vpFREE2 Forums

PLEASE - clean up your e-mails to the List

#1

I usually get individual e-mails and don't scroll down to notice all the unnecessary copying that goes on. But for those of you who get digests or read on the Web, this is a terrible situation that I just noticed while I was catching up on the Website. Miles and miles of copied material, not just from the post you are answering but sometimes all the posts in the whole thread.

Don't copy a whole trip report to comment on one item or just to say how helpful the report was. Don't copy a whole long post full of technical math stuff that most of us skipped the first time. We sure don't want to have to wade through it again - perfect refer to the post # you are answering; then someone who is interested can go back and read the original post. Copy ONLY enough of the original post to remind people what you are responding to. If you have your computer set to put the original post in all your replies, then do some HEAVY editing before you send it off. It only takes a minute or two to delete the unnecessary stuff and leave what is important.

If you are going to refer to several things in your reply to a post, then it is clearest to quote just the part you are referring to with some sort of sign, like << >>, to make clear that this is quoted material and then your answer is below it. Then do the same for the next item. Don't put << >> around your answer. Then it is hard to know who is saying what.

Here is your composition class example:

···

-------------

<<John said: I think JoB is the easiest strategy...>>

I will have to disagree with you, John, because I think DW takes this honor.

<<Susan said: I think Pick'Em is the easiest because...>>

I think you may have a good point there.
----------

See how easy it is to figure out what is quoted and what my comments are.

I don't imagine that I am the only one who doesn't want to miss any important information but is literally drowning in the posts on these lists. Some of you may have more spare time to spend on the Internet, both to read posts and write them, but I know a lot of people who have had to just cancel the whole thing. Don't feel you have to respond to every post you have a stray idea on. What if everyone did that?

Now I'm not trying to stifle anyone personally, but I am just asking that we all think about the number of posts that are on these lists. And I like the lightheartedness of casual banter among friends. But if we all made an effort to condense our thoughts as much as possible, make sure we edit the copied material in our post, and perhaps most important of all, label the subjects more specifically. With very specific subjects, then people can use the delete button to help save themselves from drowning.

Darn, I just re-read this post and I sound too much like an English teacher. Sorry - I don't mean to be harsh. But going through 5 days of posts on the Web just about drove me 'round the bend. If you get individual e-mails, maybe you don't realize the problem. Why not go to the Web and read over the last couple of days posts. You will see what I mean.
____________________
Jean $cott - "The Frugal Gambler"
MORE FRUGAL GAMBLING can NOW
be ordered, autographed, at a pre-pub
discount, at http://www.FrugalGambler.biz

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#2

Copy ONLY enough of the original post to remind people what you are

responding to.

It only takes a minute or two to delete the unnecessary stuff and

leave what is important.

But if we all made an effort to condense our thoughts as much as

possible, make sure we edit the copied material in our post, and
perhaps most important of all, label the subjects more specifically.

Jean $cott - "The Frugal Gambler"
MORE FRUGAL GAMBLING can NOW
be ordered, autographed, at a pre-pub
discount, at http://www.FrugalGambler.biz

Does this thinking include tag lines that promote commercial sales?

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#3

And while we're at this subject, would you, Jean, and others whose
posts similarly drift off, off, off to the right (must be conservative
Republican posters?) ... would you please activate the wrap feature?
Okay, class dismissed! :slight_smile:

Pete

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Jean Scott" <QueenofComps@f...> wrote:

I usually get individual e-mails and don't scroll down to notice all

the unnecessary copying that goes on. But for those of you who get
digests or read on the Web, this is a terrible situation that I just
noticed while I was catching up on the Website. Miles and miles of
copied material, not just from the post you are answering but
sometimes all the posts in the whole thread.
<SNIP>

#4

And what may I ask is the "wrap feature?" I don't see anything unusual
about any posts that I read.

Scot

···

-----Original Message-----
From: paisonvp [mailto:pai…@…org]
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2003 5:40 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: PLEASE - clean up your e-mails to the List

And while we're at this subject, would you, Jean, and others whose
posts similarly drift off, off, off to the right (must be conservative
Republican posters?) ... would you please activate the wrap feature?
Okay, class dismissed! :slight_smile:

Pete

#5

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Scot Krause" <krauseinvegas@w...>
wrote:

And what may I ask is the "wrap feature?" I don't see anything

unusual

about any posts that I read.

Scot

If you read your posts by activating the expand message function
(which is actually a very efficient way of reading forty or fifty
posts), some peoples posts are all on one line that just go and go
and go to the right of the screen. This must be caused by a no line
wrap command being in effect. Whatever it is not much fun trying to
read one of those posts.

DWL

#6

<<And while we're at this subject, would you, Jean, and others whose
posts similarly drift off, off, off to the right (must be conservative
Republican posters?) ... would you please activate the wrap feature?
Okay, class dismissed! :)>>

I noticed that when I was reading on the Web - and had never noticed it in
individual e-mails. What can I do to make mine "wrap" better? I'm not very
computer savvy.

By the way, I did reduce my signature block to 4 lines, as that seems to be
"standard." I feel that I am giving helpful frugal information - plus it
does serve to reduce considerably my heavy load of personal e-mail asking
basic questions. That is the same reason for having a calendar page on my
website. If the list moderators asked me (and others) to avoid commercial
information in the signature block, I would do so.

···

____________________
Jean $cott - "The Frugal Gambler"
MORE FRUGAL GAMBLING can NOW
be ordered, autographed, at a pre-pub
discount, at http://www.FrugalGambler.biz

#7

Hmmmm ... I'm beginning to finally see what someone was complaining about re identifying text; i.e., when Scot posted the following message, the previous message from 'paisonvp' was not delineated in any way as being such. It must be the browser Scot is using, or perhaps he has posted directly on the website. I guess I never really noticed this before since most of the messages I seem to receive follow the agreed convention of using '>', '>>', etc. I can definitely see where this could possibly become confusing, especially if subsequent messages in the thread happen to delete some info. Also see my other comments, below.

Scot Krause wrote:

And what may I ask is the "wrap feature?" I don't see anything unusual
about any posts that I read.

Scot

From: paisonvp [mailto:pai…@…org]
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2003 5:40 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: PLEASE - clean up your e-mails to the List

And while we're at this subject, would you, Jean, and others whose
posts similarly drift off, off, off to the right (must be conservative
Republican posters?) ... would you please activate the wrap feature?
Okay, class dismissed! :slight_smile:

Pete

Scot, the "wrap" feature is an optional command available on some browers such as Netscape when you are composing a message; for instance, if I happen to click on 'Reply' to a posted message, the original text automatically appears (preceeded by the '>' symbols), but sometimes it will extend to the far right causing a horizontal scroll bar to appear at the bottom of the window. The 'wrap' feature inserts carriage returns at intervals to display the long line as a paragraph. Now, I don't understand how the problem arises in the first place, and fortunately it doesn't happen often, but that's what 'rewrap' is for; it can be found under the 'Edit' command on the menu bar in Netscape compose.

Pete, here's a tip. If you receive a message in that form, it makes it easier to read if you will employ the rewrap feature yourself. You might need to do this by initially clicking on 'reply', and then trashing it when you've finished reading it.

Cheers.

Bill

   I don't really fully understand how

···

-----Original Message-----

#8

Jean Scott wrote:

snip

By the way, I did reduce my signature block to 4 lines, as that seems to be
"standard."

snip

That seems to be the acceptable standard; sig blocks don't bother me, whether they are for commerical purposes or not. I've got no problem with yours.

Bill