[wplug-internet] wplug.org domain renewal

Bryan J Smith b.j.smith at ieee.org
Wed Dec 10 13:45:54 EST 2014


Not everyone will be happy no matter what people do.  In general, I've
found the following approaches work well.

1)  Keep what you got, even if it goes underutilized

I've seen a non-main list get deleted, and the small subscriber base start
to use the "main" list, only for more people to complain than were ever on
the non-main list.  It doesn't cost anything to keep an existing list
around, and doesn't change any existing expectations, even if most other
people are oblivious to the list.

2)  Always offer a low-volume and/or announcements list

In most groups, under 1 sigma never post, those between 1-2 sigma post
infrequently, and those at 3+ sigma post often.  The last will often and
eventually annoy the first, whether it seems like they are "talking down,"
especially anyone who is "detail oriented" and trying to "be complete"**,
to seemingly "acting smart," there are a lot of cases where it's a small
minority that a majority doesn't want to hear.

The option for a low-volume and/or announcements offers an avenue for the
greater membership to avoid the minor, active group, without having to
create a lot of "specialized" lists.

**NOTE:  I run into this myself, a lot, because I'm a published technical
writer and never leave anything out.  It annoys a lot of people, but rarely
the OP.  Some of my biggest critics have become some of my biggest
advocates after they had a problem, and my answer was not only complete for
every issue they were having, but answered 3 follow-up questions they
quickly ran into, before they had to ask.  That's when they realize I'm not
posting to "be smart" or "talk down" but I'm focused on the OP and their
question (which 98% might not be interested in hearing).

-- bjs


On Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 4:33 PM, Mark Dalrymple <markd at borkware.com> wrote:

> Wow, you really have a bug up your butt about this.
>
> > Who is going to unsubscribe if we talk about this on the main list and were
> they current members?
>
> I would.  I don't like the main list, so I don't subscribe to it.  And
> you've already clearly demonstrated the "hey, I have great ideas that
> someone else should implement" behavior that is writ large on large lists.
>
> > Do we really want more participation or do we want a country club?
>
> I am currently baffled why the existence of lists specifically for a
> certain topic are so off-putting.  "OMG there's three lists, I'm going to
> run away now because I'm frightened", and why you're dragging that
> discussion into unrelated threads.
>
> if anything, you're going to cause me to unsubscribe from this list.  Nice
> job.
>
> ++md
>
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 4:35 AM, John Lewis <oflameo2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I don't see how any power user wouldn't be interested in this
>> discussion? What kind of crazy person likes Linux except on the Internet?
>>
>> Who is going to unsubscribe if we talk about this on the main list and
>> were they current members?
>>
>> Do we really want more participation or do we want a country club?
>>
>> On 12/10/2014 01:04 AM, Vance Kochenderfer wrote:
>> > Here is a good example of the kind of topic that would be discussed on
>> > wplug-internet.
>> >
>> > Our registration for the wplug.org domain is due to expire in March
>> > 2015.  We should come up with a recommendation to present to the Board
>> > so it can be renewed.
>> >
>> > We are currently using pair as our registrar.  Its major benefits are
>> > that it is a local company and a strong supporter of Free Software.  In
>> > the past several years we have been using pair, I'm not aware of any
>> > problems we've experienced.
>> >
>> > Their pricing is not the absolute cheapest out there, but is very
>> > competitive <https://www.pairnic.com/prices.html>.  We can renew for a
>> > five-year period for $65 ($13/yr).
>> >
>> > Note that this does not lock us in to pair for five years; the domain
>> > can always be transferred if need be.  We would not receive a refund
>> > upon transferring, but would keep the time we purchased.
>> >
>> > Vance Kochenderfer        |  "Get me out of these ropes and into a
>> > vance at happylemur.com      |   good belt of Scotch"    -Nick Danger
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > wplug-internet mailing list
>> > wplug-internet at wplug.org
>> > http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug-internet
>> >
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> wplug-internet mailing list
>> wplug-internet at wplug.org
>> http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug-internet
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> wplug-internet mailing list
> wplug-internet at wplug.org
> http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug-internet
>
>


-- 
-- 
Bryan J Smith - http://www.linkedin.com/in/bjsmith
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