Reading, Writing and Happiness

[John Gelles <jjgelles@xxxxxxxx>]

		CAN YOU FIND HAPPINESS ON INTERNET

		There is an economic backbone to questions of
	inbox traffic, freedom of expression, and happiness
	with internet:  Happiness requires approximately a
	dozen messages per day. But all must be good reading,
	even great reading.

		Since only one message in ten is even good
	reading, (I can prove that), happiness with the net
	eludes many a person on many a list.

		Stated simply, low traffic and high traffic
	are intolerable.  Messages that "satisfy" are rare.

		Yet no list has a patent on how to upgrade
	traffic from "so what" and "excuse me ?" to "right on"
	and "my exact thought -- like it's reading my head".

		There is no denying PKT must keep traffic
	lower than it occasionally gets.  Is not the best
	answer, (if quality counts), the use of private
	lists, created by writers on an ad hoc basis, with
	no burden on PKT or its editors ?

		Writing to the private list, before traffic
	mounts and the pace gets frantic, may allow what
	would have been unreadable exchanges to be cleaned
	up by the perpetrators, and, if consensus and advice
	to the whole list is not possible, at least a well
	framed set of alternatives may be posted at a
	comfortable pace for reading.

		Possibly the quality of list traffic will
	improve and make those happy who would have bet
	against it.

		Hey, if Ric really prints a message count
	at the end of the month, it won't be fair unless he
	starts the count on September 24th or later. Mean-
	while, I invite private messages from any on the list
	interested in inventing micro-lists for brain-storming
	that can connect with other micro-lists and never
	run into traffic congestion.

			John Gelles