stodol@diku.dk (David Stodolsky) (02/08/90)
This is a Call for Discussion of a possible change in the Guidelines for
creating newsgroups (How to Create a New Newsgroup). The single transferrable
vote (STV) procedure has already been used on several occasions where the
current Guidelines proved inadequate. This change would conform the Guidelines
to current practice and is supported by a recent voting methods poll. Procedures
for scoring such votes have been developed and posted. Also, many preliminary
votes have been run recently to avoid putting forward a name that will meet
resistance in a Guideline's vote. This is not satisfactory, since only a small
number of people participate in these votes, and the choices may therefore be
unrepresentative. Preliminary votes were not supported in the voting methods
poll.
The name, "Interest Group Surveys," has been chosen to avoid the adversarial
tone that is associated with votes, and to reflect more accurately the function
of these activities.
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Interest Group Surveys, called votes under the Guidelines, allow people to more
effectively use Net resources. They have two functions. The first is to
determine if enough people are interested in a topic. The second is to find a
good name for a newsgroup. Large mailing lists load host machines and the Net,
they also create bounced mail which absorb the time of skilled personnel.
The assumptions:
A newsgroup with 100 persons is less costly to maintain than a mailing list.
This determines support needed to create a newsgroup.
Persons not planning to participate in a group are permitted to express their
preference among names without influencing group creation.
================= STV in less than 25 lines ======================
Following the discussion period, all names that have been posted (seconded names
appearing first) will be included in an Interest Group Survey
announcement. Each name will be represented by a single character, with "a"
representing "abstain".
Respondents follow these rules:
1. While unmoved characters remain:
Select your preferred name and move its character to the subject line
(place each one after [to the right of] the ones already moved).
2. Place an "a" after the character representing the last name you find
acceptable. If you do not support creation of a newsgroup with any of the names,
put the "a" before the options.
Votes are scored by repeatedly removing the options that have the least support
from the front of responses, until the majority option is removed. Then subtract
the "a"s removed from the total responses to find the support for creation of
the newsgroup (for a worked example, see "Single transferrable vote counting").
If this is 100 or more, the group shall be created.
Number of responses received, number supporting creation, number supporting the
most preferred name, and the how each person voted, shall be posted.
============ end STV in less than 25 lines ==========================
The stopping rule used above is intended to work even if "abstain" is the
majority option.
The above procedure can be elaborated to include a "no group" choice as well as
an "abstain" choice. This would permit votes that either support, express no
support for, or oppose creation of the new group. Thus, proposals could be
defeated no matter how many people voted for them. This violates the first
assumption above, and it might then be useful to violate the second. That is,
votes against the creation of a new group can not express a preference among
names.
I doubt if discussion will resolve these possibilities. So a vote on a change to
the Guidelines would most likely include:
1. "STV in less than 25 lines", as above.
2. "STV in less than 25 lines", including a "no group" choice (support must be
greater than opposition to create the group [i.e., majority rule]).
3. "STV in less than 25 lines", including a "no group" choice (support must be
greater than opposition to create the group), and expressing preference among
names not permitted by those opposed to creation of the group.
4. Current rules.
-----------
Suggestions for changes to "'STV in less than 25 lines', as above", and other
options for the vote, would best be mailed to me as well as posted. I will
include them in an update to the proposal, which will appear no sooner than a
week after this posting.
These changes assume some modification to the Guidelines sections about
discussion and so on.
--
David S. Stodolsky, PhD Internet: david@harald.ruc.dk
Department of Psychology : stodol@diku.dk
Copenhagen Univ., Njalsg. 88 Voice: + 45 31 58 48 86
DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark Fax: + 45 31 54 32 11