[jaws-uk] Just to explain a few things
- From: "George Bell" <george@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <jaws-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 00:28:02 -0000
Hi all,
(I am posting this to the old JAWS-UK list as well)
You may not be interested, but for those who are, I just
want to answer some of the questions that have arisen in the
move of access-uk to Freelists. So here's a Q and A.
(Questions and Answers - and that's only from today's mail!)
I've no wish to sound offensive in my "Answers", but perhaps
they might give you some idea of what a list administrator
and moderator's life is really like.
Q. Why the move?
Three main reasons - as moderators.
1) No adverts.
2) The list has been plagued SYMPA messages each time a
post was made. Huge numbers of you complained.
3) We can actually communicate with a real, live,
communicative human being at Freelists. And he/they are
VERY responsive.
Q. So did you find out what SYMPA was all about?
Yes? Some idiot actually managed to subscribe an
UNSUBSCRIBE address to the list in the form of
"list-unsubsribe@xxxxxxxx". So, the list saw every JAWS-UK
message, somehow picked out the sender's name, said you were
not a member, and hence the message many of you have
received and hated vehemently. The Czechoslovakian list
administrator clearly did not have a clue as to what was
going on, and had probably turned off notification of error
messages anyway. (We can do that too, even on Freelists - I
DON'T!!)
Q. Why am I getting messages from JAWS-UK when I left the
list ages ago?
We are seriously sorry. Blame that on Yahoogroups. When
you ask them for a list of members, they seem incapable of
providing anything but a full list of everyone who has ever
been a member of that list, and NOT just current members.
Q. I was DIGEST, NOMAIL or VACATION on the old list, and now
you [any expletives deleted] are sending me mail again.
We're really sorry. Again Yahoogroups did not pass on this
information. However, please just politely reply to this
message, or any message, give is your e-mail address, and
tell us to digest, nomail or remove you. (See next
question)
Q. I asked you to remove me 10 minutes ago, and I'm still
getting messages.
Well sorry again, but for once you are actually dealing with
a non-robotic human being, and not a computer, or your
obedient partner. Sometimes we have to go out for the day or
more, and at other times just a prolonged call of nature.
However, if you actually take the time to look at the footer
of any text only message, you will find instructions which
you can send to the robot computer who runs this whole
shebang.
Q. I was subscribed to the old list, but am not getting
messages from the new list.
IN most cases, this is due to forwarding or aliases.
Basically if I get a "bounce" message, you are unsubscribed.
Subscribe under a proper address.
Q. My messages to Freelists are being rejected, and I can't
figure out why.
There is always a reason. For example, one U.K. based ISP
bought a block of IP addresses and moved their mail servers
to them. Unfortunately, those addresses had been black
listed as having previously been the source of SPAM
messages. Once this was brought to our attention, Freelists
unblocked those addresses. However, if they produce spam
again, they will be blocked again!
Q. Well I was getting messages for a while - I think - and
then they stopped.
Sorry again. We get "bounce" error reports for all kinds of
reasons. Usually it's a full mailbox. Sorry, but if you've
gone on holiday, you should tell the postman. All lists
have a NOMAIL or VACATION facility. And if your ISP is such
a miserable idiot that they do not work on a time factor,
maybe it's time you changed ISP anyway.
Q. All that's fine, but I still want to bitch at a
moderator!!
No problem. Write to all of them at
jaws-uk-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxx, and if you are very lucky
the following may be a link that will even add a suggested
subject for you --
mailto:jaws-uk-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=I_wish_to_com
plain_about_jaws-uk.
And so that this is not your only option, try one of the
moderators at george@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for now.
Q. I'm still not happy.
Well at the extreme, you can call Trading Standards at the
number given in your local telephone directory.
The U.K. is a free country. Say what you like, but risk
going on "moderated status". That's where we moderators
censor your messages and have to approve them before they
reach the list.
And I will add that in all the time I have run and moderated
lists, I have only ever had to put one person on "Moderated
Status", and that is someone known to most International
dealers anyway.
Q. Any more questions?
Good. So let's get back to what we can do to help JAWS
users, with suggestions and constructive comments that can
make JAWS a better product for ourselves.
(Oh yes, and if I don't reply to comments from the above
until Sunday, It's only because I'm being dragged out by my
wife to play taxi-driver while she goes festive season
shopping!)
All the best,
George Bell.
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