

 

In groups as in life, the sqeaky wheel usually gets the attention,

(not necessarily the ones who need it the most, but the sqeakiest).

Of course, anyone who has raised a few kids knows this. hah.

 

When I started the group, I was very sick, and I still sometimes

become too tired when approaching the group. I have been sick for a

couple of years and sometimes my illness overshadows my mental

attitude. I have not had help in moderating the group and it

sometimes wears on me. Sometimes all I could do was try and treat

myself with nutrients and herbs, lie down or briefly go on the

computer. But,I am slowly getting well.

 

One thing though, I started the group, but I didn't make of it what

it is today. That was done by many members and posters. Thank you.

 

 

kind regards,

 

Frank

 

 

 

Gettingwell , " califpacific

<califpacific> " <califpacific> wrote:

> Dear Group,

>

> We are a large group. This is beneficial in many ways. We can have

> multiple serious input from more contributors etc.

>

> As with any group, there are new members entering and old ones

> leaving, so there can be a fresh new input of ideas,... sometimes.

>

> Most lists of this size are fully moderated, wherein only the

> moderator posts or reposts only a fraction of member posts, because

> the list can become chaotic.

>

> If the list is real small, one of the nice features is the chatty

> commaraderie that ensues, like a chat room. Also personal touches

> make for interesting reading and community. In a big list, although

> it can have personality too, it is also similiar to a newsletter

> because it goes out to so many people. We have over 800+ members

> here. So, please post here, but after writing it, look at it and

> reread it.

>

> Is your reply or post more appropriate to an email message to

> another, more appropriate to a small group or does it sound like it

> belongs in a chat room, or is it appropriate for a newsletter that

> goes out to 800 people? Would a sizable portion of 800 people want

to

> read it?

>

> That does not mean don't post. It means to think out your posts and

> try and format them so they have complete thoughts and messages and

> they are explained somewhat fully and completely.

>

> Here is a big tip off. If two or a few people keep answering each

> other back and forth in one or two sentence messages, do you think

> that is because they wrote fully and completely the first time, and

> do you think that that is a more appropriate style to a chat room

for

> a few people or is it a newsletter style. If you still can't see

the

> importance of this, go and get a chat room going and put hundreds

of

> people into it and see what the level of intelligent discussion

will

> descend to.

>

> Also we welcome new members wholeheartedly. But just because you

are

> new here and don't know something on a certain subject, the group

> should not have to undertake your education as a group endeaver

> because you can't or won't take the time to read. Or are you caring

> enough to search the archives for old subject messages or to try

the

> links to get a basic understanding. Otherwise. you are assuming

that

> you are so important that the group stop and rehash all of the

basics

> for you while the other 800 hear it all over again. Some of this

> cannot be avoided, and it is good to revisit some issues to keep us

> aware, but this cannot be the policy for each time someone new

> enters. Some days we get 5 or 10 new people.

>

> An example, say a new member comes and is in the dark about a

> subject and says so to the group, and some in the group try to

help

> so they start with the very basics, even though, maybe the group

has

> covered that subject not only indepth but maybe could have beaten

it

> to death. ( there may be hundreds of prior messages in the previous

> month on the same subject). (On a small board there are only a few

> newbies, but on a large board you have many newbies and people

> changing constantly.)

>

> The newbie doesn't know that, because they never looked in the past

> few months of messages, or didn't do a subject search in the

message

> archives or didn't search the links. This might be fine for a small

> group but not for a large group. Can you imagine seeing this occure

> in a newsletter type board. (actually this does happen on large

lists

> that have only one subject to cover, or on ones which they have

some

> products to promote, so they basically keep saying the same things

> over and over).

>

> What happens is that the level of discussion is primarily limited

to

> the lowest level of the newer members and keeps going back to that

> point, on a continuing basis, with everyone else hearing it all

over

> again. Under these circumstances it is difficult for the group as a

> whole to progress and reach out for more advanced thinking and

> discussion as to a given subject. This eplains how a charming

feature

> on a small group can be the downfall of a large group.

>

> I have written on this subject before.

>

> The basic rule is " Is this what 800 people will consider

> interesting ? or intelligent? or complete? or did I do any homework

> at all? or do I not know any better, or do I only care of myself

and

> expect others to only care of me and expect them to do all of the

> work involved? " Should they go and research some subject, in answer

> to my problem, while i sit here and wait to receive it and do

> nothing, and then i will ask another....all well and good, but

> tomorrow will bring some more new people and then, we can start all

> over again.

>

> If there were no preparation done to help with this problem, it

would

> be easier to understand, but we do have an extensive links

collection

> and over 10,000 past messages to search here so it boils down to a

> different issue.

>

> I want this group to educate and help others, that is why it was

> formed. It is just that we also need to understand that our little

> group has grown to a good size now, with a constant supply of new

> people, and what worked for 50 or 150 people doesn't, in the normal

> usage, work for 800+ people.

>

> respectfully,

>

> Frank