Earlier today, Pete Weiss wrote:
 
> As I recall, folks who used certain kinds of VAX/VMS mailers (or
> configurations thereof) had difficulties: either in replying, and/or
> knowing that the original mail was coming from our list instead of an
> individual to the receiver.
 
        Yes, what Pete describes is certainly true of the VAX/VMS
system I'm on.  We've used several different mailers, and all of them
have made it seem as if the mail was coming from an individual rather
than from a list.  (One person likened it to getting junk mail in a
hand-addressed envelope.)  If you look carefully at the routing
statements, you can see that it's from a list, but at first it seems
to be coming from an individual.  I find that somewhat annoying,
but....
 
        More of an issue for me is the hindering of information
exchange when replies go back to the poster rather than to the list.
Private replies are a good arrangement when the list is mostly
chitchat, but if the list exists largely for the exchange of
information and ideas, I think replies are best sent to the list.
 
        Some people argue that the person who posts the initial
message can/should compile all the replies and send them in one big
bundle to the list.  In practice, I've found that that doesn't work so
well.  Many people are e-mail novices, at least on my list; they don't
have any idea how to strip lines and headers away, append one message
to another, etc.  So either they won't ask the question to start with,
or they won't compile the responses.   But even among more experienced
e-mail users, compiling responses creates problems.  One is timing: if
you send the compilation too soon, you miss some of the responses you
get later, while if you wait until all responses are in, interest may
have dwindled.  Another problem is that when responses are private,
it's difficult for list members to correct inaccurate responses or
engage in debate, since they don't see the responses until they're
presented at the end in one big bundle.
 
        So, for all the above reasons, I've kept my list set so that
replies come back to the list, even though that makes for heavier mail
volume.  Most of the people on my list think it's worth it.
 
        Joan Korenman, WMST-L Listowner   KORENMAN@UMBC
        Univ. of MD. Baltimore County     [log in to unmask]
        Baltimore, Maryland 21228-5398