Very well said! Glenna ----- Original Message ----- From: Darrell A. Martin <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 1999 3:00 PM Subject: [VTCALEDO] Re: Forwards and cross-posts > I find that the value of forwarding (and, for that matter cross-posting) is INCREASED by the following factors: > > The original list is more specialized than the receiving list. E.g., a message forwarded from a town-specific list to a state list. > > The original list has a different subject type than the receiving list, e.g. from a surname list to a regional list. > > The message has a clear connection with the list to which forwarded. I don't think "families were known to move from County A to County B" qualifies as a clear connection, the way I intend the phrase. > > The original list is likely not known, or readily available, to the users of the list to which the message is forwarded. > > The person who forwards or cross-posts has asked the opinion of the receiving list's members before perpetrating the deed. > > An example of an excellent forwarding (which has not occurred, to my knowledge) would be one from the KNOWLTON list, kept on the Benetech corporate system (thank you, Benetech!) to the VTWINDSO-L list, containing a discussion in depth of several families connected to the Knowltons in Weathersfield, Vermont. > > ---------- > > I find that forwarded or cross-posted messages are DECREASED in value by the lack of the above-mentioned qualities, and by the following as well: > > The message is a virus alert, even if it is 24-karat solid gold accurate with platinum highlights. I'll get that information somewhere else, thank you! > > Communications garbage has not been edited out of the forwarded message. (The accretion of communications gobbledy-gook can reach such proportions that I will refuse to read past it, unless the message is from a family member. In that case, I read it but grumble back at them.) If you are reading this and don't know how to do what I am suggesting, I would be GENUINELY HAPPY to write to you explaining how to do it, and/or answer any and all questions about the process, even help you do testing if your program hides the stuff from you!!! > > The original message is mostly irrelevant to the receiving list, and the forwarding person has not edited the irrelevant portion(s), or even pointed out why the message is being forwarded and where in it to look for the connection. > > ---------- > > Given the above factors, and that I subscribe to: the Vermont list; the lists for Vermont counties Windham, Windsor, Orange, Caledonia, and Rutland; and the Connecticut River Valley list; my opinion of the recent spate of messages in question may be accurately deduced. > > I do NOT think forwarding or cross-posting should be banned outright. > > Darrell > > Darrell A. Martin > formerly of Springfield, Vermont > currently in exile in Addison, Illinois > [email protected] >