[LMB] List Biz: about QOTD

[alayne at twobikes.ottawa.on.ca]

On Sun, 2 Mar 2008, Tora K. Smulders-Srinivasan wrote:
> It has been exactly 2 weeks since I started this experiment of
> questions of the day (QOTDs) on an every other day basis.
> 
> I will tentatively call it a success so far as I can tell.

Definitely -- lots of on-topic, interesting discussion = success in my 
book.
 
> I'll list my thoughts below, but I'd like now to ask all of you (yes,
> every one of you reading this!) to let me know what you think of this
> exercise.
> 
> Is it something you'd like to see continue?  Something you'd like to
> see end?  Something you'd like to see more often (every day?) or less
> often (three times a week MWF or twice a week TTh)?

Yes. No more than three times a week, and preferably twice a week. I don't 
have time to respond otherwise.

> Questions submitted and chosen in a different way?  Somebody else to
> organize it?

You seem to be organizing it just fine. Thanks! I don't see any reason to 
change so far.

> My summation:
> PROS:
> 1- new and interesting questions
> 2- quite well-thought out and insightful answers
> 3- some discussion of questions
> 4- some spin-off on topic discussion
> 5- much more overall on topic discussion on list
> 6- some more participation and/or interest from long-time lurkers, etc.

Exactly.
 
> CONS:
> 1- increased list traffic?  hard to keep up with?
> 2- not so many other threads -- the QOTDs and spin-off questions
> dominate and there is less other on topic chat and possibly less off
> topic as well

I don't see these as problems. If I don't keep up, I don't worry. But I 
agree there should be some other discussion -- particularly when new 
books come out.

I think it might be more sustainable if it were only twice a week -- 
people wouldn't get burned out thinking of questions even after the first 
fine flush.

-- 
Alayne McGregor
alayne at twobikes.ottawa.on.ca

"In dark paradise the other people grope on an arduous road. And the only brightness that sometimes lights
their nightly march like an ephemeral spark is a brief impression of a chance magnetic neighborliness --
a brief nostalgia, a momentary shudder, a dream of an hour of sunrise." -- C.V. Cavafy