source= http://www.piclist.com/postbot.asp?id=piclist\2003\07\29\133721a

All admins have to read the list server manual, and help out as necessary,
but here is more or less what the different admin jobs are:

1) Police: You read all the list messages, notice when someone is cursing,
yelling, spitting, flaming or baiting, then you look back at their past
contributions and decide if they are worth any effort on your part. If not,
you delete them. If so, you try to nicely explain why that isn't ok and/or
how they can better do what they were trying to do. Then you ignore the next
several flames from them (on or off list) and if they can't calm down and
fly right, you delete them. Basically, you delete them allot or try to make
them think it was their idea to stop acting like a jerk. This is a people
person job. I did ok at it once in a while when I tried REALLY hard, but
Dale was REALLY good at it. Dale burned off his karma.

2) Newbies handler: Yes you really do have to supply a name with your email
address when you subscribe, no, this is not a news group, this is a topic
tag, this is why we use it, it isn't your job to yell at Russell about
posting rocket links, he did tag it correctly and you have to option of
turning off that channel, no, that isn't a better idea, yes, that entire
site is the FAQ, read it first before you start posting questions, I'm sorry
Olin yelled at you, but he really is correct you know, no, your membership
ID at PICList.com does not allow you to post to the list, only to read the
archives, sending that message to the list address will not remove you from
the mailing list, no, we are not spamming you, despite the fact that you
know beyond a shadow of a doubt that C is the work of the dark minion,
saying that #define sucks really is baiting a flame war, oh for Pete sake,
how can you not know what a flame war is? READ THE *(*#@&$%#$% FAQ! And on
and on day after day... This is a good job for a saint. I suck at it. Herb
is pretty good as is Josh, but it gets to be really (really) old.

3) Error messages: You get messages from the server saying "I got an error
when I tried to deliver this message to alskdf isan hussan in lower slabovia
and you try to figure out if the error is a real, permanent issue or just a
server being restarted. Delete the permanent ones, and set to digest or
nomail (vacation) the temps. Then when the temps are still making error
messages (times 150 posts per day) you delete them. Then when they somehow
DO get the message that you deleted them, you look up the error messages
again and reply to the "How could you do this to me?" email with those. Once
in a while you get 22342223 copies of each post back from one email server
(tx.rr.com) or you get a complaint from an ISP that you are spamming his
users but he won't give you the email address of the user, etc.. and you
have to be a detective and you have to react quickly. This is a good job for
people who are interested in QA systems and learning what really goes on the
internet. Josh does a fine job on this one, but he can't always be available
and it would really be good to have someone with a flexible schedule to be
available when in drops in the pot.

4) List host: This has always been MIT. Jory started this list back in 1993
and soon managed to get an account on the MIT listserver.
http://www.piclist.com/postbot.asp?id=piclist\1994\05\09\122329a

 I don't know the details, but basically someone at MIT has to say: "I will
be responsible for this bunch of nuts making use of our server" and then we
get to post away. MIT is, if not perfect, at least reliable, in the sense
that they just about never go down, have the bandwidth to make our list look
like a drop in the ocean and will not soon be going away or deciding that
they don't want to host any lists anymore starting tomorrow.

We have it good. I don't see any reason to drop that as long as Jory is
willing to keep finding the magic people at MIT. Hint: People should say
"thank you" and "I have really appreciated what you started" and so on to
Jory.

Any corporate sponsor COULD end up applying pressure to influence the
content or management of the list.

Any small sponsor (personal or corporate) could get hit by a bus tomorrow
(~60,000 people die on the roads in the USA EVERY YEAR. Fewer Americans died
in the entire Viet Nam war.) or have his wife suddenly decide that he has to
go back to college because he isn't advancing fast enough. Dammit.

Also, we have a pretty well tuned list here. With a few (very vocal)
exceptions, most everybody is pretty happy with the topic tagging system. We
have been able to keep wizards like Scott, Demitry, Olin, Andy, Rob, Wouter,
Wagner, and many others, who would otherwise be too busy, on the list via
the filtering of the topic tags while at the same time making it easy enough
for people to change the tag when the thread drifts off topic or to use a
filtered tag when they have something to post that isn't 100% on topic.

That has made this list really grand: The efficiency of on topic only
filtering along with the ability to drift off into other fascinating
subjects of general interest for those who have the time. Notice that the
really busy dudes are probably not even aware of this discussion.

The point is that "if it ain't broke..."

But we do need to make this move to mailman (which does have topic
"channels" from what I understand) and we need to keep up on our error
management and list guidance in any case.


---
James Newton: PICList.com webmaster, former Admin #3
mailto:jamesnewton@piclist.com  1-619-652-0593 phone
http://www.piclist.com/member/JMN-EFP-786
PIC/PICList FAQ: http://www.piclist.com

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