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About using a *discussion* list

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

On 07:22 AM 10/23/98 -0400, bdewitt wrote:
>Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>
>
>	I just noticed that few (if any) of the responses to my recent question
>have actually been posted to the list. So I figured it was time to mention
>it again and tell folk that a handy way to make sure a response does go to
>the list is to use 'reply to all' or the equivalent, then delete everything
>but the list address.
>	If, on the other hand, you are sending me private responses on purpose,
>please rethink that decision. Not that I don't enjoy the replies! I just am
>sure that others could use the information too. That's how the list works.

No, that's how the list *should* work. (IMHO)

If a listowner wants the discussion to take place on the list, the list
should be setup to use the list submission address for the "reply to"
address.  If the listowner wants replies to go to the writer and NOT to the
list, they setup the list so that when you click reply you get the sender's
email address and not the list submission address.

Thus, currently this list is *not* setup to facilitate discussion.  IMHO it
should be.  Because it isn't, you find the situation you discussed, where
replies that you think should be sent to the list for discussion, never
make it TO the list.  This is caused because the list is setup backwards
for achieving that goal.

The problem with setting it up the other way is that many people just don't
pay ANY attention to where the reply is going and will fail to make the
appropriate change when necessary to send the reply JUST to the individual
when appropriate.  Then you end up with a lot of personal email going to
the list.  It takes a clueful list membership to make a discussion list
that is setup to reply to the list to work properly.  If this list
membership wants the replyto changed to go to the list (instead of the
writer), then they have to be prepared to be personally responsible every
time they hit reply to ensure that they are directing their message to the
right email address.  

I think that the listowner might want to poll the list membership to see
how they feel about this topic.

jc


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