Yesterday, I was criticized for submitting to the PLUG list 
an inquiry about a problem that I had with my wife's XP ... 
even though I labeled the subject "OT."  So, I then wrote 
a note to apologize for this breach of etiquette using the 
revised subject line: Re: OT re my wife's XP - - - I apologize 

To my surprise and dismay, this was followed by a dozen or 
so messages that veered _very_ much farther afield than my 
original message ... and then that was followed by a new 
subject labeled "Re: OT as long as we are digressing tonight" 
which meandered even farther afield. 

All of this prompted me to think about a possible remedy 
to help us all keep this valuable PLUG list better focused 
yet still allow for "OT" inquiries in a controlled way that 
can be blocked by everyone who wants to avoid them. 

Here are my two ideas/suggestions: 

#1. Rename subjects when applicable rather than 
     perpetuating non-fitting subjects. 

Is it not true that anyone responding to any subject can, 
at any time, simply change the subject line to one that 
is more appropriate to the topic?  While there could be 
a few additional responses that might come through with 
the old, inappropriate subject line, changing the subject 
line to a more appropriate one would put an end to most 
of the commonly long-running discussions that seem now 
to be occurring with increasing frequency. 

#2. Use "Off Topic" instead of just "OT" in subjects that 
     are known to be such. 

If this convention were to be adopted, then, all who wish 
to avoid a flood of such email could simply put in a filter for 
any and all emails that carry the words "Off Topic" in the 
subject line.  Then, at any time, anyone could change the 
subject line, as needed, to include the label "Off Topic". 

Does this make sense, or is my logic flawed? 

----------------------------------------------------
Three examples of coments from three separate 
PLUG messages that resulted from my inquiry 
about my wife's XP problem: 

> > > Has anyone been brave enough to shower? 
> > > I'm starting to feel ripe (I skipped shower today). 

> > There seems to be a very high amount of scare mongering 
> > . . . you MIGHT get a minor sore stomach or the trots.

> The tiniest bit of e coli can go a long way.

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