Keith: Thank you so much for this - I think it is something all should note - I know I certainly have always been in awe of your ability to search, pull up, copy and paste all those snippets from old (sometimes incriminating! ;-)) posts!!) So this is how it is done...sure, makes great sense! I think it is a carryover from earlier days of email and low-capacity computers.
Everyone should pay close attention to Keith's insight on this one and do as he suggests - it will most certainly pay off later. Cheers, Edward Beggs http://www.biofuels.ca On Friday, February 28, 2003, at 06:23 AM, Keith Addison wrote: > Ed wrote: > >> mostly worthwhile - but some days, it is delete-delete-delete! Stick >> around a while before you decide. > > Greg wrote: > >> to others. I scan the subject line, and some of the info., and if it >> is no >> use, or I don't want to be apart of it, I deleat it, and most of the >> other >> items with that subject. If on the other hand, It is of intrest, I >> save it >> for future referance, and I make a point to check all others with >> that same >> subject, saveing the useful info, deleating things like the "Thank >> you" and >> "Your welcome" post. > > Not picking on you, lots of people talk of deleting posts - but why? > I know a few people still use low-capacity hard-disks, but for most > disk capacity isn't a problem, with 10, 20, 40, 80 and more gigabyte > disks standard now for some while, and fast machines that handle > large amounts of data in no time. I regularly ask people please to > crop irrelevant stuff (and multiple footers!) from their posts, but > that's to save bandwidth, not disk space, and out of consideration > for members with slow and/or expensive connections (often the case in > 3rd World countries) and perhaps old gear. > > IMO it makes more sense to keep all posts. Deleting them is judging > in advance what you may find useful later, and as an > info-professional of long standing I can tell you that's not a > judgment you can make with any assurance. > > A major advantage of subject-specific mailing lists like this one is > that you quickly build up a considerable onboard information resource > - your own database on biofuels. This list's database is a fabulous > resource, I use it all the time, so do many others. (And it sure adds > a little much-needed perspective to those few who complain that all > we do here is discuss "off-topic political crap", LOL!) You don't > build up much in the way of resources if you keep deleting stuff. > With a computer it doesn't really matter what's there, it doesn't > take perceptibly longer to search 20Mb than 10Mb, and the more that's > in there the more depth and breadth it has, and the better your > search results will be. > > Your email program should be able to do a full-text search of a > mailbox. That is, you create a mailbox for the Biofuel list, call it > "Biofuel", and set a filter to send all incoming messages with the > header "To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com>" to that mailbox. If your > emailer can't do that, and do a proper search, get one that can. > After a month the mailbox gets a bit full, so make a new one for the > next month and put last month's one in a folder on your hard disk, > which you can search with a full-text search program. > > This mkakes the best use of the information you're receiving, and it > will also improve your experience of mailing lists, and of Internet > communications generally. And it's a lot easier than hitting the > Delete button all the time. > > By the way, your emailer also should be able to sort messages by date > (usually the default), by name of sender, and by subject, which makes > everything much easier. If you don't have a capable emailer you're > getting a keyhole view of what mailing lists are all about. > > Best > > Keith > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> New Yahoo! Mail Plus. More flexibility. More control. More power. Get POP access, more storage, more filters, and more. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Hcb0iA/P.iFAA/46VHAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
