The [log in to unmask] list has been having a discussion
on the propriety/value, etc. of having automatic acknowledgements
(also called Receipts) in mail messages. I gather that it is
particularly prevalent in a mailer called CC:MAIL.
Anyway, this is the most recent posting on the topic. Note the
suggestions for ListServ, ListProc, et al, near the end.
Judith Hopkins, Listowner of [log in to unmask]
ULCJH@UBVM (BITNET address)
[log in to unmask] (Internet address)
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Date: Mon, 19 Sep 1994 14:28:29 -0600 (CST)
From: GERRY NEUFELD <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 16 Sep 1994 12:49:11 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Arlene Rinaldi <[log in to unmask]>
>Fellow nettrainers, below is a question that I was unable to answer.
>Maybe this is mainstream, but I have honestly not heard of "receipts"
>in mailers since we don't have them at my institution. Here is the
>message that I had responded to regarding whether "receipts" were
>considered poor netiquette. Let me know what you think.
> [forwarded message deleted]
Our institution does not have this "receipt" function either. However,
I think that this is how it works:
The sender, using cc:mail, sends a message requesting a receipt. This
request for a receipt is embedded somewhere in the header. If the
message is received by a compatible mailer, the receiver's mailer
automatically sends a message back to the originator of the message
when the recipient reads that piece of mail. However, if the
recipient's mailer is not compatible, no acknowledgement is sent back
to the sender.
In my opinion this seems like a useful function for ordinary email
correspondence. However,
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IT SHOULD **NEVER** BE USED WHEN SENDING MAIL TO A MAILING LIST!!
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The message would be forwarded (together with the request for
acknowledgement) by the LISTSERV software to all subscribers to the
list. When the subscribers read the message, their mailers would
automatically generate a receipt that would be sent back to the list
and forwarded to all subscribers. If 100 members on the list had
compatible mailers, each legitimate message to the list would generate
100 unwanted acknowledgements in each subscribers mail box.
This has just started to happen on one of the lists to which I
subscribe and it is very annoying.
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I would suggest that all programmers who support mail serv packages
such as LISTSERV, ListProcessor, Majordomo, etc. take immediate action
to eliminate this potential problem by modifying the mail serv
programs so that acknowledgement requests are automatically stripped
from messages before they are sent to the list members.
This must be done immediately before this problem gets out of hand!
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Gerry Neufeld [log in to unmask]
_______________________________________________________________________
Gerald Neufeld, [log in to unmask]
Brandon University,
Brandon, MB, Canada R7A 6A9
Office (204) 727-7321, Home 727-7375, FAX 728-3326
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