On Sun, 14 Jun 1998, John Bachman wrote:

> This investigation brought out the weakness of Topics: Topics is a DOS kind
> of implementation in a  point and click world.  If the users do not
> manually put the correct Topic in their subject line their message will not
> be recieved by their target audience (those who have selected that Topic).

Tell me......do your members have a point and click menu to type their
letters to the list too?  Do they not TYPE out their messages, and subject
lines?  If it is a matter of not rememberind the topics, do what we
did....include it in the footer.....that way, they get a list every time a
message comes in.

> Hey Lsoft!  How about a menu selection method?  You know, point and click?
> Subscribers get a small program downloaded to them so that when they post a
> message to the list a menu of the Topics assigned to that list pops up.
> Pick the one you want and away you go.  Whatcha think? Can you do it, huh,
> huh?  Sure you can, but will you, huh, huh?

Why?  Are your subscribers so point and drool conditioned that they can't
THINK, and TYPE one extra word and a punctuation?  Boy.  I just
implimented topics on a list I run (about 700 members), and, yes, there
are a few DENSE ones that just don't get it, but they are the ones that
can't subscribe, and unsubscribe, can't set themselves to mail, send posts
to the list to the -request address too......even after explaining it 30
times.  There are some people you just can't help.....because they don't
wanna learn, and because they don't care to.

I admit, when *I* signed onto my first list with topics, I wasn't sure how
they worked.  But you know what?  I READ THE INSTUCTIONS, and FOLLOWED
THEM.  Guess what.....second nature now.  It isn't that hard.

I think my .sig is **VERY** fitting for your subscribers sir.

.------------------------------.  ,------------------------------------.
| Pauline M. Marshall         /  /                 --= MightyMouse =-- |
| [log in to unmask]           /  /        http://www.logic.net/~mmouse/ |
|---------------------------'  `---------------------------------------|
|Progress (n.): The process through which the internet has evolved from|
|               smart people in front of dumb terminals to dumb people |
|               in front of smart terminals.                           |
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