We can hit the delete key, we can scroll by real fast,
Yes, but... You can only do that *after* you've downloaded all the messages. Downloading time costs. A lot, sometimes, esp if you're on a dial-in service in Europe. Or if you have a very slow 'puter. That's one of the reasons there are more people on lace than on chat; they only want the "meat". That's also why the "rule" against posting to both lists *simultaneously* -- except in extreme cases or inadvertent slips of finger -- exists, along the "rule" against "hard sell".
I notice, BTW, that, while we are obeying this second "rule" and discussing the subject on chat *only*, the particular advertiser has never been bothered by such considerations.
Additionally, some ISPs (mine included) limit the amount (KB) of data that can be stored on their site before it's transferred (downloaded) to your box; you go over the limit, and the "storage box" declares itself full, and refuses to accept anything else until you've downloaded its contents and removed the downloaded messages.
I ran afoul of it when my Mac was a "newborn", and Danek forgot to check off the automatic "empty after download" feature... I don't know how many messages had been "refused" (and lost forever) before David Leader posted an alert to chat, someone in the US saw it and phoned me (thank God for friends <g>), and I unscrambled the whole with my ISP... It's the *main* reason I object to spam (you know; all this "lose, add" in non-lace-related places <g>); most of them are relatively short, and easy to sort out and remove. But they *do* add up...
Even though my data-limit is not shabby, a "good day" (given that I serve as "Joke Exchange" and some of those are graphics, large enough *alone* to exceed the limit) can blow it, potentially turning off messages I'd *like* to see. When I go to NJ for the Convention, I'd have preferred not to unsubscribe from the lists and just wade through the accumulation when I come back. But I'm not sure I can risk it, even if I alert all my recipients/sources to suspend all the underground joke activity for a week. I'm now getting 15+ pure spam and another 2-3 semi-spam (advertising from places I've bought from. Once) daily.
Yes, my (local) ISP does offer a spam filter service, almost free. It was offered -- free for a month -- when they first started. I tried it, and was there, screaming abuse, after 3 days... <g> The thing had a limp in both legs; it designated as trash a lot of messages I wanted (mostly from the lists), and kept the Viagra ones... *And* it took a lot of time to check the site to see how good/bad a job it had done and undoing its boo-boos, before downloading the "sterling" ones. For the birds.. :)
Sooo... Having posted enough on chat to fill everyone's box today (not seeing my own messages makes me even more "abandoned" and prolific; it's like they've never been there, so no guilt piling up <g>), I shall quit for the night, except for one (short) message to lace. But no promises to *personal* friends and correspondents, most of whom are also here; you ought to have listened to your Mama, when she told you to avoid certain people :)
----- Tamara P Duvall mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED]
