Re: Pre-TNE mail-list

Thanks, Mark, for taking the pre-TNE position and expressing it more
eloquently than I have.

The level of contribution today is similar to what the old TML enjoyed,
but the contributor's names and the topics are quite different. The old
TMLers are now no longer listening, and pre-TNE era support, which these
people would love to do, founders due to lack of a forum in which to
discuss it.

The sheer volume of the postings is what turn off several many listeners
- -- even casual listeners frequently drop the TML because they cannot
drink from the fire hose.

The subject line (and enforcement) idea has given me an idea. Currently
TMLers can select three frequencies: nightly, twice-weekly, and archive
bundle. Maybe a better approach is for TML to join the information age
and allow subscribers to select digests automatically cutomized to their
interests, filtering the traffic for them, based on article subject
lines. These digests would allow each subscriber to adjust the traffic
level as well as topical interest.

Users could subscribe to any or all of the following subject interest
areas (notice that existing topical interest lists like CAT could easily
be grafted on as topical subject areas of TML):

	CAT		- Computer-Aided Traveller
	Classic		- Black Book/Traveller Book Ruleset
	MT		- MegaTraveller Ruleset
	TNE		- TNE Ruleset
	Imperium	- Third Imperium Era
	Rebellion	- Rebellion Era
	Regency?	- Regency Era
	Admin		- List Administrivia
	Announce	- New product, list, pbem announcements, etc.
	Miscellaneous	- Stuff that doesn't fit the above

What it would take from me is a serious dedication of time to develop
the filterers and list management. I'd also need to add a robo-admin to
allow people to automatically maintain their list of topical items, and
develop instructions clear enough that even net-newbies can deal with
them.

Sounds like a lot of work, more than I may be willing to chew off.
Still, it's interesting. I'll let you know if there's any chance this is
doable.

In the mean time, it would probably be wise for me to set up the simple,
pre-TNE mailing list to stop the exodus today before the Third Imperium
dies in the hearts of its fans.

James

__   __/         /   /	    Internet Traveller Mailing List, Administrator
    /     /  /  /   /	   James T. Perkins in Eugene, Oregon, USA
 __/   __/__/__/ _____/   [email removed]