...members' ears in an assortment of lists sent through an assortment
of hosts.
 
[Re: AOL]
The same problem happens with the FHL, with some of the AOL members more
affected than others, and some with mangled digests.  This was explained
at one point in a support forum for SG managers by someone who is not
affiliated with Smartgroups.  For some it goes beyond AOL just trashing
mass mailings, or trashing mailings if it thinks it doesn't like origins
or websites in the list, or if it is a busy day, or if there are
attachments, or if the list is above a certain size, or if the digest is
not plain text, or... I can't find the mail and I do not understand the
hardware stuff involved but *if* I recall right lists can be mangled or
truncated due to some sort of timing mismatch in AOL components, and
Hotlist is also among the email services with that problem.  I am sure
that my memory of that is going to be mutilated but I did check at the
time with some people who know their stuff and all said, "Yes." Anyway,
the point is that for some AOL users more is going on than AOL trashing
some digests.
 
BTW, I just yesterday got the same sort of complaint from a member of
miamiferret for a section which I am not guest administrating (the
shelter list), but luckily it appears to have improved afterward for
her.  I have heard the same complaints with some Yahoogroups lists from
their administrators.
 
I don't mind if people choose AOL as long as they realize that like
anything else it has downsides and that the problems typically arise
there when digests don't arrive or when they arrive truncated instead of
blaming the groups they have joined for everything and expecting a ton
of added work on the part of moderators who already work so very hard
(at least it's not the hosts when the list hosts are not repairing
crashes ;-) but host crashing for lists is not common even though
Smartgroups is still finishing up the repairs from a large one).
 
For the FHL there is the option of members using the website and setting
themselves to website only so that really helps.  Perhaps at some point
having several days' worth of FMLs on a free website may be useful to
reduce your work, Bill, and help those frustrated members?
 
The real origin of many problems lies at the doors of spammers, so,
please, never reply to spammers and always teach your programs that those
things are junk.  The internet is simply so overloaded with spam traffic
that real and desired things wind up lost, too, and not all ISP solutions
are optimal for digest members.
 
Please, if you have trouble getting any digests that you want DO tell
your ISP that you WANT those digests.  A number of digests to help ferret
people are hurt by all of this difficulty getting mail through, and if
places like AOL or yahoo or both go requiring payment then members will
need to use alternative addresses like g-mail or read the digests' own
websites when those exist.
 
Sorry about rattling away, BIll, and of course feel free to remove this
if you want to not post it.  I am just tired of having people complain
overly vociferously (a little doesn't matter) when the problem isn't one
I can touch because it is happening with their ISP, and I know that the
problems are common ones among list moderators which can frustrate us
all no end while we are trying to help the affected members.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
replacing
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
 
[Moderator's note: I probably have to revamp the entire FML process in
a few months so we'll visit the issue again then.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 5153]