chuq@sun.uucp (Chuq Von Rospach) (03/16/86)
This message is a request for feedback on a proposed new mod group to be
called "mod.mag.OtherRealms".
As history, in January I announced the formation of a electronic
fanzine called OtherRealms to be published monthly as an experimental
alternative to the growing noise problem on sf-lovers. Two issues have
now been published and I now feel that it is going to be a viable
publication as long as I'm willing to publish it. Because of unexpected
growth I find that publishing the thing is putting strain on various
parts of the network -- the first issue was about 40K and went to about
225 people at about 175 different maildrops. The second issue was about
55K and went to an estimated 450 people at 270 maildrops. I've since
added about 20 new names, but I've also spent some time shifting the
load around and adding redistribution centers.
Because of the continued growth of the subscription list, I now feel it is
better convert the magazine to a mod group on the net. I'm asking for
feedback from the net because it won't be a standard mod group. OtherRealms
is an edited and published fanzine, and will continue to be so after it is
converted to a mod group. This means there are much higher requirements made
of the authors and a lot more work put into the final product than a normal
mod group or a digest.
The advantages I see for the net are:
o better averaging of resources -- my mailing list puts a LOT of
strain on certain mailers despite my continued attempts at load
balancing. The last issue shipped out at about 12 megabytes over
a period of an hour, spread out over as many of the major backbones
as I could reasonably use. Even publishing on Friday evening (to give
sites the major part of the weekend for transhipment at reduced rates)
only helps to some degree, and sites that aren't prepared for the
onslaught can go flakey.
o better accessibility and reliability for the readers -- becuase
some sites just eat OtherRealms, delivery has been unreliable in
places. By converting to a mod group, OtherRealms can get to its
readers more reliably. It can also get to a wider audience, and from
what I have seen in my mail, I think it deserves that chance.
o breaking ground for a new mod group format -- The name
mod.mag.OtherRealms was chosen by Mark Horton specifically because we
think that this form has the possibility of being adopted by others. By
taking moderation one step further to full editing, we're giving people
a chance to polish words instead of just type them, and giving people
something worth reading. I've offered to work with others that are
interested in starting 'zines (it can be on anything, not just
SF/Fantasy) because I feel this is a possible way out of the current
volume/noise problems on the net.
The advantages I see for OtherRealms:
o I can spend less time doing mailing list administrivia and more time
doing work on OtherRealms, which it could use.
o It can reach a wider audience.
o It can do so without upsetting the mailers at various sites.
Possible disadvantages for the net:
o OtherRealms is not in standard mod group or digest format.
o I would guess there are goin to be philosophical arguments about
putting it on the net due to the stringent editorial requirements I'm
using for publishing material (this is the primary reason I'm asking the
net for feedback). I don't see any problem with this, but I'm sure
someone will, and I'd like to hear all the pro and con arguements before
we commit to this.
If and when OtherRealms converts to a mod group, it will remain a fully
edited magazine, but I plan on carrying on the letter column as a standard
mod group. This will allow people to carry on reasonable conversations
between issues while at the same time keeping what I consider the main
advantages of OtherRealms (quality control and variety of material)
unchanged.
Please note that OtherRealms is not just a Usenet entity. It is currently
hosted on one node of Fidonet (with one other coming on line soon) and a
couple of other BBS's. It has a wide audience throughout .ARPAland,
.BITNETland and other connected networks that don't get news. It will also
soon be migrating to CompuServe (I hope) and eventually to Bixnet. Because
of this I see it as a great opportunity to export our culture to the world,
and to export some of the worlds culture here.
If you have any comments on the subject, pro or con, please MAIL them to me for
consideration. I don't plan on acting this until I'm sure what the users of
the net think about it, and that they are willing to support it. I think it
has the possibility of being the beginning of a great step forward for the
net, and there is little risk that it'll cause problems for the net. Please
try to refrain from posting publicly unless you are sure you have something
the world needs to know, since we really don't need lots of extra volume on
the net.
chuq
--
:From catacombs of Castle Tarot: Chuq Von Rospach
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