[pct-l] Re: Why is it so hard...?

[griffin at u.washington.edu (Tom Griffin)]

On another list I subscribe to, we give out an "award" for those who make
Internet blunders. Since we've established that award, the misuse of the
reply key has been reduced CONSIDERABLY. No one wants to get the "Dilbert
Award." Maybe this list should institute a similar "honor"?

Tom Griffin
Seattle
PCT pages: http://staff.washington.edu/griffin/pct.html

> From: Edmond Meinfelder <edmond@mydogmeg.net>
> Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 08:35:45 -0700
> To: PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] (Guest Post) Why is it so hard...?
> 
> At 08:16 PM 1/21/2004 -0600, Peter Plumeria wrote:
>> Why is it so hard when replying to a posting to cut out the hundreds of
>> lines of text that make up the digest version.
> 
> The problem is habituation to an interface. When replying to an emails over
> and over, people hit the same reply button, start typing text and then hit
> 'send.' What we are asking is for people to introduce a new step between
> hitting reply and send, editing the text. When people get use to performing
> a sequence of steps, they tend to repeat the steps without thinking, even
> when the sequence is not applicable. Introducing change for a specific
> condition is very hard.
> 
>> p.s. I know that this is probably flogging a dead horse since others have
>> complained before me (with little effect), but I am at the point of
>> unsubscribing from the list since reading the digest when inclduing
>> multiple old digests is becoming such a pain...
> 
> Though I dislike using the reply-to header in email messages, perhaps the
> digests should have a "reply-to" address. At the reply-to address, a filter
> could check the size of the email and, if over 4k, shoot a warning message
> back to the sender, otherwise forward the message onto the list. This could
> be done in Procmail.
> 
> Tangent