etiquette for replying to daily digests
Hi all, I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread. Curious what workflow/process any of you use to do so, and what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line? *Alex Buie*Senior Cloud Operations Engineer 450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013 <https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com
Generally speaking, you want to trim the digest to the relevant posts, bottom posting your reponse (if you’re interested in nitpicking). This practice was prevalent until Microsoft Outlook introduced the top post culture. Let’s not go down that rabbit hole. Additionally, editing the subject line to include what you’re responding about can be helpful.
On Nov 8, 2024, at 14:14, Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> wrote:
Hi all,
I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread.
Curious what workflow/process any of you use to do so, and what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line?
Alex Buie Senior Cloud Operations Engineer
450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013 <https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com <http://www.cytracom.com/>
On Nov 8, 2024, at 14:14, Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> wrote: I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread.
On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 at 11:38 AM <joel@joelesler.net> wrote:
Generally speaking, you want to trim the digest to the relevant posts, bottom posting your reponse (if you’re interested in nitpicking). This practice was prevalent until Microsoft Outlook introduced the top post culture. Let’s not go down that rabbit hole.
Additionally, editing the subject line to include what you’re responding about can be helpful.
This, and change your subscription to individual messages for the duration. You need the message-id and related headers to create a properly threaded reply and you don't have them. Few will notice and none will harangue you for starting a new thread with your first reply but if you do it with every reply it gets really old really fast. Regards, Bill Herrin -- William Herrin bill@herrin.us https://bill.herrin.us/
On Nov 8, 2024, at 15:58, William Herrin <bill@herrin.us> wrote:
On Nov 8, 2024, at 14:14, Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com <mailto:abuie@cytracom.com>> wrote: I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread.
On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 at 11:38 AM <joel@joelesler.net <mailto:joel@joelesler.net>> wrote:
Generally speaking, you want to trim the digest to the relevant posts, bottom posting your reponse (if you’re interested in nitpicking). This practice was prevalent until Microsoft Outlook introduced the top post culture. Let’s not go down that rabbit hole.
Additionally, editing the subject line to include what you’re responding about can be helpful.
This, and change your subscription to individual messages for the duration. You need the message-id and related headers to create a properly threaded reply and you don't have them. Few will notice and none will harangue you for starting a new thread with your first reply but if you do it with every reply it gets really old really fast.
See Bill, now you’re speaking my old school bottom posting, mutt using geek language.
Does nanog have a mime digest format so you get one big email with all the emails of the day attached as separate eml? Then all you do is select just the particular email you want to reply to and there you are. --srs ________________________________ From: NANOG <nanog-bounces+ops.lists=gmail.com@nanog.org> on behalf of joel@joelesler.net <joel@joelesler.net> Sent: Saturday, November 9, 2024 1:08:41 AM To: Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> Cc: nanog@nanog.org <nanog@nanog.org> Subject: Re: etiquette for replying to daily digests Generally speaking, you want to trim the digest to the relevant posts, bottom posting your reponse (if you’re interested in nitpicking). This practice was prevalent until Microsoft Outlook introduced the top post culture. Let’s not go down that rabbit hole. Additionally, editing the subject line to include what you’re responding about can be helpful. On Nov 8, 2024, at 14:14, Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> wrote: Hi all, I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread. Curious what workflow/process any of you use to do so, and what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line? Alex Buie Senior Cloud Operations Engineer 450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013<https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com<http://www.cytracom.com/> [http://cdn.cytracom.com/static-resources/marketing/Cytracom_Logo_200px_Signa...]
Appreciate all the input everyone! It's helpful Suresh - great pointer - it looks like they do. I didn't even notice it as an option. I think this will be the fastest/easiest method for me in webmail-land. Thanks for pointing that out! *Alex Buie*Senior Cloud Operations Engineer 450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013 <https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 at 9:24 PM Suresh Ramasubramanian <ops.lists@gmail.com> wrote:
Does nanog have a mime digest format so you get one big email with all the emails of the day attached as separate eml? Then all you do is select just the particular email you want to reply to and there you are.
--srs ------------------------------ *From:* NANOG <nanog-bounces+ops.lists=gmail.com@nanog.org> on behalf of joel@joelesler.net <joel@joelesler.net> *Sent:* Saturday, November 9, 2024 1:08:41 AM *To:* Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> *Cc:* nanog@nanog.org <nanog@nanog.org> *Subject:* Re: etiquette for replying to daily digests
Generally speaking, you want to trim the digest to the relevant posts, bottom posting your reponse (if you’re interested in nitpicking). This practice was prevalent until Microsoft Outlook introduced the top post culture. Let’s not go down that rabbit hole.
Additionally, editing the subject line to include what you’re responding about can be helpful.
On Nov 8, 2024, at 14:14, Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> wrote:
Hi all,
I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread.
Curious what workflow/process any of you use to do so, and what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line?
*Alex Buie *Senior Cloud Operations Engineer
450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013 <https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com
It’s been decades since the last time I used this option.. and that was on an actual listserv run on lsoft.com, early 2000s. These days just subscribed from a gmail because threaded posts, keyboard shortcuts for email actions and what not. Makes it very easy to handle high traffic mailing lists. --srs ________________________________ From: Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> Sent: Saturday, November 9, 2024 8:21:36 AM To: Suresh Ramasubramanian <ops.lists@gmail.com> Cc: joel@joelesler.net <joel@joelesler.net>; nanog@nanog.org <nanog@nanog.org> Subject: Re: etiquette for replying to daily digests Appreciate all the input everyone! It's helpful Suresh - great pointer - it looks like they do. I didn't even notice it as an option. I think this will be the fastest/easiest method for me in webmail-land. Thanks for pointing that out! Alex Buie Senior Cloud Operations Engineer 450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013<https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com<http://www.cytracom.com/> [http://cdn.cytracom.com/static-resources/marketing/Cytracom_Logo_200px_Signa...] On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 at 9:24 PM Suresh Ramasubramanian <ops.lists@gmail.com<mailto:ops.lists@gmail.com>> wrote: Does nanog have a mime digest format so you get one big email with all the emails of the day attached as separate eml? Then all you do is select just the particular email you want to reply to and there you are. --srs ________________________________ From: NANOG <nanog-bounces+ops.lists=gmail.com@nanog.org<mailto:gmail.com@nanog.org>> on behalf of joel@joelesler.net<mailto:joel@joelesler.net> <joel@joelesler.net<mailto:joel@joelesler.net>> Sent: Saturday, November 9, 2024 1:08:41 AM To: Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com<mailto:abuie@cytracom.com>> Cc: nanog@nanog.org<mailto:nanog@nanog.org> <nanog@nanog.org<mailto:nanog@nanog.org>> Subject: Re: etiquette for replying to daily digests Generally speaking, you want to trim the digest to the relevant posts, bottom posting your reponse (if you’re interested in nitpicking). This practice was prevalent until Microsoft Outlook introduced the top post culture. Let’s not go down that rabbit hole. Additionally, editing the subject line to include what you’re responding about can be helpful. On Nov 8, 2024, at 14:14, Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com<mailto:abuie@cytracom.com>> wrote: Hi all, I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread. Curious what workflow/process any of you use to do so, and what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line? Alex Buie Senior Cloud Operations Engineer 450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013<https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com<http://www.cytracom.com/> [http://cdn.cytracom.com/static-resources/marketing/Cytracom_Logo_200px_Signa...]
On Sat, Nov 9, 2024 at 4:46 AM Suresh Ramasubramanian <ops.lists@gmail.com> wrote:
It’s been decades since the last time I used this option.. and that was on an actual listserv run on lsoft.com, early 2000s.
Yes.. Digest modes are generally unsuitable for active participation in a mailing list. I think the entire purpose of Digest mode is to minimize traffic for users who are interested solely in skimming through everything that was written days or weeks after discussion took place. You would not have any good or convenient way to pick an item out of a text digest to answer it, and you don't have the latest responses if it's still an active conversation at the time you are reading the digest. I would say you should always switch Off digest mode before posting anything, and just wait up to a day to receive a new post on that thread to reply to. Make sure to check mailing list archives for replies during the time between your most recent received digest and the Time you turned off the feature. You may very well find that someone else has written what your planned reply was going to say, and you didn't see that part of the conversation yet because you were in digest mode. If Nobody posts to the thread for you to reply to, then make a New post of your own after waiting an entire 24 hours, but manually copy the re: Subject. It will break the thread in the same way as if you're still using older email software that was never updated to add support for the new References: and In-reply-to: headers introduced in 2001. These days just subscribed from a gmail because threaded posts, keyboard
shortcuts for email actions and what not. Makes it very easy to handle high traffic mailing lists.
-- -J
Am 8. November 2024 20:14:34 MEZ schrieb Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com>:
Curious [...] what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line?
Speaking for myself: - If possible, change your digest mode from text to MIME in your personal setting dialog of the mailman interface. This leaves all relevant headers intact and you can directly reply to each individual message, preserving correct threading. However, be aware, that some MUAs don't support this. - If you need to stick with text digest, please trim your message to the absolute minimum and add the same subject as the original posting (add the usual reply prefix, if not already present). This way MUAs are able to restore threading by subject. It's not nice, but tolerable. That said ... if possible, just avoid digest by subscribing in default mode and then filtering all messages by list-header. This way, you can even ignore threads which are not relevant for you. Bjørn
I use dedicated email addresses for each mailing list that I'm on so that I can file accordingly and thus, don't need to use digests. ----- Mike Hammett Intelligent Computing Solutions Midwest Internet Exchange The Brothers WISP ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Buie" <abuie@cytracom.com> To: nanog@nanog.org Sent: Friday, November 8, 2024 1:14:34 PM Subject: etiquette for replying to daily digests Hi all, I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread. Curious what workflow/process any of you use to do so, and what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line? Alex Buie Senior Cloud Operations Engineer 450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013 D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com
1. As others have said, digests generally don't work well for lists you want to actively participate in. 2. No matter which methods or suggestions provided you may chose, there is a 100% chance someone will gripe about how it breaks in their chosen mail client , or messes with their personal email flow. So do what makes sense to you and let the chips fall where they will. :) On Fri, Nov 8, 2024 at 2:17 PM Alex Buie <abuie@cytracom.com> wrote:
Hi all,
I (and I'm sure many of you) subscribe to daily digests from NANOG to keep things concentrated. However, there are sometimes messages in the digest I'd like to reply to, and I don't want to be that guy who just replies to the digest and opens an ugly new thread.
Curious what workflow/process any of you use to do so, and what the best/netizen-polite way is to end up with a reply that's appropriately threaded. Do I just need to mirror the subject line?
*Alex Buie*Senior Cloud Operations Engineer
450 Century Pkwy # 100 Allen, TX 75013 <https://maps.google.com/?q=450+Century+Pkwy+STE+100+%7C+Allen,+TX+%7C+75013&entry=gmail&source=g> D: 469-884-0225 | www.cytracom.com
participants (8)
-
Alex Buie -
Bjørn Bürger -
Jay Acuna -
joel＠joelesler.net -
Mike Hammett -
Suresh Ramasubramanian -
Tom Beecher -
William Herrin