= EmailRant =

Being on a list of supposedly clued people who still can't manage to do email properly
is... frustrating.  This is a list of common mistakes.

== Threading ==

 * Starting new threads by following up to completely unrelated messages
 * Not threading messages
 * Not threading messages and not attributing the message you follow up to.

== Quoting ==

 * Top posting - ARGH GRRR *gnash* *gnash*
 * Quoting too much and then just adding one line (for bonus points top posting this as well)
 * Quoting too little
 * Quoting a message and then assuming the rest of the world has MS Okey Kokey 2000 extensions and won't just see it as the original message intermingled with the new text.
 * Writing all of your mail on one line
 * Not reformatting below 80 characters per line.
 * Attempting to reformat but getting it oh so wrong that the resulting mess of > and spacing confuses anyone who tries to read it.

== Broken clients ==

 * Claiming your message is encoded in US ASCII when in fact it is iso-8859-1/utf-8/whatever
 * Using Notes

== Idiot settings ==

 * Not having your real name in your headers. Especially when contacting people on business matters, though it's crap on lists too.
 * Not using a subject line.

== Mailing lists ==

 * Sending your subscribe messages to the list
 * Sending your unsubscribe messages to the list
 * Sending your unsubscribe messages to the list when there's a footer on every message explaining how to unsubscribe
 * Not paying attention to Mail-Followup-To headers. Repeatedly. Even when you're told about them.
 * Sending mails that are cc'd to a list you run, that only allows posting to subscribers. Which then means that when I reply I get a bunch of crap from your list software.
 * Replying to posts to the list with bounces to the From header, TMDA style whitelist requests, mails from ticketting systems or any other sort of automated crap.
 * Using f***ing broken vacation clients that respond to posters to a mailing list.

I'm sure there's more...

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CategoryRant