Randy Ryan wrote:
!~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Busy lists, the usual firstline approach in helping members
manage a
large volume of mail is to suggest they switch to digest form.

For those using topics with heavy volume lists, do you try and
suggest
people set up special folders for the list and support that effort or
what???

My response:
~~~~~~~~~~

Randy,

Up to now, our busiest day (reached only once, has been 30 messages
in all channels (i.e., all topics).  Our normal "high water day" is
20 messages, of which 10-18 will normally come from one channel
(either DIScussion or CHAT).

Up till now I have only sent "help messages" to our members, via the
ADMinistrative channel --especially after 2 or 3 days of heavy
traffic.. All members belong to the ADM:channel, which  I assure by
periodically sending the message:  SET TOPICS: +ADM for *  to our
server.  (But 99% of our members respect the rule anyway, so I
needn't really do it.)

My most-comprehensive message is as follows:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject:        ADM:  TOO MANY Messages ????


IF you find that there are TOO many messages coming to you from
CETEFL-L......

>>>>>>>>>>> DON'T PANIC !!!  <<<<<<<<

Here are 4 easy solutions:

(Just ask yourself these questions,
to find the best solution.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


1.  Can you live without 1 (or 2 or 3) of the posting-channels?
 (Maybe you wish-to-hell you weren't receiving the JOB:channel or
CHAT:channel !!!!)

Then just De-select them !!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Send this message:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TO:  [log in to unmask]
Subj: (leave Blank)

SET CETEFL-L TOPICS: -JOB -CHAT

(You MUST use the minus sign (-) !!!)

*********************************************
And To subtract multiple channels,
you must separate each channel with
a space and REPEAT the minus sign (-).
********************************************


2. Do you find it difficult to read the postings, because they arrive
individually, over the whole day?   Then switch to "Digest", which is
a single package of all postings (in chronological order, sent to you
at midnight, Central European Time, each day.

To do this send:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TO: [log in to unmask]
Subj:  (leave blank)

SET CETEFL-L DIGEST

(To reverse this decision, and receive individual messages again,
replace the
word DIGEST with NoDIGEST in the above command)


3.  Do you feel guilty you can't keep up with all the DIScussions,
ESSays, PSAs and ASK-questions?

  If you feel guilty......
......I urge you to BE MORE SELECTIVE in what you read.  We don't
expect all members to read 100.0% of the postings.

BE SELECTIVE. It's YOUR life; it's YOUR schedule.  Read what's
important to YOU.

If you have just 30 minutes between the end-of-class and the
beginning-of-consultation hours, simply CHOOSE one DIScussion
"thread" (of personal interest to you) and "follow it" through.

This is exactly why we INSIST that our members *NOT* change the
SUBJ:title, UNLESS they are REALLY changing the topic, i.e., it
doesn't help fellow-members when we "get clever" and change the title
of the SAME discussion, over and over, for the sake of a pun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4.  If all else fails:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 You can leave CETEFL-L, when you decide you've had quite enough of
us.  (BUT Please do NOT use this command when you go on holidays: USE
the SET CETEFL-L NoMAIL command, instead. )

        To: [log in to unmask]
        Subj: (leave Blank)

        UNsubscribe CETEFL-L

Do NOT put any address or name in this message: the server will only
get confused, and NOT UNsubscribe you.
________________________________________

That's it !!!

I strongly suggest you file these instructions, for future use.

Dennis Hickman
System Administrator