I noticed only belatedly that this message was cross-posted to two lists.
I was initially confused by Dave C. posting to say that thus-and-such was
off-topic, especially because I didn't quite agree with his definition of
the topic. But that was before I noticed the cc: and figured it out.
There are some cases where cross-posting is useful, but I think it has the
potential to cause confusion and strife as well. The most likely result is
disjointed, confusing conversations. It's also possible for people to post
something way off-topic for one list or the other, even if the original
cross-post they are replying to is suitable for both. Also, not all
replies will be seen by all participants, since you have to be a member of
both to post to both.
I think it would be best if we limit cross-posting to certain conditions,
such as:
- Cross-posted message is suitable for both lists
- Make it clear that the message is being cross-posted at the top of the
body
- Decide where any followups should go - one list or the other, not both -
and say so for the benefit of people replying
- Cross-posting is better for announcements, not so great for ongoing
discussion
- Most of the time you can achieve the same result with less confusion and
misdirected/inappropriate replies by just posting twice -- once to one list
and again separately to the next.
Comments? I'm not quite sure why/when people will want to cross-post so if
I'm missing something let me know. OK to reply on this list or to me
privately, either way is fine.
gregc
--
Greg Connor <gconnor(_at_)nekodojo(_dot_)org>