Re: Policy for posts from non-members

[Kevin Cole]

On Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 6:21 PM Andrew Bernard
<andrew.bernard@mailbox.org> wrote:

> Dear me, mailing lists have been around for half as century or more. If
> people do not understand that it is normal to subscribe to a list to
> participate there's something wrong.

This was my reaction as well. I think I'm finally "old", as I
increasingly feel that society as a whole is encouraging and abetting
mass abandonment of critical thinking skills and common sense, and the
shortening of attention spans.

> Just reject the posts. That's very standard, and that is why the list
> software supports that option.

Again, hear, hear. Admining a mailing list is a thankless job. Take
advantage of the tools that make it less painful.

Some might complain that subscribing floods their inbox with posts
that are irrelevant. So, in other words, the admin and those who
subscribe are there to serve the whims of the non-subscribers and not
cause them any personal discomfort. Sorry, that's not the way
communities work. And most mailing list services offer a way to stem
the tide and mitigate the flood. If people cannot be bothered to read
the instructions telling them they need to subscribe, then clearly the
list isn't worth their precious time, and they can happily go on to
other "more important" things in their lives. A moderator /
administrator shouldn't need to be a babysitter or nanny.

Eventually, people who post without subscribing, and get no response
should be able to figure out on their own that, perhaps, just maybe,
following the instructions might just improve the response rate,

(On the other hand, I have a high tolerance for people who miss
something that the masses consider "obvious" in complex systems. So,
I've never been a fan of the ruder RTFM type responses. It does mean
that a lot of questions get asked over and over again, and the
temptation is great to say "Use a search engine, for god's sake!" But
saying that in a polite way is okay.)

But I rant. ;-)