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* http://www.anthropologymatters.com *
* A postgraduate project comprising online journal, *
* online discussions, teaching and research resources *
* and international contacts directory. *
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Dear all,
I suppose I am the nearest thing that we have to a list moderator -
insomuch as I sign people on and off the list, and take responsiblity
for a lot of the posting. Historically, the list has not been used for
these kinds of queries - and in fact there was a 'discussion board'
where that kind of thing could take place. Nobody ever used the
discussion board, and we may have taken it off the site (I have just
checked, and unfortunately the site seems to be down right now).
Can I suggest that anyone who wishes to express their opinion on this -
email me personally, and then I can collate the discussion into one
email and circulate it for those interested - rather than fill up our
inboxes. If we can get a feel for the way that AM users want to use the
list (there are over 500 of you), then we can come to a decision at the
next steering group meeting.
Incidentally - traffic on the list has gone up recently - so can I
remind you all that there is a 'digest' version of the list - where you
receive groups of mails packaged together at regular intervals (I think
the length of the interval depends on how many mails there have been,
but I'm not sure) - this can clear up inboxes considerably. These are
the instructions, should any of you wish to do this:
This list is available in digest form. If you wish to receive the
digested version of the postings, just issue a SET ANTHROPOLOGY-MATTERS
DIGEST command.
Cheers
Beckie
David Leitner wrote:
> ******************************************************
> * http://www.anthropologymatters.com *
> * A postgraduate project comprising online journal, *
> * online discussions, teaching and research resources *
> * and international contacts directory. *
> ******************************************************
>
> I think Tobias has really gotten to to core of the problem here.
> Indeed, I am not opposed to using this as a proper forum for exploring
> and asking each other for insights on new (to us) issues. If memory
> serves, posts asking for help with a topic that included background
> have appeared on this list in the past, and I found them very
> interesting.
>
> Giving background on why one is asking a particular question is
> valuable for two reasons:
>
> 1) It helps people give you suggestions that are more focused and
> hopefully more valuable because they know where you're coming from.
>
> 2) It gives the rest of the list some interesting insight into
> research they might not be aware of but might also find valuable.
>
> Both of these stress the notion of exchange which several of the
> emails in this latest thread have stressed as something they want from
> this listserv.
>
> To further this end, perhaps we could agree amongst ourselves on some
> form of the following etiquette.
>
> First, when people have queries for information, they should briefly
> descirbe what the information is for and how it might be used. Since
> we all (hopefully) extend this courtesy to our informants in some
> form, we might also think about extending it to ourselves.
>
> Second, it seems only polite that people share what they learn from
> such queries. You might not be the only one interested in finding out
> x. Sharing what you learn is a nice form of reciprocity
>
> Instead of setting these in stone as rigid law, we could perhaps all
> take it upon ourselves, in the spirit of 'community' or
> 'professionalism', to politely remind those who negelect this
> etiquette (out of ignorance or otherwise).
>
> Perhaps I should have taken my own advice before starting this thread.
> I think this is the approach I'll take from now on.
>
>
> ---
>
> That said, although it's not an overwhelming problem now, I wonder if
> the possibility of two lists wouldn't be relevant if the discussion
> portion begins to grow. Having a moderated announcements list and a
> very loosely moderated (for flames and spam) discussion list might
> prove useful. I say this because the comments that have been made
> point to two different aspects of the list which different people find
> valuable.
>
> 1)announcements/CFPs/conferences/jobs
>
> 2)discussion/communitas/support
>
> Separating the two will benefit those who find their inboxes a little
> too full to regularly check on discussions, and would likely have a
> minimum effect on the discussions themselves. I, for instance, agree
> with Denise that the discussion portion is extremely valuable, and I
> would still subscribe to it were it a separate list. However, I have
> to say that up until now, the great value of AM for me has been the
> consistent relevance of the announcements, CFPs, and jobs listings. As
> a member of the AAA, the SMA, the NAPA and the ASA I am on a number of
> lists that attempt this, but AM is the only one I find myself
> regularly making the time to read (instead of filing in the trash
> because I don't have time to wade through it). Even if there isn't
> something relevant to me every day, there's usually something relevant
> to people I know and I pass it on.
>
> This is a great basis for 'community', but if the discussions started
> to outnumber the announcements, I likely wouldn't have time to scan
> every email that came through. In the future, should that day come,
> separating the lists would allow for both to flourish and be a benefit
> to people who value either aspect of the current list.
>
> Perhaps this needs further discussion in the future.
>
> Sorry to have started such a torrent of email, but I hope it proves
> beneficial for all of us in the end.
>
> -David Leitner
>
> On Mar 18 2006, Tobias Sperlich wrote:
>
>> ******************************************************
>> * http://www.anthropologymatters.com *
>> * A postgraduate project comprising online journal, *
>> * online discussions, teaching and research resources *
>> * and international contacts directory. *
>> ******************************************************
>>
>> Hey Everybody,
>>
>> I agree with you all that peer support is necessary
>> and benefitial, and I think this forum is a great
>> supportive network to raise questions and ask for
>> support of various type. However, I feel that David's
>> point is valid and I think Christy has made a good
>> suggestion.
>>
>> It is the nature of the beast of mailing lists that
>> they (at times) will clog up everyone's inbox and I
>> think it might be benefitial if we agreed on ways to
>> minimise the chance of this happening.
>>
>> If this is indeed a professional list, we should show
>> professionalism in our research, and be open for
>> sharing what we do. That is, it should be common
>> practise to say why we are after the information we
>> are looking for and what we have already found. (Just
>> as Christy has suggested.)
>>
>> Unfortunately, some of the e-mails that have surfaced
>> recently have not really given the impression that the
>> individual requesting further information is indeed
>> looking for *further* information but general
>> information that a quick search on JSTOR,
>> Anthrorsource or any university library could bring
>> up.
>>
>> This is not to say that these individuals have not
>> done their homework, but to me, as a recipient of
>> these e-mails it looks that way. I have no way of
>> knowing if the information I might contribute to this
>> question will be of help (because the individual
>> asking might be several steps ahead of me already in
>> her or his research) or if this issue might even be of
>> interest to me. Giving a bit of context would clarify
>> all these issues (and *might* keep some people from
>> posting questions that can be answered with a little
>> library or net research, thereby preventing "abuse" of
>> this mailing list).
>>
>> Toby
>>
>>
>> -----------------------
>>
>> Tobias Sperlich
>> Department of Anthropology
>> University of Regina
>> Regina
>> S4S 0A2
>> Canada
>>
>>
>>
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