On Wed, Oct 10, 2007 20:20:54 PM -0400, Datatude
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
> >2) What this "YOU MUST GIVE A SUMMARY HERE" in the subject line
> >(that buries the summary in my gmail) means and how it got there
> >(and why people don't remove it)?
The "YOU MUST GIVE A SUMMARY HERE" is almost certainly from some badly
designed web form: "badly" in the sense that it doesn't refuse to send
the message if the subject warning wasn't replaced.
> But I wonder how many folks (and I'm just about frustrated enough by
> the lack of care and thought folks put into their posts here to be
> counted among them) simply mass-delete all the messages that have no
> Subject, or that say "YOU MUST GIVE A SUMMARY HERE", or that give a
> completely uninformative subject such as "Help Me!"
I confirm that I started years ago to automatically delete all the
messages and replies with these kind of subjects, on all the lists I
follow, I am sure that many others do the same and heartily recommend
that everybody does the same, exactly for the reason that you mention:
> whereas they would be *so* much more likely to get a proper and
> useful answer if they instead bothered to summarize details such as
> "Cannot print after upgrading to XP SP2".
life is too short and mosts lists far too busy to open 30 messages
every day just to figure out to which ones you _may_ give a useful
answer. Proper subject lines aren't even netiquette, they should be
given in the poster's self interest.
With respect to J. Hartley's answer:
> As far as wishing some of these people would provide a useful
> subject line, yes! But many just don't know any better, they've
> never used a mailing list before, and never worried about the
> subject line on e-mails to Aunt Minnie. All you can do is try to
> help them as much as possible.
I'll just add that answering all these messages keeping the subject as
is, or not answering ONLY with a (possibly automated) formal and kind
version of "nobody will be able to help you if you don't describe your
problem in the subject line" doesn't "help them as much as possible".
It just perpetuates the problem.
If a total email novice sends a subject-less message to a list, and
the "experts" send, instead of the above reminder off list, plenty of
useful information well hidden under "YOU MUST GIVE A SUMMARY HERE",
who is to blame more? The unaware newbie who is left in his ignorance
about how to get more online help, faster? Is it the original
messages or the replies which make searches in the archives less
effective? If you hide, say, a perfect explanation of how to do
numbered list under "YOU MUST GIVE A SUMMARY HERE", are you helping
yourself and the other volunteers, or are part of the reason why other
newbies come asking the very same question the day after? They could
have noticed the thread and just read it.
Ciao,
Marco
--
Your own civil rights and the quality of your life heavily depend on
how software is used *around* you: http://digifreedom.net/node/84
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