[Talk] Re: Reminder: Discussion of AUUG futures on auug-talk mailing list

[David Lloyd]

Greg,

AUUG mailing lists seem to be quiet in comparison to some LUG mailing
lists and the main FreeBSD mailing lists. The busiest mailing lists seem
to be the free-for-all, talk about anything technical or not (and
sometimes go way OT). AUUG seems to have made the lists I've looked at
AUUG members only and that is certainly that the SA Chapter executive
actually have a reasonably defined policy with reasons (1).

In my opinion, this "closed mailing list" -- that is open to only paid
up AUUG members -- is self-defeatist. People can join other mailing
lists free of charge and talk about unix until they have nothing else to
say, so why pay to join one of AUUG's? Rather than having a large group
of people, some members and some not, with the non-member of AUUG seeing
various "advertisements" which clearly show membership benefits [ eg.
the conference will cost you $50 less if you are a member or some such
thing ] we have a list where very few people say some important things.

This might be all very well, but if the point of having a mailing list
called "talk" is to, ummm, "talk" and noone is talking maybe we should
consider ways in which to get people "talking". And before anyone pipes
up and says "but I don't want to be on a busy talky mailing list" then
unsubscribing is just as easy as subscribing; if they want only to hear
announcements then there is a list solely for announcements.

By the way, if people haven't a clue that "talk at auug.org.au" exists, how
are they going to know that "announce at auug.org.au" exists? It's a
chicken and egg problem if you ask me :-)

DSL

(1) Oooh, I *detest* cabinet solidarity sometimes...

;-P

-- 
And Ptah begat the thought and the word
 And by these thoughts and words
 Atum, mighty God, created the world from the void!
 [An interpretation of the Memphite Creation myphs]