Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button idea is pre-failed
Barry Shein <bzs@world.std.com> Tue, 02 March 2010 18:54 UTC
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Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:48:37 -0500
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Subject: Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button idea is pre-failed
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I don't know that I'm generally against the idea but I'd like to add a to Rich's list, not unique or new, but since I do this sort of thing for a living... I don't see the problem as users being "stupid", sometimes we all are of course. I just think they quickly re-purpose something like a spam button to their own wishes. Practically all the spam-button reports we get from AOL are just attempts to unsubscribe to some mailing list they subscribed to. Aside: Most of the rest are just misfires or who knows what, why do people hit the spam button to a mail from someone with the same last name as theirs informing them that Uncle Albert is out of the hospital? Happens a lot, not sure why, an emotional spasm? They hate their uncle or their sister sending the mail? Anybody's guess. Anyhow, they've repurposed the spam button to mean the "stuff I don't want" button, for whatever whim of "I don't want" which suits them. And why not? There's no feedback on the feedback. No one has the time or inclination to say "that wasn't spam, you're just trying to unsub a list, you're abusing the anti-abuse feature!" No, you just manually unsub them when it happens or else they'll hit the AOL spam button over and over, sometimes many times for each message (I don't think AOL filters that very well) clearly getting more annoyed I guess that they're not being serviced quickly enough. And the ridiculous ones you ignore. I'd characterize the problem with the design as one of wishful thinking, imagining people will get with the program and use it as you hope, with no feedback to nudge them back on the path. 911 dispatchers complain about people calling for inappropriate reasons. And they can actually arrest you or fine you for abusing 911! In summary, the idea has all the problems of the system it intends to fix. That is, how about we just give them email, but encourage them to use it appropriately! Oops, or did I mean a spam button? And then they don't. And we can't do much about it. -- -Barry Shein The World | bzs@TheWorld.com | http://www.TheWorld.com Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 800-THE-WRLD | Dial-Up: US, PR, Canada Software Tool & Die | Public Access Internet | SINCE 1989 *oo*
- [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button ide… Rich Kulawiec
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Daniel Feenberg
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Jose-Marcio Martins da Cruz
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Alessandro Vesely
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Rich Kulawiec
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Alessandro Vesely
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Rich Kulawiec
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Martijn Grooten
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… der Mouse
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Chris Lewis
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Daniel Feenberg
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Michael Thomas
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Steve Atkins
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Barry Shein
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Chris Lewis
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Chris Lewis
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Steve Atkins
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Daniel Feenberg
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… BOBOTEK, ALEX (ATTLABS)
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Jose-Marcio Martins da Cruz
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… John Levine
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Barry Shein
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Ian Eiloart
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Ian Eiloart
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Ian Eiloart
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Ian Eiloart
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Dennis Dayman
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Paul Russell
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Chris Lewis
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Ian Eiloart
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Barry Shein
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Steve Atkins
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Barry Shein
- Re: [Asrg] Summary/outline of why the junk button… Chris Lewis