Message-ID: <3314580B.1E43@mind.net> Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 15:34:35 +0000 From: "B. Diamond" <mailto:bdiamond@mind.net> Subject: Lifecycle of a Listserv? To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Does this sound familiar? Which stage do most think devel-l is at?
> LISTSERVER LIFE CYCLE STAGES
>
> 1) Initial enthusiasm--people introduce themselves, and gush a lot about
> how wonderful it is to find kindred souls.
>
> 2) Evangelism--people moan about how few folks are posting to the list
> and brainstorm recruitment strategies.
>
> 3) Growth--more and more people join, more and more lengthy threads
> develop, occasional off-topic threads pop up.
>
> 4) Community--lots of threads, some more relevant than others; lots of
> information and advice is exchanged; experts help other experts as well
> as less experienced colleagues; friendships develop; people tease each
> other; newcomers are welcomed with generosity and patience; everyone--
> newbie and expert alike--feels comfortable asking questions, suggesting
> answers, and sharing opinions.
>
> 5) Discomfort with diversity--the number of messages increases
> dramatically; not every thread is fascinating to every reader; people
> start complaining about the signal-to-noise ratio; Person 1 threatens
> to quit if *other* people don't limit discussion to Person 1's topic;
> Person 2 agrees with Person 1; Person 3 tells Persons 1 and 2 to lighten
> up; more bandwidth is wasted complaining about off-topic threads than is
> used for the threads themselves; everyone gets annoyed.
>
> 6a) Smug complacency and stagnation--the purists flame everyone who
> asks an 'old' question or responds with humor to a serious post; newbies
> are rebuffed; traffic drops to a doze-producing level of a few minor
> issues; all interesting discussions happen by private e-mail and are
> limited to a few participants; the purists spend lots of time
> self-righteously congratulating each other on keeping off-topic threads
> off the list.
>
> OR
>
> 6b) Maturity--a few people quit in a huff; the rest of the participants
> stay near Stage 4, with Stage 5 popping up briefly every few weeks; many
> people wear out their second or third 'Delete' key, but the list lives
> contentedly ever after.
BD