-=> Quoting Danny Ceppa to Maurice Kinal on 12-11-05  13:28 <=-   
      
    MK> feel no real need to talk about it in Fido except maybe how it   
    MK> pertains to some other wider, more encompassing subject, perhaps the   
    MK> state of affairs of TV comedy and/or cartoons.    
      
    DC> At one time the SIMPSONS was getting 25 to 50 and more messages    
    DC> per day.  At that point it made sense to keep it as its own Echo.     
       
   The Genealogy echoes were similar...  The main one GENEALOGY got so big   
   and unwieldy that many other splintered echoes were formed, for research   
   in specific areas of the country or other countries of origin, for just   
   surname posts, for genealogy software, etc...  At the time, all were   
   quickly viable, and remained so throughout the heyday...  Now of course   
   it's a different story.   
      
    MK> for Fido.  How does it serve the users when the echoes are too narrow   
    MK> in their focus, LINUX for example, if the user is restricted to   
    MK> discussing the pure topic without being allowed to compare and   
    MK> contrast to other OS's?    
      
    DC> It depends on the volume.     
       
    MK> They are ALL like that.  Overall I think someone(s) really need to   
    MK> discuss the issue seriously in order to stem the obvious tide that   
    MK> isn't working favourably for Fido as a whole, users and sysops.    
      
   To some extent, it's self-correcting, as the ones that don't hold the   
   interest fade away, and the others, whether by expanding from pure topic   
   to compare/contrast or by already being broad enough in topic, continue   
   to have traffic, even if only in spurts.  There are still echoes that   
   often have more than 100 messages a day, even if their average may be   
   more like 25-50/day overall...  and that still have useful content, as   
   well.   Of course, it DOES depend on what one's interests may be... :)   
      
    DC> There are reasons to keep some Echoes open even though they are    
    DC> inactive overall. And, it seems like evertime I announce that    
    DC> I'm going to ax an Echo people drop in!  '   
       
   That's obviously a case of people lurking, regularly following an echo,   
   even if they don't think of anything to say to contribute for a while...   
   :)  They never really left, so they at least think that the echo has   
   merit, at least enough to keep checking on...  :)  In the technical ones   
   like that, there's always enough people lurking to come up with answers   
   when a question arises, which is in itself sufficient reason to keep the   
   echo listed, IMHO.   
      
   ttyl          neb   
      
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