On Mon, 2 Dec 2002, Paul M Foster wrote:
>
> The real problem is that when they fill out the New Member Survey, they
> have to _uncheck_ boxes to stay off the SLUG and SLUG Announce lists.
> Most people probably don't even pay much attention to that. But the
> point is that they don't have to do any work to get on the lists. OTOH,
> I was always afraid that if they actually had to do work to get on the
> lists, they never would, and we'd dwindle.
>
> Maybe I should rethink that.
>
When other web sites have that "opt-in to our spam" box checked by
default, it bugs me. To me, it instantly flags them as untrustworthy. On
the other hand, if I recall correctly, you're still not s*bscribed until
you answer The Major's email asking if you _really_ want to subscr*be.
So it is a bit far-fetched that someone would subcsribe completely by
accident. Besides, we're not going to try to sell herbal viagra
substitutes to ourselves. (Did your spam filter just go off?) Still,
spam is in the eye of the To: field.
A sentence or two on http://suncoastlug.org/newmember.php3 briefly
describing what a mailing list is, and how much traffic is normal might be
a good idea. Or maybe put it on http://suncoastlug.org/lists.html and
link to that from the newmember.php3 page. It seems that slug-announce
gets less than 4 messages a month. The main slug list gets 15 to 25 but
can spike to over 50 on busy days. Folks who are used to 3 or 4 emails a
week among their family and friends might find that overwhelming. A
little heads-up on what they're getting into might help. Be sure to
mention that even just lurking on this list is an enormously valuable
learning resource.
I was thinking about a (heavy sigh) web interface to unsubs*ribe, in the
hopes of making it more user-friendly. But, very few people who don't
RTFM about about how to unsubsc*ibe are likely to ever locate a web
form to do it in a slightly more automated way in any case.
>
> And not following instructions isn't unique to us. I hate to say it, but
> half the time, when I have to put something together (bikes, exercise
> equipment, etc.) I only look at the docs (usually written by some
> English-as-third-language Taiwanese) if I can't figure out how it goes
> together myself.
When all else fails, read the destructions. But, wait until all else
really fails. :)
>
> Fortunately, the people on this list are a little more tolerant than
> most. ;-}
I have found this to be a great newbie list. When someone does need to
Read The Fine Manual, they are usually pointed to which parts of M are
most important to R and given some useful tips and tricks on the side.
I commonly see people who obviously really know their stuff taking the
time to answer what must, to them, be very basic questions. They do so
in a polite, informative, and sincere manner. Sometimes, they go research
someone else's problem and report what they found. Sometimes, they give
hints about how to look for solutions. (Give a man a fish. --- Teach a
man to fish.) They do all this for FREE. The real gurus don't hang out on
this list to gain valuable information. They're here to give it away to
people like me.
Why do so many people want to unsub*cribe?
I remain amazed and grateful,
Greg
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