[Babase] Re: A babase mailing list for Susan Alberts and Jeanne Altmann

Karl O. Pinc babase@www.eco.princeton.edu
Mon, 16 Feb 2004 10:00:41 -0600


On 2004.02.16 09:29 Jeanne Altmann wrote:
> Susan & Karl, having dealt with this a lot for the genetic resource, 
> I'd favor not making it public for the time being, i.e. until we 
> really intend it to be, unless you see it as a real impediment.  
> However, perhaps we'd never have any confusion or unwanted traffic on 
> it, unlike the genetic resource.   I guess that as long as you have a 
> stream of some sort of the subscription list, then we'll know if it's 
> going ok and can change it if need be, right?
> jeanne

Are you talking about making the archives public (which I just
spent a bunch of time writing about below) or allowing anybody
to subscribe?  Axel already has the list set up so that not just
anybody can write an email to the list, you have to subscribe first.
(I've never seen a spammer actually subscribe to a list, and if
there is one we can unsubscribe them.)  It's sort of a pain for
Axel (or you or somebody else) has to approve requests to
subscribe to the list, but if you like that can happen too.

There's going to be mistakes, all the way around.  Unwanted traffic,
and bad decisions, and 'things I wish I hadn't said', and lots more.
But no matter what, the emails won't ever really go away, somebody
can pull them out of their own copies of thier email and anybody 
anywhere
can subscribe to the list and pull the old emails out of the archive.
I find it's a lot better to owe up to your mistakes, apologize if
necessary, and not try to pretend it didn't happen.  Having a public
record facilities this and thereby faclities correcting mistakes,
not repeating them, and generally aids progress all the way
around.

On another note, anything that keeps off-topic information off
the list and out of the archives will help people who want only
to see what's relevant know that they can look at the list traffic
(the To: babase address of their incoming email) and see only relevant 
info.

If you're really concerned I believe there's a way for Axel to give you
permission to delete things from the archive, but while possible
this may not be practible.

You may have other reasons for wanting a private list, so go ahead
and make an executive decision if you don't feel like spending time
writing back and forth.

> 
> 
> 
> At 09:27 AM 2/16/2004 -0600, Karl O. Pinc wrote:
>> Please make the archives public.  Mostly, it's a pain to have
>> to put a password in to see the archives, which really reduces
>> their utility, but also because as long as there are archives
>> and anybody can subscribe without permission the archives really
>> are public anyhow and we should consider anything we write
>> to the list as public.  This is especally true because we've
>> fantasys about the babase programs being of some utility to
>> the larger scientific community and would hope to have people
>> outside our small group someday be involved, and these folk would
>> have access to the archives.
>> 
>> On 2004.02.16 08:44 Axel Haenssen wrote:
>>> Sure. List is set up and ready to go.
>>> - Go to www.eco.princeton.edu
>>> - Click on the list server link
>>> - Click on the Babase link
>>> Subscribe to the list.
>>> You will be send an email with a welcome note to the list, please
>>> follow
>>> the instructions in the email to confirm you subscription.
>>> Everybody can join the list, but only members can post to it. So if
>>> you
>>> have a collaborator/student/postdoc/etc. who wants to send messages 
>>> to
>>> the list they have to subscribe to the list first.
>>> Mail to the list should be send to babase@bwf-master.princeton.edu
>>> Questions? Ask me.
>>> cheers
>>> Axel
>>> > >>>> Our requirements are:
>>> > >>>>  - That there be a searchable archive available from the web.
>>> check
>>> > >>>>  - That there be a web page for subscribing, unsubscribing 
>>> and
>>> > >>>> otherwise managing the list.
>>> check
>>> > >>>>  - That the list support Reply-To: <listname> header 
>>> addition.
>>> check
>>> > >>>>  - That the archive be exportable in mbox, maildir or other
>>> > >>>> standard mail format should we someday need to move the list
>>> > >>>> to another server.
>>> check
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Axel Haenssen, RHCE
>>> Department of Ecology and
>>> Evolutionary Biology
>>> Princeton University
>>> Princeton, NJ 08540
>>> USA
>>> phone: +1-609-258-6999
>>> email: axel@princeton.edu
>>> 
>> 
>> Karl <kop@meme.com>
>> Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
>>                  -- Robert A. Heinlein
> 

Karl <kop@meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
                  -- Robert A. Heinlein