On 29-Mar-07 19:21:12, Marc Schwartz wrote: > On Thu, 2007-03-29 at 19:38 +0100, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> On 29-Mar-07 17:15:27, Marc Schwartz wrote: >> > [...] >> > Just a quick heads up here, that deleting the body text of >> > a message or changing the subject line, does not alter the >> > 'linkage' between posts. >> > >> > There are standards for how messages are 'threaded' and largely >> > have to do with the e-mail headers, not the e-mail content. >> > >> > A couple of quick references that might be helpful: >> > >> > http://people.dsv.su.se/~jpalme/ietf/message-threading.html >> > >> > http://www.jwz.org/doc/threading.html >> >> This above, of course, is a good reason for not replying to an >> existing message when you want to start a completely new thread. >> >> However, I'm wondering what is the best way to start a new thread >> which legitimately branches out from an existing one. >> >> For example, someone posts a message which discusses at length a >> method of isotonic binary regression, and in the middle of this >> describes a curious approach to obtaining confidence bands for >> the regression. I'm intrigued by the confidence band issue, get >> some ideas about it, and want to start a new thread to develop >> just this aspect. >> >> However, to do so I want in the first place to include several >> quotations from the original message. This, of course, is most >> easily done by replying to that message -- so that it gets included >> in the reply -- and editing this included message, and changing >> the subject. >> >> But that stays in the old thread, which I don't want. Now of course >> one can copy over the old text into a brand new blank message, >> and edit it up into a simulacrum of a "reply" -- all the usual >> "On NN March 2007, XXX wrote:" ... as well as the "> " inclusion >> markers, etc.. But that could be tedious. Nevertheless, perhaps >> it is the right thing to do -- unless there's a work-round using >> the "reply" mechanism? >> >> Best wishes to all, >> Ted. > > Hi Ted, > > The general approach, if "relatedly digressing" (also described > in various 'netiquette' guides) is to do what I did here, which > is reply to the post in question, but change the subject header > by using "New Subject (was: Old Subject)". > > This enables you to easily engage in the sort of editing that you > describe, and still links your reply back to the original thread, > under the presumption that your reply is in some way related to > the subject matter of the original thread. > > Since most e-mail systems (list managers, MUA's, etc.) thread > based upon the headers and not the subject, as described in the > above references, unless you generate a completely new e-mail, > your reply will be linked to the e-mail and thread to which you > are replying. > > It's pretty much a dichotomous situation. Use 'reply' and you get > linked to the old thread. Use a 'new' e-mail and you start a new > thread. > > If you are truly moving in a new direction, I would be tempted to > start a new thread and perhaps to make it easier for readers, > include a reference/link to the post in question. That way, you > keep your new e-mail in a separate thread, while 'virtually' > linking it back to the original that raised your interest. > > HTH, > > Marc
Thanks for the clarification, Marc. Nicely put. Now that I visit the R-help archives website, I can see that these "subthreads" get hung off the originals in that display (just as out present subthread is, as seen there), which is a good way for it to happen (and ideally suited to the sort of situation which I described). And the way the subject was changed keeps it nice and clear as to what happened. Best wishes, Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861 Date: 29-Mar-07 Time: 21:39:17 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------ ______________________________________________ R-help@stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
