OT : Why Subject Tags Are Useful (was Using Subject Tags)

Hi All!

Normally I stay out of the fray when these periodic flare-ups occur,
but I feel I may be able to shed some light here.

There are two reasons for using subject tags that come to mind.
The first is to alert folks to what the message is about. If the subject
tag is accurate, and the subject does not interest the subscriber, they
can use the delete key without going further.  For some folks who
disregard subject tags  on a regular basis, most of simply delete the
message unread.  If it is important enough to say, it is important
enough to at least attempt to preface with the correct tag.

The second reason why tags can be important is for the archives.
This is a repository of useful information with a search engine attached.
The message threads are all connected by subject tags. When delving
into the archives (around 50,000 messages now) it is a huge waste of
time to follow threads that go far astray.  When searching on specific words
or phrases, a lot of messages are returned by the search that are totally
unrelated to what you are searching for.  In essence, incorrect tags greatly
reduce the efficiency of the archives. This is not a problem for those who
never use the archives. A recent foray into the archives to search for a few
messages turned up 868 messages. I would guess if the subject tags were
better the return would have been closer to 150.

John Jones policies closely mirror those set by the original listowner and
founder, Tom Tadfor Little. These tags are by no means new. John picked
up the ball and ran with it when the original iris-l ceased to exist. He
continued
the policies of the original list. Managing messages from 400 plus
subscribers
while trying to maintain a useful functioning and searchable archive, along
with the private problem and complaints from subscribers must be a
discouraging task. Repeated requests (apparently) to follow list policies
that are ignored would make just about anyone peevish from time to time.

I have been on this list for almost 3 years. We have lost valuable iris
people who
posted great information because the list had too much chit-chat. We have
also
lost valuable iris people because there wasn't enough chit-chat. And we have
lost some due to the periodic sniping and complaining over list policies. It
is
a fine line to walk to keep the average subscriber happy. Tom and John have
done very well in this regard.  To the best of my knowledge, this list is
free, and not
funded or overseen by AIS. There are many AIS members on list, and many who
are not. Yes, it should be fun, but even fun things like iris require a
little work for
good results.  Just the right amount of fertilizer, just the right amount of
water, just
the right subject tag.

As far as the signature files, am I the only one who stops reading when they
get to
the end of the message?

John made a public apology. That should be the end of it as far as the list
goes.
Other concerns should be direct to the listowner.

Let's all make nice and go back to irises?

Just my opinion, as usual, I could be wrong

John Bruce, who requests if you need to flame me you do it off-list :)





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