[sumo] Please update- Time for a SML moderator???

[Jezz]

To:  Sumo Mailing List
Bcc:  Kintamayama (Moti) and Jonosuke (Joe Kuroda)

2008/9/5 Scott M. Kahn <smk1 at columbia.edu>:
> The early results from the sumo forum poll are pretty much anti
> mailing list,

and anti-moderation...  less than 15% of voters (at this moment in
time) indicate that lack of moderation had anything to do with why
they left the list.

> but that is not surprising since it would mostly
> attract discouraged former mailing list subscribers.

Looking at those leaving comments, we can be certain that many
prominent former members of the SML voted.  Therefore we should take
the poll seriously, and not dismiss it out of hand.

> Considering
> their dismay with the tone of the mailing list, I doubt that any
> sumo "insider" would vote they would return.  If there was change
> in the mailing list, then after some reflection, they may.

Agreed.  But what made them leave in the first place?

Here are what two of the posters who are greatly missed from this ML
have to say in the thread going with the poll (see
<http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=16018>):

Kintamayama:
I spent the best years of my sumo life on the SML. I owe the list and
some of its members big time. The problem is that all those members
are here at present so there is no point being in two places at one
time. I also had some personal problems with some members of the list.
As you know,I have no problems with personal problems with people, but
then I was accused of being everything, which even for a "geek" like
me, was too much.
I have mostly great memories form the SML. I would have voted "Change
most of the current members", but that was not an option, so I voted
like the majority so far- that I'm not going back, moderation or not.
If I were still there, I'd vehemently be against any sort of moderation.

Jonosuke:
I still have lurker friends on SML. I also miss Katrina here but not
at all of anything else there.
All the people I respect and like have moved here and I simply find no
reason to go back. I left the list after seeing Kinta and Doitsu san
leaving the list permanently (the two essential individuals I felt the
list could not do without).
Frankly I have no idea why someone could not join here but I
understand most people there read the forum anyway if not contribute
already.
In my view the biggest problem of the list is they cannot skip the
noises from certain members whom I find why they even follow Ozumo as
they appear to see nothing good about sumo and make it like an
Asashoryu fan club.
I guess any list is organic so with new members coming and old members
going, it may alter its character and offer a reason to go back.



I would suggest that the problem with the list has nothing to do with
'moderation' of 'lack' thereof.  Perhaps going back to the mailing
list archives around the time of the last posts from Moti, Jonosuke,
Josh Reyer, Doitsuyama, Nishinoshima etc would find the real reason
why these great posters left.  There must have been a 'final straw'
for each.

I certainly can't recall any of them mentioning at the time of leaving
that they could not stand posting to a list any longer (that some had
been contributing to for a decade unmoderated.) that was not being
moderated.

> A truer reading would be to have a poll here on the mailing list,
> that would allow current subscribers, whether in lurker mode or
> active posters to chime in:

A truer reading of what?

Why people have left this mailing list?  How to get those people back?
 How to increase the level of sumo discussion vs ill elephant stuff
(and I apologise that this is yet another email from me this week with
zero new sumo stuff in it)?  Or whether people like a mailing list to
be moderated?

I suspect only the latter.  Therefore no matter what the reponse is,
or how many polls you do until you get the 'right response' it will
not solve the problem with this mailing list.

Cheers,

Jezz (aka Jejima)