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Dear Paul and all Filtering GEM list messages into a separate folder is easy to set up, but does not solve the problem: the messages just build up, and the more there are (and the more you feel are irrelevant to you) the less likely you are to look through them all. I have tried this with other lists and find I just end up deleting the folder contents every so often. With GEM messages mixed in with other messages it is easy to scan and delete or respond to them when you have a spare moment. I know it was made with some irony, but I don't find the suggestion that "we'd lose the opportunity to discover interesting snippets of information - like how to make fake blood" very helpful. On that basis, a message on virtually any topic at all might 'potentially' be of interest. There are plenty of places online to swap snippets of information, if that's what you are into. Like Steve Thompson earlier, I found a recent response a bit annoying: it was a one-liner addressed to one person but copied to over 1000 others. I emailed Steve to thank him for making the point, and we had a short exchange off-list. I am posting this to the whole list now because I don't think Paul's summary was representative of the consensus reached when this was last discussed. Certainly I had a number of replies, some off-list, arguing for restraint. It seems people have become more conscious recently of the value of online presence - sometimes posts seem intended more at reminding everyone else they are there, than offering something helpful. Some exchanges seem more appropriate for say, Twitter than a large email list. This list is focused on Education in Museums, and has worked extremely well based on the above etiquette for many years. There is no shortage of discussion on the list, on topics meaty enough to warrant it. Conversely, I cannot think of many examples where this type of 'snippet tennis' generates new meaningful discussion. I think most of us feel we have too much information coming in, not too little. The GEM list is great for discussions, and also great for asking people for information. If the original message is just a request for a snippet of information, I think it is more considerate to reply to the person making the request. If you want to know about it too, just email the person who made the request. This list is set so that if you hit Reply, the message goes to the sender only. So you have to make a conscious effort to reply to the whole list. Yours (realising I probably sound a bit grumpy, but trying to be helpful...), Martin GEM list owner -----Original Message----- From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Baker Sent: 03 September 2009 17:11 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: full inboxes Greetings! This issue was discussed at length a few months ago. I think most people saw the sense in all replies going to the group, unless they were clearly only of interest to the enquirer. Otherwise, the GEM list archive would become a list of questions with no answers, and we'd lose the opportunity to discover interesting snippets of information - like how to make fake blood. I'd recommend all GEMmers to set up message rules. Most email packages allow you to do this. All incoming GEM list messages are addressed to [log in to unmask] and can be easily auto-diverted into a separate folder, so they don't clutter your main inbox. Then you can ignore them until you have time to browse. Best wishes, Paul Baker Supreme Commander Diabolus in Musica Historical musicians in costume Replica musical instruments and historical artifacts Interactives, websites, audio & video work [log in to unmask] www.diabolus.org ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Thompson" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 3:35 PM Subject: Re: Fake blood Afternoon folks, can we please send replies only to the poster unless there is a good reason for filling up everybody else's inboxes. Thank you Steve Steve Thompson Community Learning Officer North Lincolnshire Museums Service 01724 843533 ext 114 NLC ext 7055 This e-mail expresses the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the view of the Council. Please be aware that anything included in an e-mail may have to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act and cannot be regarded as confidential. This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. Please notify the sender if received in error. All Email is monitored and recorded. Please think before you print- North Lincolnshire Council greening the workplace. =