The LIST ADMINS can control this....They can set the response to RESPOND to the LIST or to the sender.
So people are still responding to the questions, it is not a sign of a COLD list...it is just a sign that the 'helpers' are responding with REPLY and not REPLY ALL (or their REPLY ALL is not working) or the List is set up to only respond to the sender....
I truly believe that some listadmins don't really understand the option that they have regarding this. I believe that the default is to respond to the sender and I think this is true so that the list admin is not overwhelmed at the beginning, but there is NO prevision to remind the list admin to recheck the options on the list.....
I agree with you and wish that all Lists would DEFAULT to RETURN TO LIST. THEN, if it becomes a problem the list admin can change it to respond to the sender - perhaps after getting a feedback from the list's subscribers.....
The object, I think, is to share the info.... but the efforts of those that do write back to a question are truly wasted if only one person of the entire list gains the info. So, if there are 400 subscribers to a list, then 399 of us are out of luck.
I take a bit of time and try to respond to REPLY ALL but even that does not always work...
I think it is like that old football game where the last 2 seconds changed the game, but WHOOPS, Heidi came on instead....