Response to forum questions

Why can't this forum be set up so we can simply reply to e-mails like any other e-mail group? Having to go to the forum, find the message, etc., discourages me from answering many of the questions that are asked.

 

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Craig Shearman/Baltimore

It used to be that way. I guess you are new to this forum. But I don't know why but there's a problem with the program itself. The server used to send all the answers automatically to the original person who posted the question.

Oh, I guess I missed your point. Well to answer your question, this is not an e-mail forum. In this way, it's easier for anybody looking for answer to get it without being part (subscribed) of an e-mail group. Its readily available to anyone. Meanwhile an e-mail forum is harder to find and it discourages newcomers to get into it having to register. Forums like those that you mention are intended for very specific uses and as you can see, some of the questions asked here are not very likely to be found in e-mail forums. I receive the Hasselblad Forum and there are hardly begginer questions there and the topics are focused to Hasselblad.

You must not have been around last summer when the email list blew up in an infinite loop. Next time you get on the MFD discussion page scroll down a bit to the Admin Issues link and click on the How Do I Get This Forum by Email? link. Most of us prefer the current format, but you have the email option available.

I have only joined this forum recently. I receive my messages by e-mail rather than going to the forum web site. My problem is that I can't simply hit the reply button on Netscape to answer a message -- I have to go to the forum, look up the question, click to add an answer, etc.

 

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All of my other e-mail groups let you simply click 'respond to all' and answer.

 

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I really like this forum. It's the most useful and interesting of several e-mail lists I subscribe to. Maybe I'm just being lazy.

 

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Craig

I didn't set up this software, so I am just speculating here, but if you just hit Reply in Netscape, your response would not get posted on this forum, it would just go to the sender. The sender may even be the server, not the person posting the question, although that should be easy to resolve.

 

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You said you are new to this, so you weren't around last summer. I have only been on this forum for about one year, but it was an email list when I found it. Lee ran into problems last summer with people sending mail to the server, which then sent emails to everyone on the list, people hit Reply All to complain, which sent emails to everyone on the list, people hit Reply All to complain...

 

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Pretty soon the server was overloaded and the people who maintained the server were not amused.

 

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Lee gave us a chance to vote on the digest format before moving it over, and the vast majority of us voted for this type of forum. It isn't perfect, but it works well for most of us.

My apologies. I did not realize this issue had already been dealt with and resolved. I can live fine with the current system. The content here is so good it far outweighs any concern I have about the mechanics.

Thanks to all who responded and thanks for running a very informative, useful forum

 

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Craig Shearman