Date   : Tue, 20 Feb 2007 08:32:25 -0600
From   : julesrichardsonuk@... (Jules Richardson)
Subject: Mailing list headers

Andrew Benham wrote:
> This message has been sent via a mailing list, and you treat
> it the same as above - "reply to sender" to reply to only
> the sender, and "reply to all recipients" to, well, reply
> to all recipients ('the list').

I suppose my main concern is that with the current setup, people are 
encouraged to reply to the individual rather than the list from which the 
replied-to message originated.

Given that we're dealing with a niche area (i.e. number of subscribers will 
never be that high) and we're largely working with memories of over 20 years 
ago (so there's lots of potential for recalling things incorrectly) it'd seem 
more sensible to me to be promoting list-based discussion as much as possible.

Aside from the fact that policy on this list seems to be different to every 
other mailing list I've ever been on, of course :-)

The downside of changing of course is that once in a blue moon someone would 
send something to the list that was intended to be private. Big deal; it 
happens, the sender posts and apology (or not), and everyone moves on. (Plus 
of course it makes people consider what they're writing a little more; people 
are less likely to launch a scathing attack against an individual if they 
think there's a risk they might screw up and send it to the whole list :-)

I don't care *that* much - I just think it's a shame that the list isn't more 
user-friendly and oriented toward generating more traffic amongst all members. 
Specialist interests such as this need all the help they can get, after all!

cheers

Jules