List manager message re threats to the list's viability

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Yes that is an obvious point of the annoyance that arises from people replying to the list to a message with a large attachment, without deleting it.

 

I also apologise for my comment last Thursday (I wonder why you would write "excuse the shots", they are very nice.) That wrongly implies an indifference towards this problem, which could be silly of me. At the minute I wrote that, I was only referring to the quality of the photos but not thinking about the size or number.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----From: Geoffrey Dabb [ Sent: Monday, 11 February 2013 8:00 AM
To:       Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] List manager message re threats to the list's viability

Here is an example of a message of 100kb.  I know because I sent it to myself first, and I slightly reduced it to cover the extra few kbs from onforwarding .  It is not my preferred size, but it meets the limit.  Something else occurs to me.  It is not just a matter for anyone originating a message.  Any responder who does not delete the attachment creates exactly the same problem for those affected by size limits. 

 

From: Geoffrey Dabb [ Sent: Monday, 11 February 2013 7:50 AM      To: Geoffrey Dabb
Subject: FW: [canberrabirds] List manager message re threats to the list's viability

 

 

-----Original Message-----From: David McDonald Sent: Sunday, 10 February 2013 9:22 PM
To: CanberraBirds      Cc:       Subject: [canberrabirds] List manager message re threats to the list's viability

 

Greetings. You will have seen the many emails, sent to this CanberraBirds email list by me and others, about large attachments being distributed with list emails.

 

This is not simply a breach of the list rules. It shows discourtesy to other list subscribers. It is a genuine problem for subscribers who access the list via mobile devices. The large attachments quickly use up subscribers' monthly download limits.

 

In the past we have canvassed some options. One is to prohibit attachments. So no photos, no google maps, no data graphs. This is the usual approach taken with email lists like ours.

 

Another option, one that COG has looked into closely a couple of times in the past and that is now on the table again, is to close down the CanberraBirds email-based list and to move to a web forum arrangement through which you need to visit a website using your browser to read material that people want to distribute. Here is an example, the Australian component of BirdForum:

http://www.birdforum.net/forumdisplay.php?f=399 .

 

No decision has yet been made, and CanberraBirds subscribers will be consulted if changes are forced upon us by people continuing to send large attachments.

 

So, if you value this email-based discussion and announcement list and want it to continue in its present form, please stop sending large attachments. Keep them below 100 kb.

 

If you don't know how to re-size photographs so that they are less than

100 kb in size, please ask me for advice, I am happy to assist.

 

Thank you - David

 

--

David McDonald

Canberra Ornithologists Group email lists manager

1004 Norton Road, Wamboin, NSW 2620, Australia

Tel:    (02) 6238 3706

Fax:    (02) 9475 4274

Mobile: 0416 231 890

E-mail:

 

Please consider the environment before printing my email.