What is BumpList?
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BumpList is a mailing list aiming to reexamine the culture and rules of online email lists.
BumpList only allows for a maximum amount of subscribers so that when a new person subscribes, the first person to subscribe is "bumped", or unsubscribed from the list. Once subscribed, you can only be unsubscribed if someone else subscribes and "bumps" you off. BumpList actively encourages people to participate in the list process by requiring them to subscribe repeatedly if they are bumped off. The focus of the project is to determine if by attaching simple rules to communication mediums, the method and manner of correspondences that occur as well as behaviors of connection will change over time. Bumplist officially launched on June 1st, 2003.
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What is the purpose of the project?
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In the digital age, networked communication platforms and mediums are becoming more and more user friendly and allow for multitudes of types of interaction, voices, and exchanges of images, sounds, and text, both synchronously and asynchronously. Messages can be sent, voices can be heard, and events can be realized with organization and clarity that never before existed. In particular, emailing lists have become important means of maintaining ties within groups, relaying important information among peers or collaborators, and forging a sense of community that transcends all national and cultural boundaries.
Currently, we are actively encouraged to join public email lists. Unless a list adheres to certain rules, is password protected, or made private, anyone with a valid email address can join the discussion. We are also used to conventions of email lists such as subscribe/unsubscribe functions, digest mode, broadcast mode, and public archives of threaded messages. BumpList functions like a standard, public listserv, but adds the constraints of limited membership (currently only 6 people can subscribe at once) and the urgency of forcing people to re-subscribe if they get bumped and want to continue the conversations, discussions, arguments in which they are engaged.
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How does it work?
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BumpList exists as an extension to the well-known, open-source mail manager, SmartList. By using SmartList, the project maintains all of the security and subscribe/unsubscribe features of the manager and runs with the robustness of a widely used and distributed application. When subscribing, each participant gets a preliminary email telling them they are subscribed. When they are unsubscribed, they receive an email telling them they were bumped and given an option to rejoin.
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What are the rules?
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In the discussion there are no rules. BumpList is an open forum just like any other email list. However depending on how much you want to participate in the discussion, it might be to your advantage not to advertise your subscription to the list. The more people you encourage to join, the greater the chance you will be bumped. Currently only 6 people can be on the list at any one time, thus making it an exclusive place so make your voice count!
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How many people are on BumpList?
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Currently only 6 subscribers can stay on BumpList at any one time until they are bumped off by the 7th person. Make your words count!
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What is the topic of BumpList?
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The topic of BumpList is entirely open to you and others subscribed. Remember that only subjects of messages will be visible to the public, not messages. This is an attempt to increase participation rather than opening up the archive to those who are not members of the list.
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| What stats are recorded and made public with BumpList? |
BumpList publishes the total number of subscribers, resubscribers, and people bumped off the list. It also publishes the subject heading of recent messages, when those messages were sent, and how long the sender has been active on the list. The "Who's On" section shows the current subscribers, the "Hall of Fame" is split into three categories for total time, posts, and bumps. These three measurements rank subscribers according to different aspects of their determination to stay on the list. Visitors who have subscribed in the past but are not listed in the Hall of Fame can enter their email address and get a listing of their personal Bumplist stats.
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| What does the "Duration of Time on BumpList" mean? |
The duration accounts for the TOTAL time you have EVER been on the list, that means it adds your times for each time you subscribe. So if you keep subscribing, your time increases over time. Keep subscribing!
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| Why don't my total posts update immediately after I post a message? |
Total posts of each subscriber are updated every 5 minutes. Due to stress on the server and the amount of messages in total, we cannot update these in realtime. Please be patient and you will see your posts stats increase over time.
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| Why aren't my posts showing up? |
In order for your posts to show up on the stats page you need to make sure the address you send from is exactly the same as the address you signed up as (including things like capital letters, etc..) For example, if you signed up as "thisemail123@mydomain.com" and you send emails to the list as "THISemail123@mydomain.com", yours posts will NOT show up.
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