NavList:

   

Reply

Scott and Jim and Gary and anyone else "worried" about threading:

First, don't worry. :-)

Second, this "problem" is really not something that is going to be solved as 
long as NavList is an email-based community. The Internet email system has 
evolved in an organic fashion with different systems for creating email, 
different systems for reading email, some adhering strictly to standards 
which really aren't all that "strict" in the first place, others attempting 
to please everybody all the time, and most just trying desperately to stay on 
top of volume and deal with spam and criminal activity. 

Jim's email provider, juno.com, apparently does not use the headers which 
preserve threads (technically these are the "References:" and "In-Reply-To:" 
headers, and if you don't know what "headers" are, count yourself lucky 
--they're supposed to be "behind-the-scenes" after all these years). Such is 
life. Do we send Jim packing? Do we insist that he can't participate because 
his email isn't exactly what Scott would like it to be? I don't think so. The 
MAIN POINT is that we all just want to read messages. Threading and subject 
lines provide some guidance but they're not foolproof, and they never will be 
because of the various different standards and semi-standards of email 
systems. But I do encourage all of you to try and bend a little so that you 
can meet in the middle. On the email-writing side: if you can switch to a 
different email provider without much difficulty, consider doing so. On the 
email-reading side: if you can find a way to read email (perhaps tweaking the 
settings in your current email software; perhaps trying out some different 
email-reading tool), consider doing so. In fact, if you're on the side that 
knows about threading, you're really probably more of an expert so maybe the 
onus should be on you to work around the realities of email. Finally, if 
threading on the google message boards presents problems for you, then please 
describe what I can change to give you the functionality of those boards at 
fer3.com/arc. How do we wean you off those imperfect message boards??

For the rest of you, I apologize for the administrative interruption. None of 
this is important, and you don't need to pay any attention to it if it 
doesn't affect you. Please no replies on the general state of email 
technology unless you are really confident that it would address one of the 
concerns expressed recently. Thanks! :-)

-FER



--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc
Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com
To , email NavList-@fer3.com
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

   

Reply