X-Message-Number: 11908
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1999 14:25:02 -0400
From: "Stephen W. Bridge" <>
Subject: List splitting

To Cryonet
From Steve Bridge
June 6, 1999
 
Perhaps Kevin Q.B. is away while the mice are playing, or he is
waiting for a larger agreement by participants, or he is feeling like
we should all go away and leave him alone after more than 10 years
running this list.  We await your input, Master of the List.
 
I see two solutions.
 
1.  Mike Perry's suggestion that all posters on certain agreed-upon
subjects will begin their posts with some symbol like a colon (:).
Then, I assume, those people who do NOT want those messages will
notify Kevin to place them on some kind of restricted list.  Some kind
of software will spot the colon and remove such messages from the
digest that goes to Group B.  The default for everyone is the full
list; some people will choose to receive less.
 
Potential problems:
 
a.  Some posters will forget to put on colons, especially newer
posters who haven't figured out the rules yet.  If the main discussers
of the nature of intelligence remember, though, that shouldn't
be much of a problem for Perry M., et al.
 
b.  That doesn't do much for the contention that potential new
cryonicists are being put off by this talk instead of answering
questions about cryonics itself.
 
c.  People like Bob Ettinger and Tom Donaldson, who like to put
multiple subjects and answers in one message -- many of which DO
comment directly on cryonics -- will have to post a higher number of
shorter messages on narrower topics. I think we can count on them to
figure that out.
 
d.  Someone has to do the work to figure out how this colon might be
be best used.  It might be easy or it might be harder than one thinks.
 
2.  Create a moderated sub-list, where some individual decides what
should be on the "list that goes to fewer people."  He or she would
take the main list and cut out whatever messages did not fit the
"boring message profile" that was agreed upon.  This list would be
sent to those people who chose the shorter version, probably a few
hours later than the original list.
 
It would probably be a good idea for this moderator to include the
message number and subject of all messages being cut, in case someone
in that subgroup wants to go to the CryoNet Web archives to see a
message they missed.
 
Problems:
 
a.  While less worry and work for posters, it is a LOT more work for
one individual.
 
b.  Instead of the original poster deciding whether his/her message
should go to everyone or to a narrower group, one individual decides
for everyone.
 
c.  It's not automatic.  If the moderator is on vacation, someone
else has to take over or else Group B gets no messages.
 
Steve Bridge

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