[Wikipedia-l] What If?

[Ray Saintonge]

Steve Vertigo wrote:

>Is there a program written yet to chart the topical
>flow of newsgroup discussions? --  taking into
>consideration the lulls and the ebbs -- the rate of
>recurrence of heated debates (on various particular
>subjects) -- of new readers asking a elementary
>question about a topic that was only a week ago was
>discussed to death for three straight weeks? Etc. Etc.
>
>:)
>-SV (still catching up on the last three days)
>
I just had to catch up with a month's worth of edits! :-P

I wonder if such a suggestion is even possible; but you at least have my 
sympathy.

The new reader part is not a big bother.  These questions are often 
short and simple, and many can be easily be answered by whoever happens 
to be available.

Some of the debates are extremely annoying, such as the recent 
Robert/Jtdirl dispute, and the ones that complain about yet another 
reincarnation of Lir.  Perhaps we could have a whineopedia mailing list 
(or if our Brits prefer a wingeopedia).  A moderator on this list could 
redirect any qualifying letters to that list.  Or perhaps, to save the 
sanity of the moderator, an anti-spam device could make the diversion. 
 "Lir" and "anti-Semitism" are canditates for words that would trigger 
the diversion.  Anyone who likes receiving this kind of message wuld be 
free to subscribe to the whineopedia list. :-)

Ec