NYCPHP Meetup

[John Lacey]

Hans,

Would a 'subject' guideline work?  For example, if I wanted to ask an 
AMP question -- first word of the subject line would be:
PHP class question
php and XML feedback
MySQL problem with connects
Apache virtual host question
postgreSQL information

etc...

Then, perhaps a 'steering script' could direct the question/comment to 
[AMP] list.  All subject lines that don't meet that criteria would be 
directed to "talk".  It might also serve to remind people (if they are 
programmers -- they should be thinking logically anyway :)  to give some 
thought to their question/comment ala Eric Raymond's famous "How to ask 
a question" document.  This could be stated as a simple policy for 
posting to the lists.

just some thoughts from out west...

J




Hans Zaunere wrote:

>
>
> Hi all,
>
> Whew, I think we'll need another server to support all the list's 
> posts :)  Seeing this type of enthusiasm from the community is 
> fantastic, and questions, discussions, and the back-and-forth is what 
> mailing lists, and NY, is all about.
>
> When NYPHP-Talk first started there was very little traffic and 
> participation (actually, none :), and so a general "any topic goes" 
> viewpoint has worked very well.  Obviously, in just a year, it's grown 
> to be a high-traffic and vibrant channel of communication.
>
> However, it may be beginning to outgrow it's usefulness for some, and 
> we want to be sure to address the needs of the entire community.  So, 
> I'm throwing out the notion that it's time for another list, dedicated 
> to the strict technical discussion of PHP/AMP Technology, and other 
> closely related topics.  Topics would include Apache/MySQL/PHP of 
> course, any related installation/system-administration/security 
> topics, any application written in PHP, and any PHP extension/variant 
> (so, Oracle, PostgreSQL, CLI, GD, etc).  Casual chat or posts, and 
> other topics, wouldn't be included.
>
> And, since we do have such a diverse and knowledgeable community, 
> NYPHP-Talk would be the place for any type of general web discussion, 
> chat, and so forth (thus, falling inline with it's original name, 
> 'Talk').  This organization would allow people to get their tough 
> technical questions answered (on the new list, should we call it 
> NYPHP-AMP ?), by probably the best AMP related lists in the world I 
> might add, while avoiding much of the additional traffic related to 
> other web development technologies, NY, political and other discussions.
>
> I've been hesitant to bring this up in the past simply because I 
> didn't want to discourage people from using the lists, and divide the 
> traffic up to the point that things fall dead.  And, with so many 
> varied topics, it wouldn't be good to make people afraid to post, and 
> asking themselves questions "is this the right list to post?".  Maybe 
> some could assist in drafting well-worded list policies, that would 
> eliminate this ambiguity and clearly depict what topics the lists are 
> geared towards.
>
> Lastly, with the recent addition of the front-end list 
> (http://lists.nyphp.org for those who haven't joined yet) we'd have a 
> complete and very knowledgeable set of real time resources for the 
> community to use.  And, with all lists available as digests (also 
> available via http://lists.nyphp.org), having the traffic organized a 
> little may strike a nice balance for people.  I'm eager to hear 
> thoughts on this, either on this list or in private, and if I get a 
> general +1 on this, I'll have the new list this afternoon (and if 
> anyone has any notes/ideas to pass on about mailing list policies and 
> guidelines, I it'd be a very valuable addition).
>
> It's a pleasure to be on this list, and to have seen it grow into a 
> resource for so many.  Thanks all,
>
> Hans Zaunere
> President, New York PHP
> http://nyphp.org
> hans at nyphp.org
>
>
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>