I would like to propose that we change the trailer on r-help messages which is currently: R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide! http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html to add the following 4th line: and provide minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. The posting guide is so long that I suspect few people really read it so at least this way the most important part of the message about posting would be readily visible without further user action. Of course minimal refers to cutting the code down to remove anything not related to the question at hand while self-contained and reproducible refer to being able to copy the code from the post and paste it into an R session to reproduce the problem.
Hi, Gabor: Sounds great. May I suggest a minor modification something like the following; > R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE include in your post minimal, self-contained, reproducible code as suggested in posting guide, "www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html". Posts more consistent with this standard tend to get quicker, more useful replies. I'd also suggest adding something like this to the Special Interest Group posts as well. I also reply to questions on R-sig-finance, and I find myself going to R-help to copy the "PLEASE do read the posting guide" comment for r-sig-finance. Thanks for suggesting this. Spencer Graves Gabor Grothendieck wrote:> I would like to propose that we change the trailer on r-help > messages which is currently: > > R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide! http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > > to add the following 4th line: > > and provide minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. > > The posting guide is so long that I suspect few people really read > it so at least this way the most important part of the message about > posting would be readily visible without further user action. > > Of course minimal refers to cutting the code down to remove > anything not related to the question at hand while self-contained > and reproducible refer to being able to copy the code from > the post and paste it into an R session to reproduce the > problem. > > ______________________________________________ > R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide! http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
Personally, I doubt anyone actually reads the bottom of the emails, and generally it is too late anyway, as they have already sent the message. Much like the opening text in R, details in footer tend to trigger legalese neurons and are largely ignored. I think it would be more useful to radically redesign the signup page so that pertinent information is highlighted and the page made easily scannable. As it is, the eye tends to skip to the action part and fill out name and email address without reading the rest of the page. Hadley On 7/16/06, Gabor Grothendieck <ggrothendieck at gmail.com> wrote:> I would like to propose that we change the trailer on r-help > messages which is currently: > > R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide! http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html > > to add the following 4th line: > > and provide minimal, self-contained, reproducible code. > > The posting guide is so long that I suspect few people really read > it so at least this way the most important part of the message about > posting would be readily visible without further user action. > > Of course minimal refers to cutting the code down to remove > anything not related to the question at hand while self-contained > and reproducible refer to being able to copy the code from > the post and paste it into an R session to reproduce the > problem. > > ______________________________________________ > R-help at stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help > PLEASE do read the posting guide! http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html >