[WWI] Annoying reply habits

[Helen and Chris]

Marc wrote:-

Here's what's annoying -- especially for those of us in digest mode -- the most recent digest has up to 7 or 8 FULL digests.  It is extremely dificult to follow the thread of the normal digest with past digests inserted willy nilly and helter skelter throughout.

Those of us who find it annoying are only asking that posters PLEASE delete the digest.  I swear, it seems like someone on this list copied three full digests for a two line response.

Yes, I know what the scroll mechanism is for -- but I'd rather not have to scroll through a horde of old messages to try and find where the current digest picks back up.  I know that if you are just getting the list in single message format, it's not that annoying.  But for those of us in digest mode, it a real PITA!  I am (we are) just asking for some courtesy.  Is that impossible?

Marc Flake

Marc,

you make a good point and I agree with you to an extent.  But, as an offender, may I make some observations?

The most important one from my point of view is that, oftentimes, we may not realise that we are causing a problem.  Howcome?

I expect that most of us use Outlook Express.  So you read messages in the bottom right third of your screen.  Most messages fit in that space (yours fitted perfectly).  You don't always realise that there is anything below. So you hit the reply button.

Come on, own up.  Who hits the expand icon to make this little box I'm typing in now enlarge to full screen?

Exactly.

Tim had the guts to admit to an error.  It was not until I sent my reply to his query, and saw how long it took to send, that I realised I had gaffed.  I hold my hand up to being a slack git.

Other observations include the spontaneity of light-hearted exchanges.  I welcome them and their wit and intellectual dexterity have had me laughing out loud. (Although I would contend that my local war memorial is funnier than the lachrymose Richard Nixon) So I can forgive them the rare instances where editing has been missed.

Often when we reply to multiple postings, the order in which they are sent is not the order in which they appear on the list.  Which lends a certain interest to the single message format.  And must complicate the digest mode. But how long does it actually take to sift through the digests for them to make sense?  It may seem a long time, but is it really more than a couple of minutes?  And if you saved those few minutes, what would you do with them instead?

John R has made a good point, too.

Whilst we all want it to be, the world is a heck of a long way from being a perfect place. It's all about give and take.  So I, as a subscriber to the single message format, will tighten up on my postings if you digest moders relax down a bit.  Sound reasonable?

Chris.
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