> Just curious: Do most of the 300 Lost Sheep later
> return to the fold, or are they replaced by new
> members?

Subscribers come, subscribers go.  Many who get dropped after the CONFIRM
exercise come back, some do not. New subscribers take their place.

> (Is there an easy way for the moderators to
> determine what kind of turnover we have on the List?)
There are options for the list owner to receive notification when new
members join or when old members leave.  However, I do not have these
options activated.  On a list this size, the volume of mail is already too
great for me to follow.  I have written rules to filter all but the most
pertinent stuff (items submitted for approval).  For every approved post,
there are 3 pieces of mail generated.  Submissions that are not approved
generate only one.  Any time mail does not reach a subscriber (network
problems, user's mailbox is over quota, subscriber changed their address and
left the old address subscribed, ....) the mail bounces back to me.  This is
the reason for the CONFIRM exercise, it removes the abandoned addresses, and
for a short period I am relieved of a lot of the LISTSERV noise.  You can't
imagine how quiet my mailbox seems since the 15th!

So yes, the list OWNER can track turnover (moderators cannot) if they care
to take the time and make the effort.  But it's not something I do.  I'm
happy to sponsor the list and glad that folks subscribe and participate.
Without the subscribers, BEE-L would be nothing!

Cheers,
Aaron

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