Re: (OT) Mailing Lists reflect on Developers

From: Nic Sanctum (nic@THERSS.COM.HK)
Date: Tue Aug 01 2000 - 17:44:17 AEST


On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 08:35:05 -0400, Benjamin Cramer <truempyi@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

>However, I have also had my eyes opened in another way.  It seems
>that there is a large contingent of people who like NW the way it is,
>say that if NW isn't your app just dump it and get off this list, and
>don't want to get into any real discussion of what might be
>incorporated into NW to make it a competitor again.  The more I've
>paid attention to these posts, the more inclined I've become to
>unsubscribe now and quit thinking about Nisus as a viable corporation
>entirely.  I have to keep reminding myself that this list is not
>Nisus, and the folks at Nisus may have other plans - I'll wait until
>NW6 to decide.

I'd like to compliment you an a most sincere and enlightening post. I
disagree however, when you say that this list is not (representative
of) Nisus. Jerzy not only monitors this list he participates in it. No
attempt is made by anybody at Nisus to moderate or guide the content.
When posts (including my own) go way beyond off-topic no attempt is
made to steer the list back on course. When members become offensive
and rude with their remarks, nobody at Nisus intervenes.

The list currently has 505 recipients less than 10% contribute
regularly. I know for a fact that some of those that receive the list
do so simply because unsubscribing is tedious. Others do not post for
fear of being ridiculed. There are some who choose only to read those
posts from members who can be relied upon to be entertaining or comic.

To summarize, this list has lost it's direction. Some of you may
counter this by saying, "Well, we're all waiting for NW 6, after it's
released the list will get back on track." Sadly this is a weak excuse
and unlikely to happen. To support this, I'd merely remind everybody
of what happened here the last time Nisus released a new product
(Nisus Email). The damage that has occurred here is irreparable.
Members of the Adobe GoLive list have had to suffer an *interminable*
delay for an update. Immediately after the acquisition of Golive the
list had a strong Adobe corporate presence. The Golive list has *never*
resorted to the type of personal jibes and sarcasm that is pervasive
here. Any post that even hints it could spark a flame war is curtailed
not only by moderators but by other *list members*. A person that
persists in antagonizing others is summarily kicked off the list.

Again some of you may counter this and say, "Hey! We're adults, we
don't want or need policing on our list." This is not policing. It is
ensuring that a strong corporate identity is maintained throughout all
levels of the company and yes, this includes mailing lists.

This list is a microcosm of that which is Nisus. It exists as a
searchable archive and can be accessed by anyone. Theoretically every
single word that all of us have put virtual pen to paper and posted
here, can be read and re-read for eternity!

The release of NW 6 is apparently imminent. If I were responsible for
the success of this product and reaching a wider audience, I would
make it a priority that this list reflected the image I wanted to
convey to potential new users. I would want this list to make users
feel welcome and part of a community whose sole purpose is to help
each other in becoming adept in using my product.

If I could not accomplish this then I would redirect my efforts and do
everything possible to distance my product from the list or even
better... have it shut down completely.

--
N.

Nic Hamnett  |  nic@therss.com.hk



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Aug 05 2000 - 23:00:11 AEST