nce upon a time, in the early days of the Internet, when “14-4” was considered fast and pictures in discussion groups were nonexistent, there were two major stamp collecting discussion groups.

One was a Usenet newsgroup, based on the Internet (which relatively few people knew how to access), the other an e-mail “list.”

The newsgroup, called rec.collecting.stamps, was not only free of cost, but free of rules. As with e-mail, it didn’t take long for the hucksters to discover how easy it was to “spam” a group with get-rich-quick schemes and too-good-to-be-true offers, some of which were related to philately, but only some.

It was also a “wild west show,” in that, with no moderators nor rules, anyone could say anything, about any subject. Or anyone. Just as many drivers become bold and brave (in their eyes) or obnoxious and aggressive (others’ eyes) when hiding within their half-ton motorized cocoons, RCS and other Internet users discovered they could be anonymous, with no repercussions for anything they posted.

Soon the newsgroup split, into rec.collecting.stamps.discuss for discussions, another for sales pitches, a third for postal history and maybe others. However, people soon began to leave for more civilized discussion groups. RCSD may still exist today — I haven’t checked in years — but it’s just a few dozen people, if that many.

The other group, in e-mail, was based at Penn State, although I think its physical proximity to American Philatelic Society headquarters was a coincidence. At first, it too was free: Whatever was e-mailed to the group’s address went out immediately to the group.

Then one day, the owner/moderator became disgusted with some of the messages, and decided to clamp down: From that point on, no messages could be posted until he approved them. The problem with that was that if he was busy, or sleeping, or otherwise occupied, the messages might stack up and not be distributed. And the moderator began to lose interest, which meant the delay got longer and longer and…

Last time I checked, which was a few years ago, the list was still operating: You could send a message to it, and in a week or so, the message would be distributed to the members of the list… if there are any. If anyone still cared about the message after several days in limbo.

The point is that over-moderation can kill an online discussion group, and under-moderation can do it in, too. It’s a delicate balance, and that focal point doesn’t stay put; it moves around. There is no formula.

But like a playground seesaw, staying at one end or the other doesn’t make for much of a ride.

—Lloyd A. de Vries