[plug] Dealing with cluelessness.

[Greg]

why not just add the footer as already mentioned.
works for most lists

my 2 cents worth!

----- Original Message -----
From: The Thought Assassin <assassin at live.wasp.net.au>
To: <plug at plug.linux.org.au>
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2001 10:37 AM
Subject: [plug] Dealing with cluelessness.


> I can't keep track of all the subthreads any more, so I'm starting my own.
>
> The problem: unsubscribe attempts going to the list, not the listbot.
> The solution: Send new subscribers an email explaining unsubscription.
>
> This works on 90% of cases.
>
> The problem: Idiots not reading the instructions they have been sent.
> The solution: ???
> Suggestions so far:
>
> 1: Send the instructions again.
> Problem: These people don't read instructions. It doesn't matter if they
> are sent at the end of every message, at the end of some messages, or not
> at all. We are dealing with people who do not read instructions in the
> first place, so placing instructions somewhere they shouldn't even expect
> instructions to be is a waste of bandwidth.
>
> 2: Change the instructions to meet the idiot's interpretation.
> Problem: Like spam or porn filtering, you can't distinguish automatically
> with any accuracy. You either fail to unsubscribe people who attempt it
> wrongly (you can never anticipate the actions of idiots) or you manage to
> unsubscribe people who do not wish to be unsubscribed, but haven't kept up
> with the exact logic of the unsubscription filters. Usually, you have both
> problems. The list is here to service its subscribers, not its attempted
> unsubscribers, so the acceptable level of filtering is none at all.
>
> 3: Change the idiots.
> Problem: How do you determine who is an idiot and who is not with a simple
> test? Someone might prove capable of reading when given such a test, but
> then choose not to read at future times, through laziness of ignorance. I
> think this would have a small positive effect on our subscribership, but a
> large negative effect on external perception of us.
>
> What are we left with?
> I can see merits in combining all of the above methods to varying degrees,
> but hopefully in ways to limit the negatives mentioned.
>
> Combining the first two approaches, how about a (conservative!) filter for
> that results in sending the instructions again? Only this time, the
> message is: "you have sent an email that looks like an unsubscribe
> request. It was _not_ broadcast the list. Follow instruction X to
> unsubscribe. Follow instruction Y to send your message to the list
> anyway." Obviously, this should involve strong anti-looping logic. :)
> Is this a good idea? It might potentially annoy list members who expect
> in-band text to stay in-band, (do we allow them to set an option to
> switch the filter off for their mail?) and will possibly create more work
> for the poor overworked underpaid list-admin. What do we think?
>
> The way to modify the third method is to accept that a computer cannot
> detect an idiot. We, on the other hand, can - since we define the term
> "idiot" ourselves. :) When someone posts on the list in a manner that
> implies an inability or unwillingness to read instructions, we must make
> it clear to them that their behaviour is limiting the benefits of the list
> for themselves and others. Point them in the direction of documentation,
> if they don't know where it is. Explain what the docs mean when they are
> obscure, and how they apply to the problem at hand. Ignore their pleas for
> free tech support - this forum is for sharing the experiences of fellow
> users, not for avoiding learning about your system - there are people whom
> you can pay to do that. This is of course a generalisation; there are
> many times when a question could be answered with an RTFM, but could be
> answered better and more accurately with the wisdom of experience that a
> list member might have. Where do we draw the line? Should we have a line?
> Should we have guidelines in the FAQ? Should we just have an
> understanding, as we (sort of) do now? Am I advocating an elitist police
> state? Should we sign an extradition treaty with the PWUG, or just exile
> offenders to /dev/null? Should I stop writing email and get back to work?
> Answers in 12 words or less, on my desktop tomorrow morning, thanks.
>
> -Greg Mildenhall
>
>
>