List-Improvement Suggestions LO1714

David E. Birren, MB/5, 608.267.2442 (BIRRED@dnr.state.wi.us)
Tue, 20 Jun 1995 10:48 CST

Replying to LO1698 --

Continuing where Carol Anne Ogdin left off in Re: List-Improvement Suggestions
LO1698

Carol said:

>One consequence of "critical mass" is the variety of topic "threads" that get
>initiated. What appeals to me is the way that one thread of conversation in
>this maillist seems to get woven into another, one idea along a thread seeming
>to inspire ideas in another. That "cross-pollination" is one of the hallmarks
>of a good and lively list from which participants report satisfaction.

I second that wholeheartedly. A few months ago I put out a call for help
on organizational integration issues, and I wound up putting together a
20+ page report (after extensive editing) that was very well received.
That couldn't have happened if we were segmented into more specialized
"interest groups". The discussion on this list is wonderfully robust and
I would be deeply disappointed to lose that.

Carol also commented:

>With as many contributors as we have, there's bound to be some
>less-than-perfect signal-to-noise ratio...

I agree with this, but I'd like to add that the signal-to-noise phenomenon
is actually a creativity mechanism. What appears to be irrelevant or a
nuisance on the surface may well trigger insights and new threads. Let's
keep it rich and robust and "messy".

--
David E. Birren						Phone: (608)267-2442
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources			Fax:   (608)267-3579
Bureau of Management & Budget		    Internet: birred@dnr.state.wi.us
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"To know, and not to act, is to not know."
--Wang Yang Ming, 9th-century Chinese general