I'm writing as many people as I can, but I think that it's just better to make a general post. I understood how part of this works, but not the entire big picture, as I'm not a computer programmer.
There are several email mode people who are messing up the threading of the archives. Not on purpose and you'd think that you typing your email would have nothing to do with the web board/archive out there in the forum on Google Groups, but it does (like I said, I'm not a programmer, but it looks like it works this way). Is this you? You log into your email and begin reading your list mail. You get to the last one and decide to make your post. So you just hit reply to that post, wipe out the subject heading, type in your own, and post away (or you slightly modify the subject by typing a couple of extra words in there). If that's you, please STOP!! You'd think that you're not doing anything to the archives/web board, but you are (I know it's not on purpose). And you may not care because you are in email mode, but not all 760+ people on this list read their email that way. Many use the web board (and those on digest/abridged have to go out to the web board to respond). How to do the emails (which ultimately wind up in the archives/web board/ forum): After you are done reading your email, you decide to make a post. Do NOT hit reply to the last thing you read (or the first, or any in the middle). Please begin a NEW email. Address it to: [email protected] (store that in your address book to make it easy). Type in your subject instead of changing someone else's subject (or adding extra words to it). Type in your message. I've had emails to me personally that complain that so-and-so has hijacked their thread. I'm in email mode, so I'm not entirely sure what they are talking about. I check everyone's settings, see what was written, and it usually looks fine. I think I figured it out today. Let's say you are a web board person (or are reading the archives for an old message) and the topic is "Fred Flintstone" and two people respond to this. You can read all about it on the web board. The next message on the web board alerts you to a thread change and who did it (this is those people who hit reply and change the subject heading) and says "Bugs Bunny." Well, the person who only reads the web board/archives writes me and tells me you are hijacking their thread. Or, you are a new member who is researching "Fred Flintstone" and an Internet search turns up the Google group, but they get a post about "Bugs Bunny" instead. Well, that's no help to their research, so they just go back to their search results and keep on looking. So please, please, please, do not modify or change any subjects or topic headings. When starting your own, start a fresh email. I know it's not intentional and that it seems that your email ISP is separate from Google Groups, but when responding to a Google Group message, there must be coding that redirects it back to the original thread. Thanks! Cheri Mello Listowner, Azores-Gen Researching: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership."
