[CAUT] New Format--yuck

[Terry Beckingham]

David,

I agree 100%.

Terry Beckingham

At 07:31 AM 3/7/2011 -0800, you wrote:
>I'm reposting this using the email system because I'm not sure where it's
>getting to in the new my.ptg... format, where it will be posted or who will
>have access to it (part of the problem).
>
>So far this new format is a complete bomb for me.  The email system was much
>simpler and sometimes simpler is better.  I could filter all PTG list
>messages to a separate folder and easily go there and scan all messages in
>one sweep and delete or whatever very quickly.  Now I have to log in
>(completely impractical on my PDA) and jump around to discussions and then
>open each discussion to see if there's something I want to read.  If a group
>has been formed I have to jump into that group (or join it first??? not even
>sure why one needs to join a group at this point since the postings are
>visible to everyone).  As in this format I don't seem to be able to post to
>multiple lists with one posting (as I'm trying to here to send this both to
>CAUT and Pianotech lists).  This format requires way too much rooting around
>to see if there's something of interest.  The organizational aspect of it is
>fine in terms of searching a thread and such but turning it into a Facebook
>type of thing just overcomplicates it.  I'm willing to be convinced
>otherwise but so far so bad, at least for me.
>
>Let me add something else that I didn't mention above in the original
>posting.  The group formation thing seems like a good idea but I can see
>where you may end up with some countless numbers of groups and all you've
>really done is create a system that makes it that much more difficult for
>people to figure out what dialogues are going on that they might be
>interested in hearing and monitor those reasonably or what they might be
>missing.
>
>I'm sure that the move to do this was well intended but in terms of my
>participation, I can see this has just added enough unnecessary steps to
>make it questionable as to whether it's worth the trouble.  It's certainly
>less expedient and that may be enough to push me out of active
>participation.  If that was the intention, to make it just that much more
>difficult to try and remove some of the chatty garbage that tends to clog
>the lists then I would say it's a success.  But if the idea is to encourage
>participation by making it easier, then so far it's a failure.
>
>(plus I can't employ my auto spell checker in the new format--did I mention
>that?)
>
>
>
>David Love
>www.davidlovepianos.com