Re: [Paddlewise] PaddleWise list censorship

[ more moderator intervention for spam word trigger ]

I run a discussion group at kayakforum.com and that experience can  
provide some insight into the running of this kind of list-serve.

My discussion group gets hit by a lot of spam. I have set up filters  
that catches a fair amount of it, but some still gets through and of  
greater concern, many legitimate posts get caught in it. And there I  
let them die. The amount of traffic is not great, but since I have  
other things to do I really can't keep up with reviewing and approving  
the mis-blocked messages. The quality of the discussion on my board  
undoubtedly suffers as a result.

There are a myriad of different ways that this situation could be  
improved. Some software base - better filtering, some interface based  
- captcha etc, some person based - getting volunteers to do the work  
for me. These all have their trade-offs. Better software requires time  
to install/maintain/update. Interface changes require software changes  
or tweaks, again time. I could require registration fairly easily,  
which would allow blocking of bad-actors and promotion of good-actors,  
but this requires time and administration as well. Getting more  
volunteers can and does help, but they may not be reliable, they need  
to agree on standards of administration and they have to be trained.

But, the bottom line is, someone has to do the work that keeps a  
discussion group going. There is always room for improvement in how a  
group like this is run, but those changes require someone with the  
time, energy and means to do it. Personally, I think that Paddlewise  
is run well. I continue to subscribe to it because I like the  
discussions. It may not be perfect, but it is good enough for me.
Nick


On Apr 23, 2009, at 11:03 AM, Martin, Jack wrote:

> The subject of this post will be at least partially refuted if
> PaddleWisers are are allowed to read it; otherwise, this email may  
> wind
> up in e-Limbo somewhere ..... but it's leaving my computer at 1055  
> EDT.
>
> ....
>
> PaddleWise is an incredibly rich information environment, but the
> spontaneous nature of the list in earlier days is now missing -- and
> it's a serious detractor to the value of the collaborative functions  
> of
> the list in an international and multi-cultural environment -- where  
> the
> shared interest and the common denominator -- is sea kayaking.
>

Nick Schade

Guillemot Kayaks
54 South Rd
Groton, CT 06340
USA
Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/
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