[HLUG] Email Formatting - a bit of a rant... (WAS Re: Preston asa venue for LUG meeting & CAPS Herefordshire)

[GRAHAM COLE]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Matthew Macdonald-Wallace" <matthew at truthisfreedom.org.uk>
To: <herefordshire at mailman.lug.org.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 7:37 PM
Subject: [HLUG] Email Formatting - a bit of a rant... (WAS Re: Preston asa 
venue for LUG meeting & CAPS Herefordshire)


> Hi,
>
> Please excuse the top-posting and the long text below, it's serving as
> an example for my point.
>
> Please can people not send HTML-only email?
>
> There are probably a number of us who use either webmail or a
> text-based email client such as Mutt or Pine to read email.  If we are
> sent html email, it is displayed exactly as the email is displayed
> below. This makes it impossible to read and make sense of in the short
> time that I have to check what's happening.
>
> Whilst I admire Christopher's enthusiasm, even Hotmail has a setting
> to send plain-text email and I would really appreciate it if mail
> clients could be setup to at least send a plain-text version as well
> as the HTML one.
>
> Also, can I please ask people not to top-post.  I don't want to be
> seen as a list-nazi[0], I just want to be able to read a conversation
> in the order that it is taking place.  This email that I am sending
> now is an excellent (and purposeful) example of why you shouldn't top
> post - by now no-one can see the original message that I am replying
> to and the meaning and context of this email is lost.
>
> Finally, can people please trim the email that they are replying to so
> that it only contains the relevant information to their point.  Again,
> I have not done this so that people can see how much of an issue it
> can be to receive a 200 line email.  If I'm trying to read my emails
> whilst on the move, an email this size can take up to 3 minutes to
> download over GPRS.
>
> MAILADMINS: I'm happy to put forward a proposal for a mailing list
> "behavioral guideline" document if anyone thinks that it is necessary.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Matt
>
Seems a good idea (or 2) here. I hadn't thought about HTML v plain text but 
I'm happy to change. Is there a preferred number of characters before 
wor-wrap starts? I've left mine on default setting.

Graham