On Fri, 30 Sep 1994 21:43:25 -0400
Menya Wolfe <[log in to unmask]> wrote, among other things:
 
> I don't want to read subscribe and unsubscribe messages, personal
> messages, bounced mail messages... Reading the list as a digest would
> be worse -- I couldn't choose to skip the annoying messages as easily.
 
Very reasonable expectation/observation.
 
> I think the default on replies should be the individual rather than
> the group.
 
I think that would be deadly, as few people would take the additional
time to post the "good, interesting" individual responses. I'll bet
lots on that.
 
> Or the move
> to a newsgroup could be sped up.
 
bit.listserv.museum-l exists. Does your service center receive it?
 
> I've been on other mailing lists, and they didn't have these problems.
 
I've been on lots of other lists, and they've all "suffered" more
noise than many find pleasant.
 
> I'm not sure where to lay the blame, but things need to change if this
> forum is to grow and remain useful.  Has anyone else wondered *why*
> all these people are signing off?
 
I wonder whether the recent significant growth of this list (in
members, not number of messages) is from people who are finding the
subject is not their cup of tea (because they're not _that_ interested
in museum stuff  -not because of the noise), so they signoff?
 
Uncontrolled growth and enthusiasm are often uncomfortable, and are too much
for some to hang around. I find the substantive messages of MUSEUM-L to
significantly outweigh the noise in the system, still.
 
I mean, surely the longterm subscribers are not the ones who are
signing off by sending messages to MUSEUM-L! They've all read these
annoying messages enough to know how to signoff correctly. Right?
Peter Rauch