**Cross-posting from Julie Preston and John Ball**
Dear Listers,
As joint administrators of the four Mid-Wales mailing lists, we would like
to hear your views on the future status of the Powys, Breconshire (BRE),
Montgomeryshire (MGY), and Radnorshire (RAD) lists.
But first let us explain the background to our request.
Those of you subscribed to any of the neighbouring Cardiganshire (CGN),
Pembrokeshire (PEM), and Dyfed mailing lists, will know that important
changes have recently been taking place there. With his list members'
agreement, list administrator Gareth Hicks has encouraged his members to
transfer their membership and their list activity to the Dyfed List and in
effect to abandon the much smaller and less active CGN and PEM lists.
The early signs are that the change has resulted in a renewal of interest
and activity on the formerly rather moribund Dyfed List.
In some ways, our four Mid Wales mailing lists are in a similar situation.
Although our Powys List is quite healthy, the amount of activity on the BRE,
MGY, and RAD lists is very small.
Historically, the Powys List (established in 1997) predates the separate
county lists by several years and has always had a stronger membership and
offered a larger pool of expertise. The separate county lists of BRE, MGY,
and RAD were created at the insistence of Rootsweb, rather than out of any
expressed need from the grass roots membership.
The Powys List covers the interests of all three of the separate county
lists. Realising this, many of you are already subscribed to the Powys List
as well as to at least one of the separate county lists.
The amount of activity on the mailing lists, and the numbers of members
subscribed to the lists, seems to reflect the populations of these counties
when our ancestors lived there (see 1851 population figures below).
County Population List membership
BRE - 61,000 178
MGY - 68,000 209
RAD - 25,000 142
Powys - 154,000** 405
PEM - 94,000 311
CGN - 71,000 205
CMN - 111,000 ?
Dyfed - 276,000** 379
MON - 157,000 ?
GLA - 232,000 ?
[PEM, CGN, and Dyfed list membership figures are from before the recent
changes.]
**Dyfed and Powys population figures are totals of constituent historic
counties.
There seems to be a threshold of population, perhaps around 100,000, below
which a county list will find it difficult to survive. The populations of
BRE, MGY and RAD are well below this 'critical mass', throwing into doubt
the long-term viability of their associated mailing lists.
The populations of Monmouthshire, and particularly Glamorgan, are well above
the critical mass, so the MON and GLA lists are vibrant and self-sustaining.
We recommend that existing members of the BRE, MGY, and RAD lists subscribe
to the Powys List, and then unsubscribe from the individual county lists.
This action will consolidate the membership of the Powys List and secure its
future.
The BRE, MGY, and RAD lists would still exist, but in a token sense only.
Eventually, only we list administrators would remain subscribed to those
lists in order to redirect new subscribers to the Powys List.
An additional benefit would be the virtual elimination of the need for cross
postings and the nuisance of receiving duplicate messages.
Okay, so we have set out *our* views as your list administrators.
Now we want you to tell us what *you* think! Tell us the pros and cons of
the proposed changes as you see them.
Please respond on just *one* of the Mid-Wales lists to which you are
subscribed - use the Powys List if you are subscribed to it.
[To join Powys, send a 'subscribe' e-mail to Powys-L-request(a)rootsweb.com
replacing the L by D for the digest version].
But please, please, send your views to the List and *not* to us privately.
We look forward to hearing your views.
Many thanks,
Julie Preston and John Ball
----------------------------
Joint Administrators for BRE, MGY, POWYS, & RAD mailing lists