Re: mailinglist was RE: WANTED!

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

>>> ari, maybe you should put unsubscribe instructions in the footers? -yakov
>> 
>> But is that a cure for the type of inconsiderate behavior that makes
>> repeatedly informing hundreds of your best friends that you were neither 
>smart
>> enough to read the instructions you got on joining the list, not smart enough
>> to read the periodic postings to the list with the instructions, and not 
>smart
>> enough to ask? Once?
>> 
>Ari, I like the way this list is managed. 8) I was thinking about the same
>thing...I doubt many of us want lots of extra verbiage, but maybe just one
>extra short line (two words, maybe: 'subscription info' or 'list info') with
>a URL directly to the subscription information wouldn't hurt?
>
>I've been administering systems and supporting users for awhile and I've
>learned this: A lot more people have embraced the internet; this is good.
>But, a lot more people need a little extra help.

Well, this particular instance makes an excellent case in point. Several hours 
before I got home, someone =did=- post instructions to the list on how to 
unsubscribe.

The subscriber was still subscribed when I got home, saw the posts, and took 
care of the matter.

I've been managing online communities for about 15 years now. People needed 
help 15 years ago, too. There are now mailing lists where I have to scroll down 
a screen or two each list to find out what the message is--and the relative 
number of people who need help hasn't changed. That's why I'm inclined to do my 
best to be there when people need help, but am not convinced more verbiage in 
each message helps more than it hinders. (People who have worked in user 
interface for years like to talk about those dialogue boxes that come up when 
you're, say, trying to delete a file. "Are you sure?" they ask. Instead of 
reading the messages when it matters, people learn to press the "enter" key, 
even before they're able to engage their heads and remember that they needed to 
save the file. Ask smokers how many read the lines on their cigarette boxes 
about killing themselves.)

Anyway, I get verbose.

ari


Ari Davidow
ari (at) ivritype(dot)com
list owner, jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
the klezmer shack: http://www.klezmershack.com/

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