| Subject: | [youthgas] Survey of the email lists: more youthgas feedback needed please | | Date: | Friday, November 9, 2007 10:52:19 (+1100) | | From: | Anne Hugo <anne.hugo @........au>
|
So far, only 63 current Youthgas list members (and 9 who say they are
former Youthgas members) have completed the survey of email lists in
the youth field -- so this is an encouragement to you to give your
feedback. See: http://tinyurl.com/2fcn6k
I hope this is not a repetitious email (my earlier attempt via gmail
failed).
Why it is important to complete the survey:
You will help Richard Lenn of Youthgas and myself as manager of the
AYIN list to weigh up how our lists work and perhaps devise a new
combined email list for everyone -- if that should turn out to be the
way most people want to go.
The results of the survey will be shared by each of the three email
discussion list managers so that a future path can be worked out.
Besides Youthgas, the other youth-related lists are:
-- AYIN list (AYIN is an acronym for "Australian Youth information
network" -- a concept devised by Roger Holdsworth of the YARN list,
and aired at an AYAC meeting by some years ago, and more recently at
the ARE WE THERE YET conference in Melbourne; the network exists at
present only as an email list which is much smaller than youthgas)
-- YARN list (Youth Affairs Research Network) established in 1995 by
Roger Holdsworth; this list for researchers is closing due to Roger's
retirement.
Whether you have been subscribed to the Youthgas list for a day or
four years, your opinion is important.
To date, there have not been enough respondents from each of the three
email lists canvassed (AYIN list, Youthgas and YARN) to give a truly
representative picture of how people on the three main email
discussion lists feel.
For a few excerpts about what respondents have said in the survey so
far, see below. Every bit of feedback helps in planning for the future
of this list.
The survey is at: http://tinyurl.com/2fcn6k
-------------------------------------------------
More detail about the survey:
The survey is anonymous. (You don't have to give your name, nor your
email address (though you can choose to supply it if you want more
information) and your IP address isn't stored nor is it in the results
that I get.
The survey gives you lots of opportunity to comment on the list(s) so
please use the chance to have your say, whether or not you only use
youthgas or use the other lists too.
Some of the issues canvassed:
What do you like most about email discussion lists that work well? Do
you think there needs to be a separate list for researchers? Should
there be a way to post difficult questions anonymously? How can the
list managers help you get answers that you need? And how can we best
do this in such a disparate field like youth work / youth research,
where the nexus of practice, research and policy is so intertwined?
Should the AYIN and Youthgas lists be combined into one? If so, how
can messages sent to the list be more "on target" and how could any
newly configured email discussion list work to meet the very different
areas of a very disparate field like youth studies/ youth work? What
are YOUR ideas for change? OR does the status quo suit you?
What the respondents have said in the survey so far:
* Most people who have completed the survey today regard email
lists as a "very" useful tool, but when it comes to rating the
individual lists (youthgas, AYIN list and YARN) the rating goes down
to "sometimes" useful.
* Re the imminent closure of the ground-breaking email discussion list
for youth researchers, YARN, some researchers are saying through this
survey that they want their own (new) list. Others are saying that the
needs of researchers can be served by the AYIN list.
* Some researchers say it is useful to see the kinds of questions
youth workers ask although one comments that it is distressing to see
"how much youth workers don't know what they don't know".
* Some survey respondents say they never post questions because they
do not want to embarrass themselves.
* Some say it helpful seeing researchers pop up from time to time on
the Youthgas list. Others say the lists each need to have better
objectives and to be more clearly focused on one or other sector in
the youth field.
* Some say that Youthgas and AYIn list should combine: indeed, Richard
Lenn and I have revisited the idea of amalgamating our two lists. Some
are keen for the Youthgas and AYIN lists to amalgamate, some aren't.
* Some find the large volume of messages on the Youthgas email
discussion list adds to their email management problems. Others say it
adds to the richness of understanding the field.
Please use the survey to have your say and give suggestions for the
email lists that you use.
Have your say: http://tinyurl.com/2fcn6k
--
Kind regards,
Anne Hugo
Information manager,
Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies
http://www.acys.info
Editor, Youth Field Xpress
http://www.acys.info/newsletter
Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies
University of Tasmania
Private Bag 64,
Hobart, Tasmania 7001 Australia
Ph: + 61 3 6226 2591; fax: + 61 3 6226 2578
Email: Anne.Hugo@utas.edu.au
Web: http://www.acys.info
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Survey of the emai
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