ROSEN list - Start of list RENEWAL notices

In the interest of offering the easiest access to the ROSEN list, I initially set up the list to allow anyone to sign up via an "open" subscription process which requires no intervention or approval on my part.

It has been heartening to see the number of list members growing, but at the same time, I want to make sure that those who are subscribed are those who continue to be genuinely interested. It is not enough to simply have many subscribers if the posts are not being read or taken seriously. Also, since the total number of subscribers affects the cost of the list and since I pay for this list personally, I would prefer to keep unwanted subscriptions to a minimum.

But I do not want to "close" the subscription process, and I am actually more concerned about those who initially subscribe, but who's interest later wanes or they become too busy to deal with the list, etc., but who don't bother to unsubscribe.

What I am going to try is to enable a feature called "RENEWAL" in the listserver. What this will do is send out automated email renewal requests to subscribers after some period of inactivity (I will initially set it to 3 months). The subscriber will simply have to follow the instructions in the email to CONFIRM their renewal. Again, this is all automated and will not require my intervention or approval. If they fail to confirm within a delay period (I will initially set it to 14 days), their subscription will lapse.

Note that every time a subscribers posts, the timer for their "inactivity period" will be reset. So, those who post on at least occasional intervals will automatically gain a reprieve from being asked for any renewals.

If you want to remain subscribed but for some reason fail to CONFIRM a RENEWAL request, you will still be able to re-subscribe, so there are no cataclysmic consequences. But those who are not really interested in the list, do not read the posts, and simply do not bother to unsubscribe, will be unsubscribed automatically by this process.

So, if a subscriber wishes to simply "lurk" and not post, they are still welcome to do so; all they need to do is CONFIRM their subscription per the occasional automated RENEWAL email. I am not trying to dissuade those who are simply interested in reading the posts, or who feel uneasy about posting, from remaining subscribed. With a 3-month inactivity timer, this will only mean 4 renewals a year at most.

Also, if someone knows they are going to be away from the list for some time (extended vacation, sabbatical, etc.), they could set their account to NOMAIL in their personal options, or notify me directly if they want to remain subscribed but expect to be away for more than 3 months. Again, in the worst case, if a subscriber gets accidentally unsubscribed, they can still resubscribe later on.

The result should be that we will have a better idea of the actual interest level of those who remain subscribed. And, hopefully, more subscribers will take advantage of the automatic reprieve from renewals which posting occasionally to the list will provide. :)

When I enable this feature this afternoon, some of you may possibly receive RENEWAL notices right away if you have been subscribed for 3+ months and have not posted. Go ahead and simply CONFIRM those renewals (assuming you want to remain subscribed), and everything should be fine. (As with all automated features, this one "should" work fine. Email me directly (***) if you encounter any problems.)