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

[Clay Holden]

On 9/5/08 6:13 PM, "Robert Brown" <brownro214 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> More committed to the medium???  How about not enough time to sort through all
> the "stuff" on the Forum.

I would suggest that if you really love the sport, make the time, and learn
to deal with changes in the way it is reported on the internet. I love the
Sumo List, but if I care about really keeping abreast of what's going on
(and I do), I check multiple sources. My wife and I also subscribe to TV
Japan, and watch it constantly, not just during the bashos.

> I have to check my email every day anyway.  Posts
> to the list to come to me.  A mailing list is much more convenient for the
> casual observer or "lurker."  If the list goes away, many of us will drift
> away from Sumo. 

Sorry to say so, as I don't wish to be rude, but this strikes me as absolute
nonsense. It's like saying that if football isn't covered in a convenient
manner for you on radio (as opposed to television), you and many others will
simply cease to follow the sport. To my mind, you either love sumo or you
don't. 

If you really love sumo, you will seek out the best sources of information,
if you don't care enough to make time to 'sort through all the "stuff" on
the Forum', then you are the one who shows a lack of dedication/interest,
not the people who are making it a lively source of information and opinion.

> I may go to the Forum once or twice a month, but I will never
> get as much from it as I have gotten from the Mailing List in the past.

Again, the world has changed, I used to be heavily involved with usenet
groups as well, but rarely even look at those discussion groups anymore, as
most of the people who I am interested in conversing with have moved on to
other venues. There are also still at least a couple of usenet groups
dedicated to sumo, which at one time were very lively forums for discussion
of the sport. They are basically fallow ground these days.

I have no intention of leaving the Sumo List, as I also really like being
abloe to simply download my email - at work or at home - and receive notices
of interesting sumo news.

I also receive close to 1,000 emails per day, and even though I have very
good filters set up to sort my messages to the appropriate lists, and purge
stuff from people who I am not interested in hearing from, there is still a
large signal-to-noise ratio in the messages that get through.

There are only so many hours in the day, and particularly at work, it is
often difficult to follow email discussions without violating the terms
under which I maintain my employment.

When I log onto the Sumo Forum, usually only during lunch if at work, I find
it easy to investigate the general subject headers that interest me, and
have at least a brief look at the threads that show promise of providing me
with some useful news.

Anyway, I'll leave off, as I'm well aware that I get pretty windy sometimes,
and I'm definitely not looking for a fight with anyone.

Suffice to say in closing that I enjoy both the Sumo List and the Sumo
Forum, and don't intend to close my mind or my access to any interesting
access point for information on the one sport that I truly love.

I would also add that, whatever problems the Sumo List has had with flame
wars and general lack of netiquette, I would *never* support any sort of
moderation here. As with most politicians, those who would be willing to
take on the responsibility are unfit to hold the office.

Kind regards,

Clay