[PW] A New Method for Dealing With Dead Threads

[John Franklin]

Please pardon this interruption. This is an announcement about a  
change to the configuration of the Project Wombat lists.

Since Project Wombat, unlike Stumpers, comes in a completely  
unmoderated version, I and the rest of the advisory board have had  
some difficulty in deciding how precisely, to maintain the  
traditional semi-moderated list alongside the unmoderated one. (The  
fully-moderated version is very simple in concept, and has not been a  
serious problem.) The question is probably best phrased as: how can  
we administer the "Classic" list in such a way that we maintain the  
set guidelines without stifling (or at least chilling) discussion on  
the Open list?

The main tool, to date, has been one-way automatic approval from the  
moderated list to the unmoderated one: all posts from subscribers to  
the Classic list are automatically accepted on the Open list, but  
posts from subscribers to the Open list are held for approval on the  
Classic list. This is a successful mechanism, but it fails to address  
dead threads.

The announcement of a dead thread is not a problem on the Classic  
list, since dead threads are a part of the way the Classic list runs.  
And they offer no problems to the FM list, where dead threads are  
simply irrelevant. But since a dead thread has to be announced, there  
is a lingering suspicion that the announcement kills off further  
discussion on the Open list as well, which is contrary to the ideal  
of that list. (Until now, a post from an Open list subscriber which  
continued a dead thread would generate a warning about the guidelines  
on the Classic list, which was confusing.)

We are, therefore, attempting a change in how dead threads are  
managed, in an attempt to free up the Open list. When a thread is  
declared dead, it will henceforth be handled as follows:

--> A message will be sent to the Open list requesting that all  
further discussion on that topic retain the existing subject line (a  
very mild request) because the thread is now dead.
--> A message will be sent to the Classic list giving notification  
that the thread is now dead.
--> A filter will be put in place on the Classic list to hold all  
messages with that subject line for moderator approval.

Please note that:
1. The filtering will not alter the Open list -- all posts will  
continue to be approved automatically
2. The filter merely reserves the message for moderator choice,  
rather than discarding or altering messages.

The board realizes that the concept of an automatic filter is  
philosophically obnoxious to the pure at heart. We feel, however,  
that the small delays incurred by this method are worthwhile because  
of the potential benefit to the Open list.

If anyone has any comments or questions, please direct them to me off- 
list, and I will share them with the board.

Thank you for your time.

-John Franklin
Project Wombat Advisory Board Chair