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Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 15:51:21 -0600
From: Bill Thoen <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Save Time on Maps-L? <fwd>
Sender: Bill Thoen <[log in to unmask]>



> From: Jennifer Stone Muilenburg <[log in to unmask]>
> ... I think people are mostly quite good at formatting their own messages and subject lines. That said, I don't think it would hurt to ask folks to format their subject lines in a certain way, and if they don't, and it comes across incorrectly, it's really no big deal.

I agree with this too, but I'm a little more extreme about
subject headers with insufficient information. It's worth
reminding new listers to think about their subject heading if
they want responses, but if they don't do it they will find that
they get few responses. The system self-corrects if we don't
coddle the lazy. Those who post messages with subjects like
"question," "help," or no subject line at all get the response
that such little effort on their part deserves. I use subject
lines as a sort of a cataloging tool when I scan or archive
messages, and it's more trouble to fix these than it is to ignore
them. It's asking more than is fair to expect a list moderator to
fix all email subject lines, and even a moderator might
misinterpret what's intended. If you want your words to be read,
you need to remember that the most important line in your message
is the subject line.

Personally, I see so much list email these days that I take less
than a second or two to scan and delete mail with poorly
considered headers. I tend to look for certain words and if I
don't see them, I delete and move on. I don't even open messages
with blank headers. Maybe I'll miss a vital message now and then,
but with all the screaming media blasting me these days, I've
gotten fussy about what I'll pay any attention to.

- Bill Thoen
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