[GBlist] Coping with high email volume (0T)

[Susannah <susannah@cyber-dyne.com>]

Yes, an off-list reply was requested, but since this subject comes up SO 
often on this list, I'm writing in the hope that my two cents might be 
useful for a wider audience.

I fully sympathize with the plight of readers who find it difficult to find 
their non-listserv email in their inbox, among so many messages from the 
list!  Fortunately, it's not necessary to unsubscribe in order to find an 
easy solution to this problem :-).

Modern email software programs allow your incoming mail to be automatically 
sorted into separate folders, if you choose.  In Eudora these are called 
Filters, in Outlook they are called Message Rules.  My experience is with 
Eudora, but I took a quick look at Outlook before writing this and it looks 
very similar.  In either program, you can easily set up a Filter/Rule that 
causes all incoming mail from this listserv (or from any other source you 
choose) to be sent to its own folder.  That way, mail from the list does 
NOT show up in your inbox.  Rather, it's a separate box within Eudora or 
Outlook, and you can read it whenever you choose.

I myself subscribe to several listservs, each with its own mailbox within 
Eudora.  I also have separate mailboxes for eBay and mail to/from my 
sweetie.  When I was involved a complicated legal case, I set up a separate 
mailbox for mail to or from my lawyer.  This way my inbox remains 
uncrowded, and only contains "miscellaneous" email.  This system works well 
for me, but anyone can set up a system that works best for 
him/herself.  Honestly, I don't think that I would subscribe to listservs 
without it.  For those stuck with antiquated email software (the newer 
programs I mentioned are available free, but some old computers might not 
be able to handle them, or some workplaces might not allow them) filtering 
might have to be done by hand.  I notice that Pine allows separate folders, 
although I think you have to sort incoming mail yourself if you want it sorted.

I'd like to take this opportunity, too, to apologize for my contribution to 
the length and off-topicness of the Afgreenistan thread.  I just didn't 
think before I posted.  Or rather, I thought only within the context of 
giving an extremely brief reply to a question that had been posted.  I 
can't believe I was so foolish, but it truly didn't occur to me that my 
reply would lead people to feel compelled to post lengthy replies to the 
political aspect of my statement.  Again, this was ridiculously stupid of 
me.  I will try to screen my future posts for controversial material -- in 
fact, doing so was what led me to go back and add the bit about older email 
programs like Pine to *this* post :-).

Yours,

-- Susannah


______________________________________________________________________
This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by REPP/CREST, creator of
Solstice http://www.crest.org, and BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of
Environmental Building News and GreenSpec http://www.BuildingGreen.com
______________________________________________________________________