my vote
Reply-To line set to return responses to the list (public)
Bruce Jones wrote:
> Back in the good old days of the Internet, before the advent of
> POP clients and attachments, there was a "To" line and a "From"
> line in the message header. Your mail program offered you two
> choices: reply to everyone who got the original message, and
> reply to originator only.
>
> You had to make the choice, as there was no default.
>
> Today, with the advent of the "Reply-To" line and a single "Reply"
> button on GUI mail clients (Outlook, Eudora, Netscrape Mail), the
> default is chosen for you. Now, even if you use a "legacy" mail
> program like I do, there is no distinction made between reply to
> originator and reply to everyone. The Reply-To line is in control.
>
> The result is exemplified in at least two dimensions in yesterday's
> personal-made-public exchange between Riley and Tom, and this
> morning, when I fell prey to the same problem in my response to
> Paul Hirsh's request for a change to digest.
>
> Riley has written and asked that I change the default Reply-To line
> from everyone to originator. This being a public list, I am putting
> it to a vote.
>
> Each setting has its positive and negative aspects.
>
> With the Reply-To set to everyone (current state), the possibility
> that messages intended for one person will to out to the list.
>
> With Reply-To set to originator only, there is a reduced risk that
> personal messages will be made public but there is an increased
> likelihood that messages intended for the entire list will only go
> to the originator.
>
> (BTW: I think that the change in setting is, in large part,
> responsible for the increase in list traffic because messages
> intended for the list but sent only to the originator under the
> old regiem, are now coming to everyone - which may or may not be a
> "Good Thing" (TM) depending on your POV.)
>
> If this issue interests you one way or another, please vote for one
> of the following:
>
> Reply-To line set to return responses to the list (public)
> Reply-To line set to return responses to the originator (private)
>
> Which say ye?
>
> bj
>
> -
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Feb 03 2003 - 09:09:51 PST