> > > > And Yahoo and Google Groups are quite explicit, when you sign up for > > them, that the archives are either public or private. This list is > > *not*, and it should be. > > > > What's a "private" group? Are you saying that evil people can't access > them and that, therefore, explicitly including your personal details is OK?
One where the archives can only be gotten to by people who have subscribed to the list, as opposed to anyone with a web browser. > > Respectfully, I disagree. While I agree that the original mistake was > > Aricka's, as a recent list subscriber, I understand *exactly* how she > > made it, even if it was made from incorrect assumptions. > > > > The difference here is one of perspective. I'm trying to make sure > > that what she did (in all innocence) doesn't come back to bite someone > > else on the ass. > > > > > Also respectfully, I disagree. Unless you are on a [corporate] secure > network, real or virtual, any document anyone posts anywhere on the > internet is accessible to anyone interested enough. That's true of mail > lists, news groups and web forums, as well as Yahoo or Google groups. If > you include your details as part of the registration process and if you > are told during that process that those details will be kept private > then, yes, you have a right to expect that you have been told the truth. > I am sure that Yahoo and Google obey this rule. But if you choose to > include your details in your posts, regardless, then Yahoo and Google > clearly cant be deemed to have breached their obligations. And while it's an erroneous assumption that things are private until stated otherwise, it is a COMMON erroneous assumption. Would it hurt to add, on the sign up page: "Note: All mailing list archives are public. Anything you post here will be archived for any web browser or search engine to archive." As well as an explanation that, to subscribe, you send an email with the subject "subscribe" in the header, and a blank body? Seriously - I had to dig around for 30 minutes to remember how to do this, as I'd not been on a unix-style mailing list in close to a decade. > As far as OpenOffice is concerned (a) you don't have register for this > list, (b) the OP wasn't registered for this list and (c) if you do > subscribe to this list you are not asked for any details except your > e-mail address. And I contend that the page says "To get tech support, subscribe to the list" - which means that, for the average user, yes, getting on this list is pretty close to de-rigeur. I do agree that what Aricka did (posting her full contact info in a public email) wasn't exactly bright. However, if you're coming from the WIndows world, you're swaddled in a believe that everything is, well, shrinkwrapped for your protection. Telling someone they aren't protected before they do something foolish is more productive than being supercillius afterwards. > At the place in the OpenOffice Support page relevant to this list, it says > ========= > Users Mail List (Subscribe <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> / > Archives <http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/SummarizeList?listName=users>) > OpenOffice.org Project community support provided by a network of > hundreds of experienced users. > You must be subscribed to post messages. > ========= > > The phrase "provided by a network of hundreds of experienced users" > suggests a lack of privacy even if the last sentence is factually incorrect. If you're on a corporate VPN, "hundreds of users" might just be your *department*. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
