Re: which list is which?????
- Subject: Re: which list is which?????
- From: t*@Lanl.GOV (Tom Tadfor Little)
- Date: Fri, 9 Feb 96 09:09:47 MST
Kathy writes
|I agree about the list - I guess I didn't know there was more than one going
|on here. I DID notice that when I BELIEVE I'm replying personally to a
|message, it's on the list for all to see
Nearly all mailing lists have the "reply to" address set to the list. This
is in fact the most convenient setting--and the whole purpose of a mailing
list. The list is like a large room where everyone can hear everyone else.
Private conversations are possible too, but you have to take the initiative
and change the "reply to" address if you want only one person to receive
your message.
Once you get used to it, you'll find it really very agreeable, I think.
|So, computer folk out there - how do we simplify this? I find it confusing
|when people copy an old message and answer it.....the way that works out is
|that we're all reading the same original message 2 or three times.
I presume you're referring to quoting excerpts from an earlier message,
like the lines above which I quoted from yours. This is also a very
standard and useful means of communicating on a mailing list. If it
were just the two of us talking, I could count on you're remember what
you wrote, but when the conversation is on the list, other readers need
context to understand my reply. They may have not read the original
message, or they may have read so many messages over the last few
days that they've forgotten exactly what each one said. Quoting provides
that context. You can recognize segments of quoted messages because they
usually have ">" or some other character in the first column.
The general rule is to quote as much of the earlier message as is needed
to put the response in context, but no more.
So there's no need to "simplify" how things are done on this list. It
is working as it should. If you haven't been on a mailing list before,
it may take a few weeks to get accustomed to the differences that
result from it being a group forum instead of a private exchange. But
after the unfamiliarity wears off, I'm sure you'll find it an enjoyable
way to communicate.
|
|Question: is this open to ANYbody interested in irises, or is it restricted
|to AIS people?
Absolutely it is open to ANYbody interested in irises.
|I've been copying bios, but I would like to propose that
|certain information be given so that we're all on a level playing field (such
|as AIS affiliation, city & state...)
Others can consider this a suggestion. But keep in mind that the law of
the internet is anarchy. People can (and will) choose their own way of
introducing themselves, or choose not to introduce themselves at all.
And that's OK.
My posting yesterday on "the nature of Iris-L" relates to some of these
issues, as does the "INFO: About Iris-L" message sent to all subscribers.
Happy irising to all, Tom.
Tom Tadfor Little tlittle@lanl.gov -or- telp@Rt66.com
technical writer/editor Los Alamos National Laboratory
Visit Telperion Productions on the web at
http://www.rt66.com/~telp/
