RE: complaint

[Joel Bresler <jbresler...>]

I agree with Adrian. Usually only a fraction of the topics under discussion
at any given time on the 6 mailing lists I participate in are of interest
to me. The lists I am on generate about 250+ messages a day. With that
volume, you have to have to efficiently honw in on the few messages you
care about.

There really is an easy way to deal with the onrush of message. Eudora and
virtually any other email program worth its salt can file incoming messages
based on the header, then subsequently sort messages based on the subject.

I very simply set up TWO mailboxes for all the groups I'm a member of: one
temporary and one permanent. Everything from the Jewish Music list goes
into the  JM "temp" mailbox. Then, before reading the messages, I just sort
the contents of the box by subject. A quick scan tells me which threads I
want to read and save (transferred to the permanent box.) The rest get
blown away immediately. It works fine, and it will take you about two
minutes to set up.

Hope this helps some of you.

Best, Joel

At 08:58 PM 12/20/98 -0600, you wrote:
>Having been a participant in online communities since the early days of the
>net and online services (I was on CompuServe by 1980,) and myself an owner
>and/or moderator or several lists, I am dismayed whenever I see a lack of
>tolerance on a list for a diversity in viewpoint regarding what issues are
>"on topic." As a list owner/moderator, I do like to keep my lists generally
>on topic, and respect the right of the owner of this list do so. The owner
>of this list has made his feeling clear about this several times (though
>I've not seen him wield a heavy hand.)
>
>But when a topic is of genuine interest, even if only to a significant
>majority, and generates a continuing thread, it really deserves a little
>tolerance from other list members. When a topic is not of interest it will
>eventually fade away. (Unless it is a dialog between only two or three list
>members, which is a different matter entirely.)
>
>One rule I try to follow on my lists, in any case, is to never simply say
>"this item is off topic." I will explain why, and OFFER another forum where
>it may be more appropriate (or point to resources for locating one.) A good
>list-owner would be up on what else is on the net.
>
>In addition, you have answered your own dilemma - use the delete key. I have
>such high email traffic that I use a MUA that previews message content so I
>can quickly scan and decide what to read. Use the tools at your disposal.
>The net requires list participants to make some effort towards
>discriminating. You can't expect the list owners and the self-policing
>aspects of lists to take care of everything you might find objectionable or
>off-topic.
>
>I will now end this off-topic diatribe, and hope it is tolerated in the
>spirit in which it is proffered.
>
>Adrian A. Durlester
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of Klezcorner (at) 
>aol(dot)com
>Sent: Friday, December 18, 1998 2:12 PM
>To: World music from a Jewish slant.
>Subject: Re: complaint
>
>
>
>In a message dated 12/17/98 9:34:38 PM, you wrote:
>
><<
>I am getting really annoyed with the recent correspondences (e.g. Jews and
>Christians and Xmas music) on this list.  It is to the point where I am just
>deleting everything that comes from this network without opening it.  How
>about returning to our purpose of discussing Jewish music!!!
>
>HAPPY CHANUKAH!
>>>
>
>I second that!!!!
>Simon-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>-
>Adrian A. Durlester  -  durleste (at) home(dot)com
>http://members.home.net/durleste/
>Student, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
>http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/vds/vds-home.htm
>Music Director, Congregation Micah, Nashville, TN
>http://www.micahnash.org/
>Home phone (615) 646-9788
>Nextel cel-phone (615) 207-2661
>You can page me from http://www.nextel.com
>List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at) 
>shamash(dot)org
>http://uahc.org/hanashir
>Editor, Bim Bam (for Torah Aura Productions)
>http://www.torahaura.com/
>Evening Program Chair, CAJE 23 - San Antonio TX, Aug 9-13, 1998
>http://www.caje.org
>Alternate Email: aad (at) iname(dot)com  adriand (at) aol(dot)com
>
>
>
>


Joel Bresler
250 E. Emerson Rd.
Lexington, MA 02420 USA

Home:   781-862-2432
Home Office:    781-862-4104
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Email:          jbresler (at) ultra(dot)net