Guidelines on

   -cc public-html +cc www-archive


Hi Simon,

Dan Connolly previously copied you on a similar suggestion of mine 
relating to the usage of www-archives. I'll try to follow up on his 
suggestion of putting such thoughts in the wiki he mentioned. In the 
meantime, let me ask if this also might make sense:

Might it make sense (particularly with so many of us newcomers 
flooding the W3C with our lack of familiarity with its customs 
because of the recently formed HTML WG) to add a section to 
http://www.w3.org/Mail/
that would cover issues of e-mail discussion advice:

1. when to start a new thread
2. how many issues to bring up per thread
3. how to consolidate similar subthreads into one
4. when not to use "reply"

I find, for example, that when a discussion of "formal definitions of 
HTML" becomes a subthread talking about <TBODY> in <table>,  (see 
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2007Apr/1030.html) 
then perhaps it is time to rethread. Dan already suggested as much in 
the discussions in that group 
(http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2007Apr/0530.html)

The vast majority of posters appear not to be exercising much care 
with subject lines, even when the topic drirts far afield. I have 
realized that merely changing the subject line does not really change 
the apparent threading as viewed at 
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2007Apr/thread.html 
-- a realization which led me to some degree of embarrassment -- 
since I had taken the shortcut or using email reply -- forgetting 
that the invisible email header contains context pertaining to where 
the message actually came from.

I suppose you long-time W3C folks are feeling rather like a portal 
from Disneyland has just opened up, dumping tourists blinking, 
awestruck and with cameras at the ready into your generally peaceable domain.

Cheers,
David Dailey

Received on Tuesday, 17 April 2007 16:34:49 UTC