On 12 February 2016 at 17:48, Bret Busby <bret.bu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 12/02/2016, Ric Moore <wayward4...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > It would be sweet if we didn't encourage people to post subject lines > > like "I need help". It helps no one else but the OP. Ric > > > > Quite agree. > > "I need help" also happens to sound like a spam message subject line, > quite appart from it lacking any indication of a problem description. > > And, "I need help" better applies to "I need help" to stop people > posting messages with useless subject lines like "I need nelp". > > I suggest that this mailing list be changed to a mailing list to which > only subscribers can post (to reduce spam and other malicious messages > - "click on this link, so I can breach your system..."), and that, on > the web page from whence people can subscribe to the list, or, that > gives instructions of how to subscribe to the list, and, in the > "welcome to the list" message that is sent to the subscribers, > inclusion of a recommendation for people posting queries to the list, > to use informative Subject line contents, such as "<distribution > version> - <package name (if applicable)> - <very short problem > description>", so as to facilitate and expedite responses, could be > useful, so as to get subject lines like "Debian woozy - synaptic - > screen does not stop flashing", or, "Debian 7 - screensaver - crashes > system", which could make the whole experience better for everyone, so > that people who have some knowledge of the applicable distribution > version, and, package, may have seen the particular problem, and have > the solution, and, be inclined to read the rest of the message and > post a possible solution, rather than dismissiing a "I need help" > message as appearing to be one of those, where the appropriate > response would be "It is a CD/DVD drive, not a coffee mug holder", or, > "You are not supposed to use a tablet PC to take underwater > photographs without some kind of waterproof casing". > If you want to do that I think you need to have some examples of sensible posts and silly ones for new subscribers to scan through before they become debian debutantes.... Perhaps we could use popular song titles e.g. the Beatles "Help" song and the Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want" etc. MF > > -- > > Bret Busby > Armadale > West Australia > > .............. > > "So once you do know what the question actually is, > you'll know what the answer means." > - Deep Thought, > Chapter 28 of Book 1 of > "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: > A Trilogy In Four Parts", > written by Douglas Adams, > published by Pan Books, 1992 > > .................................................... > >
