NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Starting new threads
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2009 Jul 10, 00:06 -0700
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2009 Jul 10, 00:06 -0700
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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---