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Archiver > Listowners > 1997-12 > 0881346465


From: C Hammett <>
Subject: Re: AOL Problems
Date: Fri, 05 Dec 1997 11:27:45 -0700


I had thought the same re length of Digests, but some time back lowered the
max bytes of the Combs-D to 20k (any email over 20k and AOL automatically
converts it to a text file attachment) and it made no difference at all.
AOL is changing their mail handling on a DAILY/WEEKLY BASIS so what happens
today to corrupt an email message may not happen yesterday or tomorrow.

My own solution has been to IMMEDIATELY upload each digest as I receive it
(via my mindspring account) to the web as a text file. All our subscribers
have the URL for the website, and the AOL subscribers can check there and
use "file save as text" to download a "clean" (uncorrupted) version of the
digest. It's somewhat time-consuming, but having tried to use AOL for
RootsWeb digests myself, I also know how frustrating it is to receive
incompletes.

As to other AOL problems, our lists have had no more with AOL than with any
other server, and not as many as with some. I find the idea of
disenfranchising subscribers who use AOL unthinkable, and would remind all
that it is _Because_ AOL is so large that many subscribers _must_ use
them... AOL being the only provider with a local phone access number.

Also, once the list postings are all accessible directly by web, the
inability to retrieve uncorrupted rootsweb digests by email will not be
nearly as "big a deal." I expect that once our Combs List is
web-accessible, for example, that we'll have a number of unsubscribers, and
not just AOL, since "lurkers" will no longer need to sub to read postings.
That will also probably be a bit of a problem when they attempt to post to
closed lists, but adding those posters to the "accept" list should help
over time -- assuming they post directly to the list as vs. to the email
address of the poster.

Sincerely,
Carole Hammett, Combs & Hammett RootsWeb
Combs: http://members.aol.com/carhammett/index.html
Hammett: http://members.aol.com/hammettva/index.ht

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