Robin Rowland - 1st I should note that I am on the list as the son of the FEPOW.
However, I also write books on how to use the Internet....so here are my feelings on the current debate.
1. The FEPOW list is, in reality, a low traffic list. At work I receive 3 professional lists each with at least 60 messages a day. At home, I receive at least five low traffic lists as well as the FEPOW list. I also run two lists myself, one at work and one from my home.
The way to handle the traffic is to create filters in your e-mail software. Every e-mail client has a filter or rules option usually on the menu bar. That allows you to drop material into different mailboxes so your inbox is not cluttered.
a. You create a new mailbox folder for FEPOW mail
b. You create a rule or tool or filter (depending on what the software calls it) using the filter
To: FEPOW List <fepow@rjt.co.uk>
That means that the FEPOW letters will go into the FEPOW folder and you read them at your leisure ...and they will not get mixed up with your other inbox mail.
2. Message Board....no way. While others may feel differently, I don't have the time to go the site to keep up with the mail traffic. Filtered e-mail allows you to prioritize what you read.
3. Rich Text Format
I pointed this out in a year ago, but it is worth repeating. Not everyone uses Microsoft Outlook of Outlook Express for their e-mail.
Some corporations and many individuals won't use Outlook Express because it is vulnerable to viruses and worms that take over its address book. Microsoft is a prime target for crackers.
At home, I use Forte Agent, a powerful e-mail client, designed with lots of input from users, especially researchers and journalists, who use a high volume of e-mail. Agent does not have a RTF option so my posts will continue to be in plain text. Also plain text, (not RTF nor HTML) is compatible with all e-mail software -- especially those people who are receiving e-mail on personal digital assistants such as a Palm or Blackberry. At work I am forced to use Novell Groupwise which also cannot handle html or other formats properly (it creates often unopenable attachments). Most people in the list -sending community still consider it good netiquette to send messages in plain
text.
Try the filters..it should solve most of the problems people are having with volume.
Ron Taylor - Robin has mentioned using Filters to direct your mail, I have included some notes on Outlook Express, for those who use it, Message Rules are used. This directs email to a pacific folder.
Open Outlook Express, Message Rules are found under the Tools tab at top. Highlight Message Rules and select Mail.
Click on New, a box will appear as below
- Tick 'Where the line contains people' as the Condition
- Tick 'Move to the specified folder' as the Action
- Click on contains people under Description
Type 'fepow' or 'fepow list' in here - anything then containing 'fepow' within the To line, will be affected, this can be narrowed down to the list by using 'fepow list'
3: Click on the specified under Description
Highlight 'Inbox' and create New Folder, called say 'Fepow List' it should appear as mine does above.
O.K. all the way out of the set up.
You are now set up for any emails which contain 'Fepow' or 'Fepow List' to be directed to a folder called 'Fepow List' in your 'Inbox'
Email Scanner
Our Mail Server scans all incoming and outgoing mail, it can be added that an unknown virus could catch out the virus software suppliers.
If in doubt, ‘Bin It’
Email Format
There are two ways to format an email message, Plain Text or Rich Text.
Plain Text is similar to writing in Notepad, very basic but does the job, this is the easy way to format an email.
Rich Text is like writing a word document or web page (html), there is more scope in making the email presentable including font, colour, inserting graphics and sounds etc.
Because of the way Plain Text formats the email. I have to alter it line by line when I transfer it into Web Pages (html) and it is time consuming.
To alter the format go to the Format tab at top and select Rich Text from the menu.
You will notice the menu now opens up to display a new toolbar including Font and Colour control, like Word.
Rich Text is frowned upon with the user who has been writing since the early days as Plain Text is all we had, but if it makes my job easier, please do so. Also there are some points made by Robin in the View on the List that not all email users can see Rich Text messages and plain text is the best solution for a List. I might be guilty here of trying to cut down on my workload, I will leave it to the user.
I have started the Monthly Revues from the start of the Fepow Community, this was in January, there is plenty to read.
I am always open to suggestions on how we can all benifit from the site, please email me direct at Ron.Taylor@fepow-community.org.uk and I will assist, if I can.
Message Board
Janet - Ron how do I now get on to the FEPOW COMMUNITY please ?, can you talk me through it, thanks
Megga Techno Dude aka Janet Jacobs
Ron - Message Board, go to http://community.rjt.co.uk/community/scripts/topics.pl?NodeID=322787&ClientID=62739
You have to Log In, pick an easy to remember user name and password.
For ease of use, use your name as the user name, without any spaces, this helps being identified.
Once this is done it is easy as every time you go onto the Message Board Log In and you can then leave messages. If you make a mistake or would like to add something, Log In first and then click on the message you would like to alter. Three icons will be available on the right hand side, select the middle one (a notepad and pencil) you can now add or alter the message.
The Fepow Community address is www.fepow-community.org.uk
