[WEB4LIB] RE: Decline in Web4Lib message volume

Roy Tennant roy.tennant at ucop.edu
Wed Jan 26 16:55:02 EST 2005


The number of subscribers has basically only gone up. We spent quite a 
while at a plateau of about 3,200 subscribers, but I noticed recently 
we had spurted up to 3,400. So this would mean that the average number 
of posts per subscriber has gone down, although it's likely that there 
are some subscribers (we know who we are) whose average has not 
declined.
Roy

On Jan 26, 2005, at 1:47 PM, Walter Giesbrecht wrote:

> Scritchfield, Larry wrote:
>> Of course, volume of messages does not equate to quality of signal...
>> Here are some theories
>>
>> Moderator enforcment on-topic posts?
>>
>> An abatement of "me too" posts?
>>
>> Proliferation of specialized lists (thus *increasing* the total amount
>> of email to be plowed through)?
>
> Or
>
> - proliferation of Web-based forums?
>
> - active retreat from online discussion (in a fruitless attempt
> to reduce the amount of email one receives)?
>
> - more knowledgeable participants, not asking as many questions?
>
> - over-active spam filters?
>
> I'd be interested to know how the number of subscribers has
> changed over the years; in parallel with the number of messages,
> perhaps? How has the # posts/subscriber changed?
>
> -- 
>
> Walter Giesbrecht                               walterg at yorku.ca
> Data Librarian                                203E Scott Library
> York University, Toronto, CANADA          416.736-2100 ext.77551
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>




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