On Sat, Aug 29, 2020 at 07:32:03PM -0600, Akkana Peck wrote: > Derek Martin writes: > > Your only option for this which would have widespread support would > > be HTML. It is *possible* to generate such messages and send them > > with Mutt. It's just not very easy or user-friendly. > > I agree (and the thread you reference is very worthwhile reading). > But be warned that people who are used to doing everything in Word > documents might not be as amenable to HTML as you might think. > > I mean, Gmail (as well as local mailers like Thunderbird and Apple > Mail) give you an HTML editor, so that should be a no-brainer, > right? Right? > > But a while back, I tried to get some people in a nonprofit I work > with to accept meeting minutes in HTML rather than Word -- and it > was a complete disaster. None of them could figure out how to edit > the HTML file, even when it was sent inline in HTML format. > I think the blockquotes used for quoting was messing them up. > Or something. It's not like you can get them to explain why they're > freaking out and saying "HOW DO I ADD MY COMMENTS?!!"
Well, yes. I think it's helpful to keep in mind the distinction between revisable and final formats. Things like .docx and ODF are designed for revisable documents. Share these when you want collaborative editing or annotation. IMHO these are very poor formats for distributing finalized documents. Things like HTML and PDF are designed for finalized documents. Share these when you just need to disseminate a completed work. Altering documents in these formats is a matter for experts, and some in your audience may not be that kind of experts. It's easy to edit documents in a revisable format until they are satisfactory, and then render the finished content in a final format (or multiple final formats) for publication. -- Mark H. Wood Lead Technology Analyst University Library Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis 755 W. Michigan Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 317-274-0749 www.ulib.iupui.edu
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