Ecolog: I received the following message from a listserv subscriber who wishes to remain anonymous:
"I know people have asked before and you have dismissed it, but I find > your changing of seemingly every subject line annoying and > presumptuous. In this case, what was gained by changing the subject > line? It made referencing back the original email more difficult." . . . and in later message: "PS This is a personal message and I would appreciate it not being forwarded to the whole list. Thanks," [Name withheld at sender's request]] I understand the poster's annoyance; ironically, being able to consistently track archived subjects is exactly why I often add a subject lead-line to the original or preceding message. Please note that I do not delete the original subject line; it is always retained behind the added one. The change in question: "CLIMATE Global warming and ESA meetings Re: [ECOLOG-L] 2010 ESA Annual Meeting: Call for Symposium and OOS Proposals" This kind of addition both preserves the original or preceding subject line and adds a subject label or sequential descriptive string that is more related to the content, thus enabling, merely by clicking on "Subject" in the email program, all of the material related to "CLIMATE," "Global warming and ESA meetings." Otherwise, one would have to remember that the subject under discussion started with "2010." If the content had to do primarily with ESA meetings, I would have added (not changed) "ESA" to the subject line in front of 2010. I very much appreciate David's light hand on listserv administration, leaving, as he does, the decision about subject line discipline up to the subscriber making the post. I do not object to anyone adding a lead subject line to any of my posts that more accurately reflects the primary content of the current message, nor to I object to the central focus of the discussion changing and a subsequent posting adding a more appropriate lead, while retaining the subject line of the original post(s). I hope that this answers the query, and welcome any on-list discussion of this issue before the Forum as a matter of common interest. It is my policy not to respond directly to "personal" emails regarding matters of interest to all or a number of listserv subscribers. I do welcome and generally respond to off-list enquires that are not of interest to the list. (When I am away on trips I often miss emails or take some time to respond; I apologize in advance for any inconvenience, and ask that if I do not respond that the email be re-sent periodically if the matter is of great importance. For urgent matters or true emergencies, there are people on this list who have my phone number who might call to inform me accordingly. I do sometimes correspond with individuals as a result of their emails when the subject matter seems to be of limited interest or too controversial for on-list discussion to be productive.) WT PS: Please feel free to add to the subject line of this post to improve its descriptive value in terms of content.
