Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 11:14:17 -0400
Reply-To: Ed Stevens <ejstevens@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Ed Stevens <ejstevens@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Let's include Vanagon list instructions as listserve signature
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
+++++++++++++
It seems almost daily I see Unsubscribe and Digest messages that should
have gone to the admin server instead going out over the mailing list and
wasting everyones time and bandwidth. Examples today:
>Could someone please tell me how to set NOMAIL as I'm going away for a week.
>please take me off the discussion group; mangold@ez2.net
>Please unsubribe me
I use to respond to those people, I no longer have the time to do so. I
imagine some of you help these lost souls, others wonder whether they
will be getting the help they need from someone else ;) I wonder whether
the energy and replies of 10 people went out to them. I wonder whether
they saved the intial vanagon list instructions.
On other lists I have seem people get downright rude when they were not
unsubscribed via these misdirected messages [ I am thankful that this has
not happened on our list in a long while]
I propose that we solve this problem once and for all.
I propose that we place a message at the end of each email distributed
from the server that tells how to unsubscribe and get digest mode. We
did this awhile ago and the UNSUBSCRIBE problem was solved. I think it
occurred when our server was down and we were the guests of another
server. This was the message we saw.
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>To unsubscribe, send a SIGNOFF VANAGON message to VANAGON-REQUEST@TYPE2.COM
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the message I propose (I do _not_ think it is technically correct)
>===========================INSTRUCTIONS============================
>To unsubscribe from the list send E-Mail to listserv@vanagon.com
>with no subject and one line saying UNSUBSCRIBE VANAGON
>To turn digest mode on, send E-Mail to listserv@vanagon.com with no
>subject and one line saying SET VANAGON MAIL DIGEST
When I say the problem was "solved" I mean that the rest of us did not
have to give any thought to the plight of the person who wants to get off
or go to digest mode. the info is there in the many messages they have
already received. easy enough for each of us to be self-sufficient.
I see this as a WIN_WIN solution and I think we should impliment it ASAP.
We did it once before and I think it is a good idea.
I have also given thought to objections and limitations of some members
as I will discuss below:
I also realize that this will lengthen each and every message you already
receive. Some of us may be not be using unlimited local phone calls or
unlimited access to the email servers. Others may be using old, OLD
computers and line item email reading programs. I am sorry if my
proposal would affect you, but I do not think it will be as inconvenient
as you may fear. Please read on.
(1) computer phone time is a function of the bandwidth you use and
without going into the technical aspects of it let me just say that if an
email is double in length you will not see/pay for twice the time to
download it. The incremental time will hardly be noticeable. As a
matter of fact it is more efficient to download the message text at the
end of the end of XXX messages than to actually download YY separate
messages that request info on how to unsubscribe or digest...
I do not propose to figure out the relationship of XXX to YY here, but we
may already be near the indifference point in our current list traffic.
(2) old computers with old email software would be an issue. When I
first joined the list I was using ELM, an ancient and slow character
based UNIX email software. Some of you may still be using it, it does get
the job done. I know when reading email in ELM I got in the habit of
recognizing that the message signature was coming up and I did not
continue to read it. I imagine many of you do this already to avoid the
inefficiency of your software.
I think the overwhelming majority of us use machines that are not going
to be dragged to the ground with 6 extra lines of signature. I think we
should run our list with the resources and conveniences of the
overwhelming majority in mind.
I know all of us will benefit from not having to deal with the
subscribe/unsubscribe, digest/nodigest issues.
-peace
Ed Stevens
Valley Forge PA
