CALL FOR DISCUSSION: STADEN/bionet.software.staden

[Tim Littlejohn]

Roger,

In article <rcwieg-2807941421030001 at rcwieg.monsanto.com> rcwieg at ccmail.monsanto.com (Roger Wiegand) writes:
>Given the light traffic in Bionet.software, could someone say why this
>split is necessary or a good idea? I don't see any benefit to be gained by
>balkanization. Splitting already small groups can (and does, I think)
>result in a loss of critical mass. At best it means sorting through more
>cross-posts.

There are already two specialist newsgroups of bionet.software,
bionet.software.acedb and bionet.software.gcg .  Both play important
roles in addressing the needs of the user community of specific
software packages.  The creation of a new news group along these lines
for a different specific user community (the Staden package) is warranted
for the same reasons that the existence of the acedb and gcg newsgroups
should continue.  These are all large complicated multi-faceted packages
with a very large user base.  There are many specific issues that relate
to these packages and them alone, and there are good arguments for focusing
traffic into a specific newsgroup, as if you are not interested in the
content of that newsgroup you can easily unsubscribe from it.

I very much doubt the bionet.software.staden newsgroup will result in much
cross-posting, either.  It's content will be specific and focused, so readers
of other newsgroups should not get inundated with unwanted traffic.

Finally, creating a newsgroup helps raise the profile of a set of very
useful software tools that the biology community may be extremely interested
in knowing about.  An email list was in circulation for 6 months and while
is served the people on that list, it was hard for newcomer to realise the
list existed.  A USENET newsgroup does not suffer from these sorts of problems.

Tim Littlejohn



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Tim Littlejohn

E-mail:     tim at bch.umontreal.ca  

Snail Mail: Departement de biochimie        Phone: (514) 343-6111, x5149
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