OT: Mechanics of email list posts

[Irene de Villiers]

I thought that was the problem:-)
Email groups are intended for those of us who like to use email sofware to see the emails.
Email software (eg Apple Mail, Windows Live Mail, Thunderbird, Opera) ALWAYS show who is saying what, either with colors or indentations or << signs or lines down the side or however you set it to show that for software with options. Each uses a different technique or set of options.
The entire point of using an email program (mine is Mail by Apple) is to achieve flexibility and clarity and have easy management of emails.
The separation of who says what is important, and which the email software implements automatically.
I agree that when there is interspersing of multiuple people's responses, it can get messy and needs to be managed or rephrased for clarity. Ten lines of indentaton is not pretty or clear:-)
But retaining and using quotes of relevant material is the optimal and effective reply style on an email list, and that's designed to be so via email software and is why it is an "EMAIL" list and not a forum.
A forum is an online discussion system, not an email discussion system like Minutus, so a forum usess an Internet browser, not email spoftware. Internet browsers are for example, Apple's Safari, Windows Internet explorer, and any other software with intern et access by typing an Internet address or "URL".
It also has Forum spoftware, provided by the person/s managing the discussion forum, to manage the indentations of who says or replies to what within the online forum.
Yahoogroups has no forums.
It has only email discussion groups. Called YahooGROUPS, for email groups. There is no Yahooforums.
Yahoo has allowed online access to the emails. It is not a primary function but was supplied so those who had no email software (people with only work computers not allowed to download emails into email spoftware at work for example) could still read emails, and also so that pepleo vacation minus their own computer could get to emails on a public computer.
SO it is a makeshift function yahoo has to help more people to participate, but it is not part of the primary purpose of an EMAIL group - which has to do with exchanging EMAIL sent to and from EMAIL programs not internet browsers, and was not developed or named for reading something in an internet forum while online. (Email can always be read without being on line at the time, as it can be downloaded, filtered to a storage area of choice on arrival or later, and later read, answered, deleted, etc - off line.)

The point is that Yahoogroups is not a forum system but an email system. It has always been an email system designed for use ny email software.
Online forums do not use email. They use online remarks made in an internet browser and no email software can be used.
Email groups like this one are designed for using emails you send and receive via EMAIL software.
I suspect your complaint may have to do with your not undersanding this is an EMAIL list - intended to use the functionality of email software which DOES always mark who says what clearly - or can be set to do so.
I suspect you are using an internet browser instead of email software for this email list, and you are complaining that software intended for forums (an internet browser) is not behaving like email software. It is not emal software, that is your prolem.
Email lists are designed for email software (and intenet browser software is not designed for email).
Just use your email braowser as intended for any email lists and your problems will go away and be replaced by all kinds of useful functionality.
Namaste,
Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.Furryboots.info
(Info on Feline health, genetics, nutrition & homeopathy)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."