I don't recall that either Philo or I said the "banner" option should
not be available.
 
I think the real intent of what we said was that they can become very
irritating on a busy list, and perhaps some listowners make overextensive
use of them simply because they are there.
 
If some lists have to have paying sponsors, who demand mention in each
posting, so be it.  But if you will think back to when what is now
PBS was NET you may recall that sponsors got a line in the credits,
nothing more.  Over the years things have become much more lax and it
is difficult, sometimes, to distinguish between a "sponsorship credit"
on PBS and an "ad" on "commercial" television.  Only very rarely these
days do I watch anything on PBS or listen to NPR.  They *have* gone
commercial.
 
I can see some use for the banners on a limited basis, for a limited
time.  Say, you know a lot of your subscribers are going to a big
professional conference so you run, for a limited time, a banner
reninding people to set their subs nomail before they leave (and don't
wait 'til the last minute, please).  Or something about a listowner
being away for a while so please contact the other listowner if you've
a problem.  But those are temporary expedients, possibly useful at the
time, not perpetual irritants (most of the time there's no banner,
so when there is it is more likely to be noticed).
 
I persist in my belief that over/mis use of the banners does more harm
than good.  I'm rather pigheaded, you know. :-)  The option to use the
banners is there and I don't say it shouldn't be there.  I do say its
use should be judicious so that it is truly used by the subscribers.
If it is constantly there, in every posting, no attention will be paid
to it, even if you change the wording around periodically, so what's
the point of having it?
 
Douglas
       Douglas Winship   Hays County, Texas  [log in to unmask]
                    Secondary AUTOCAT Listowner
                              MEDLAB-L