[darcs-users] Re: darcs-users moderation: opinions (and a moderator) sought

[Benjamin Franksen]

Marnix Klooster wrote:
> On 30-11-06 16:26, Jon Dowland wrote:
>> On a related note, do any subscribers have strong feelings
>> on the way the list is moderated? What do you think of the
>> suggestion to close posting to all non-subscribers, and do
>> away with moderation completely?
> 
> I for one had already forgotten this list is moderated, being a
> subscriber and not a spammer.  So I guess you're doing a good job, from
> my point of view.  :-)  Thanks for the effort!

AOL!

> No strong feelings here yet, but...  Do you have any statistics for us
> about how many (non-spam) mail the list gets from non-subscribers vs.
> subscribers?  Either as absolutes or as percentages?  I mean, if just 1
> in 100 mails comes from a non-subscriber, then I don't see a problem in
> only allowing subscribers to post...

It /might/ be a mistake if attracting new users is a goal, even if it's used
by just one percent of the non-spam posters. For instance, using gmane (a
mail to news gateway) one can easily browse and also post to mailing lists
such as this one, avoiding the initial overhead needed for a mailing list
subscription. This lowers the entry barrier for new users who just want to
ask a few quick questions. (NB using gmane myself, I can't really remember
whether I did subscribe here or not... :-)

Ben