In checking over the BerkeleyLUG list
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/berkeleylug
a bit, I noticed the current setting:
New member posts are moderated
Should I/we change that to:
No posting restrictions for new members.
Bit 'o information/background.
The "list" (Google group) is publicly archived, and currently has
132 "members".
All but one "member" is set so they can post without being
moderated (Posting:Allowed).
The one member that is Moderated is, I presume, so moderated
due to inappropriate posting(s) or attempts thereof (the
domain name is itself quite expletive, and seems improbable
to be a source of reasonably legitimate postings).
For any unmoderated (Posting:Allowed) we can do (about?) nothing
to prevent inappropriate posting(s) - at least prior to,
though we can remove inappropriate posting(s) from the archive - but
that does nothing to prevent such postings from being mailed to all
members.
So ... should we change to:
No posting restrictions for new members
That may be significantly more inviting for new members.
That may also risk some spam / inappropriate posting(s) - though we
can, after the fact, add moderation to the offending member
and remove the posting from the archive.
And of course we could always again set:
New member posts are moderated
Also, not fully sure on:
New member posts are moderated
if that "New member" setting sticks for some fixed period of time,
or until "New member" posts (attempts to), and that's
approved by moderator(s) ... or what precisely the algorithm is on that.
Anyway, we could always try it ... and if it's problematic or
otherwise undesired, switch it back.
Anyone can sign themselves (their email address) up as a member
(with negligible exception - there's a small "banned" list - but
those email addresses were likely banned for good reason - and looks
like they're probably all bot driven spam generating email
addresses (so, banning 'em probably also is likely relatively
useless, as they likely just generate new email addresses to sign
up as members)).