Re: a modest proposal

On Sun, Oct 23, 2005 at 07:11:19PM -0700, Jared Still wrote:
> Comments below:
> 
> On 10/21/05, Ray Stell <stellr@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > A list, Signal-to-Noise Ratio proposal...
> >
> 
> Summarily blown off? No, I don't think that was the case.

It was a joke, summary/summarily, nothing personal.  I was
trying to say I didn't get my way.  Life is tough.

> Relying on a moderater or the OP to summarize the useful information
> from replies has never really worked well.

it's art, I considered it working in the very best way, as in a higher 
quality exchange, high S/N ratio. 

> It eliminates the free exchange of ideas through the thread - there is no
> collaboration, just a number of individuals sending their ideas to the OP,
> who may or may not understand all the replies.

right, it is less free, exactly; more like the exchange at a technical meeting
as opposed to playground chatter.

People who read the summaries are open a free to exchange all they like,
collaberation is not at all eliminated.  In fact it is more concentrated.

> Being the 'owner' of a list is quite a bit different - you have
> administrative
> responsibilities: granting or revoking posting privileges, setting quoting
> limits, stuff like that. But you don't edit content.

This was not the proposal.

> I'm no longer the 'owner' of the list, but I still have an opinion.

this is a good thing.  The proposal serves a different purpose, sort
of "instant" msg openworld.  You get 1/3 of the posts and the ones you
are interested in are more dense.  You get to contact the posters identified
in the summary to go as deep as you like.
======================================================================
Ray Stell       stellr@xxxxxx   (540) 231-4109  Tempus fugit      28^D
--
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l

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