[wplug-jobs] mailing list config change for wplug-kobs

[James O'Kane]

On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 1:14 AM, Ted Rodgers <ted.d.rodgers at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 3:07 AM, Pat Barron <pat at lectroid.com> wrote:
>> On 9/7/2012 2:22 AM, Ted Rodgers wrote:
>>>
>>> I changed a setting on mailman for -jobs.  The default for "reply" was
>>> set to reply to poster for the list rather than reply to the list.  I
>>> do not know when or how the option was set to that, but unless there
>>> is a general consensus saying "no" then I will leave "reply" set to
>>> the list address.
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
> I,  too, think "reply" on a jobs list would make sense to go only to
> the original poster.  But, as happened earlier, a reply to a
> discussion then only goes to one person, too .. providing some
> confusion or preventing any "normal" discussion on-list without
> manually adding -jobs as a CC.  (Let's not add that to the -jobs list
> rules of user conduct/etiquette or ask for a vote on the matter,
> ever.)
>
> It's been my experience with the list that job posters' email
> addresses show up as the sender (at least in the online archives) and
> are also listed in the sender's closing and then additionally as part
> of a signature line or field.  Because of the nature of the group and
> the emailing capability of those who post and/or read the lists, I
> dare assert that list recipients having the skill and/or ability to
> copy and paste is not an unreasonable assumption --even with regard to
> recipients who read mail with pine/mutt/mail/emacs or other command
> line clients; and, I suggest that verification of the "To" field for
> accuracy before sending is less troublesome overall than attempting to
> correct multiple "replied to sender only" errors.
>
> Either setting is going to lead to an error situation at some point: a
> resume will either go to the list, or list replies meant to be public
> will be single-user mailed instead.  Perhaps correctly replying could
> serve as a first-step test at competence for applicants?  Note to
> recipients: that is a joke without the emoticon.
>
>> I wasn't around for the decisions about the list settings, but can imagine a
>> possible thought process - if someone's replying to a job posting (as the
>> list is often used to post), probably want to make it unlikely that a reply
>> would accidentally go out to the list - could be a "career-limiting error"
>> in some cases.  ;-)
>>
> As far as I know, list settings pre-date most anyone still active.

I created the list. I just looked at my email history from around that
time and there was discussion about general rules for the list, but
nothing about this specific setting. My guess is either I left it the
default, or I set it to reply to sender because I considered the list
as closer to an announce-only list and not a discussion list.

Of the two error situations you describe, I think the only replying to
the sender is the safer of the two options. It's better to
accidentally tell public information privately than it is to
accidentally share a secret in an archived public medium.

The original discussion was here. If there was further discussion, I
don't see it quickly. But this is one of those things that I might
have been asked to change via IM or IRC and there wouldn't be a record
of it.
http://www.wplug.org/pipermail/wplug-plan/2005-May/subject.html

In the end, I don't think this list's volume really requires much
debate on the topic. Pick a setting and let it ride for a while. If it
cause the end of the world, change it back.

-james

> That said, if granted the opportunity, the topic could easily turn
> into a terrible and heated hour long discussion during a GUM and
> could, if permitted, call for research and analysis of the behavior of
> other mailing lists, after of course spiraling into whether to count
> all mailing list, just Linux lists, only jobs list, lists using only
> Mailman, etc ... :)
>
>> Though aside from that guess as to why it might have been done that way, I
>> don't have a vested interest one way or the other.
>
> Everything above said and button having been set, reply only set you,
> Pat, as the recipient anyway.  Back in to check boxes in the mailman.
>
>>
>> --Pat.
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