On Fri, Jan 04, 2008 17:12:52 PM +0000, Harold Fuchs
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
> I will make a New Year's resolution to try to remember to change that
> subject line ...
Thanks! Please note that this is just a good practice that should be
followed whenever a message has a not informative subject: never let a
reply to any mailing list with an empty subject exit your computer!
> However, if you think that automatically deleting or otherwise
> ignoring such messages will make the moderators do something about
> that web site than I think you are being uncharacteristically
> optimistic.
Not really. The fact that getting things done to the oo.org website is
slightly harder than stopping global warming is well known among
anyone who (like yours truly) has followed this forum for more than 6
months in a row. But miracles happen, and maybe a wave of bad word of
mouth originating from the outside, due to volunteer support
disappearing, may accomplish more than all the complaints from within
the community. This is a much general problem, however, let's save it
for some other day.
> I personally think that ignoring requests for help, even if badly
> phrased, is just rude
or maybe, in this case, it is simply common sense. The support desk of
that other office suite is generally salaried, albeit badly. Does it
really make any sense, for free, to open 20 messages to find the only
one to which you may provide a useful answer? There are more effective
ways to help people online for free.
This is why, personally, these days I systematically delete at least
80/90% of all oo-users messages with an empty subject, choosing them
randomly. Then I open the two or three which remain and, if I know the
answer, I send it changing the subject. There is no bad will, simply
making the most effective use of the little time I have to provide
support for free.
If you only have 30 minutes a week to help OOo users, you should spend
as much as possible of those minutes WRITING ANSWERS. Not opening
message after message just to find out that you can't answer that
particular question. Of course, if you choose to open them all anyway,
it's your time, no problem. As long as you do add a decent subject
before sending out any reply.
Marco
--
Your own civil rights and the quality of your life heavily depend on how
software is used *around* you: http://digifreedom.net/node/84
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