[Mailman-Users] The "right" way to reply to a mailing list

[Lucio Chiappetti]

On Tue, 24 Mar 2015, Thomas Gramstad wrote:
> On Tue, 24 Mar 2015, Lucio Chiappetti wrote:
>> On Mon, 23 Mar 2015, Thomas Gramstad wrote:
>>>  On Mon, 23 Mar 2015, Lucio Chiappetti wrote:
>>
>>>>  digest mode allows o receive one cumulative post per day
>>
>> which is something many people can appreciate (at least those who 
>> complain because they are interrupted in their work by too many new 
>> mails arriving)
>
> How can mail "interrupt"?

I am not saying I am one of those who are so annoyed when for instance one 
gets "me too" replies on an internal organization discussion list (or 
simply condolences for an obituary of a colleague) ... in which case I 
suggest them to use digest mode.

However mailing lists are usually a second priority to our main activity, 
be they discussion or technical support ones. So while it is good to reply 
asap to a person-to-person mail message, it is also good to wait to deal 
with mailing list messages. This is less distracting, allows to cool down 
discussions, to enforce the rule of one-post-per-day in the policy of some 
mailing lists etc. etc.  ... so thanks to mailman authors for having it !

>>>  But people don't have proper MUAs, or if they do, many don't know
>>>  how to use them.
>>
>> Well, sorry, too bad for them ! :-)

>> Digest version is something the (knowledgeable) user enables in
>> the personal setting.
>
> As list owner / moderator I can decide to disable this setting,

It is surely in your power and rights :-)

> which is something many people appreciate, as it prevents hard to
> read comments on big "blobs" of text, and dysfunctional Subject:
> lines.

Usually the clueless which will reply to a digest are the same clueless 
who are unable to turn it on if it is off by default, and the same 
clueless unable to find a proper MUA and use it.

> As list owner / moderator I can decide to disable this setting,
   ...
> "Well, sorry, too bad for them !" :-)

Or "pity for them" :-)  ... the poor "knowledgeable users"

-- 
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Lucio Chiappetti - INAF/IASF - via Bassini 15 - I-20133 Milano (Italy)
For more info : http://www.iasf-milano.inaf.it/~lucio/personal.html
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