For what it's worth, I'm also in favor of not changing subject lines until the thread has diverged significantly from the topic described in the subject line. It makes life a lot easier for the Gmail users among us!
Jane On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 4:32 PM, Wayne Tyson<[email protected]> wrote: > 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. > -- ------------- Jane Shevtsov Ecology Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia co-founder, <www.worldbeyondborders.org> Check out my blog, <http://perceivingwholes.blogspot.com>Perceiving Wholes "The whole person must have both the humility to nurture the Earth and the pride to go to Mars." --Wyn Wachhorst, The Dream of Spaceflight
