Re: [pvusers] List "REPLY TO" not set right

[Speireag Alden <Joshua.M.Alden.91@alum.dartmouth.org>]

Sgrìobh Jeff Clearwater:

>Everytime users hit the reply button from the list, the message is 
>sent to the original poster, not to the list.  This is problematic 
>in that most folks when they hit reply intend it their response to 
>be posted for everyone's benefit, not just the posters.  It's also a 
>hassle because even knowing that is the case, I have to go and 
>manually insert the List post address when I want to reply to a 
>comment.
>
>Could we get this fixed?

Jeff and everyone -

     I know that you mean well, but this is a feature, not a bug. 
Over the years, I've participated in many lists, some of which had 
reply-to-list set as default, and some of which had reply-to-sender 
set as default.  I much prefer reply-to-sender.

     Why?  Signal-to-noise ratio.  When the default is to reply to the 
list, people send their "me, too!" messages to the list, with the 
entire previous discussion quoted in the message body.  People send 
personal reactions to the list when they meant to send them 
privately.  The list gets "chatty".  It becomes more like a bunch of 
people sitting around shooting their mouths off, and less like a 
meeting or convention where people have come to discuss a single 
topic.  Occasionally, I have seen a list switch from one to the 
other, always with the best intentions.  The quality invariably goes 
down when the default changes to reply-to-list.

     So, for social lists, perhaps reply-to-list is best.  But for 
topical lists, I have found that reply-to-sender is far superior.  It 
*should* take a small amount of extra effort to send that message to 
all the list subscribers.  If you have something worth saying, then 
use your e-mail program's option, whatever it is, or cut and paste, 
or use an alias, and say it to the list.  Otherwise, just reply to 
the individual.

     It looks as though the change has already been made.  If so, I 
hope that it works out better than it has on other lists.

     Best wishes,

-Speireag.

-- 
"In the final analysis, I must not ignore the wounded man on life's 
Jericho Road, because he is a part of me and I am a part of him.  His 
agony diminishes me, and his salvation enlarges me."  --Martin Luther 
King, Montgomery, Alabama, 1956

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