[FFmpeg-user] FFmpeg list footer

[Jim DeLaHunt]

On 2021-03-09 02:48, mX wrote:

> Can someone with list admin access (admins at foot of this email) please update the footer for this mailing list to assist new posters - because few people read the list FAQ and the devs and regulars spend too much time reminding posters of the list rules. I'm suggesting the following but please discuss: [… suggested text elided …]

As someone who is not a list admin but who has watched a lot happen on 
this list, I do not object to experimenting with this, but also I don't 
completely agree with the unstated premise of the suggestion.

Yes, few people read the list FAQ. Yes, the devs and regulars spend too 
much time reminding posters of the list rules. However, I think your 
unstated premise is that changing the footer will reduce the problem. I 
am skeptical about that.

Firstly, I think a number of people will overlook that footer. Just look 
at all the people who send an unsubscribe message to the list, not 
following the correct way to unsubscribe, which the footer already 
describes. (This thread even provoked an example of that, apparently 
[1].) Secondly, I think that explaining rules in enough detail to be 
effective would take more space than we want to use in a footer.

My alternate proposal is that we write a documentation page which 
explains the list rules, written for the list reader who is unfamiliar 
with the rules but who wants to follow them. We should say what 
behaviour we want on the list, and explain it clearly. Then we link to 
that page in the list footer. Also, by including good link anchors in 
the documentation, we can write list messages that remind about good 
behaviour with a link to the page. e.g. "Please don't top-post here. See 
<link to list rules documentation.html#dont-top-post>.

I predict that in the course of writing this documentation page, we will 
discover that there is disagreement about what the rules actually are. 
So, thirdly, I think this exercise will be effective only if the project 
members with authority agree what the rules actually are, and if the 
documentation page reflects that agreement.

I also predict that having a difference between what the rules say and 
how people actually behave will be corrosive to good list behaviour. 
See, for example, [2]. So I predict that writing this documentation page 
will sharpen the problem of list admins not correcting bad behaviour.

But, there's no harm to experimenting with the list footer contents. I 
just have low confidence that it will reduce the problem.

Best regards,
      —Jim DeLaHunt

[1] https://lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/2021-March/052349.html
[2] https://lists.ffmpeg.org/pipermail/ffmpeg-user/2021-March/052353.html


> <footer>
>
> . Do not top-post i.e. reply *below* last thread message.
> . Include complete terminal command/all information.
> . Include uncut console output (trim excess/repeating lines).
> . Upload sample video to public servers and include a link.
> . Delete all footers, sigs, other junk before replying.
>
> https://ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-user
> To unsubscribe, visit link above, or email
> ffmpeg-user-request at ffmpeg.org with subject "unsubscribe".
>
> </footer>
>
> List admins:
>
> michaelni at gmx.at
> baptiste.coudurier at gmail.com
> jamrial at gmail.com
> thilo.borgmann at mail.de
> eclipse7 at gmx.net
>
> --
> mX
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>
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