Monday, January 25, 2010

the "unsubscribe" bitchfest heard 'round the homeschool listserv

A close friend of mine signed up for a Nashville homeschooling listserv about two years ago, but ultimately decided not to homeschool her kids. The emails from the listserv were clogging up her inbox, and since she wasn't using the information, she wanted to unsubscribe.

This was nothing against the group or the people in it. Because she never read the emails, she was unfamiliar with the proper way to unsubscribe, other than what some other people had done, which was to send an "unsubscribe" email to the entire list. Unbenownst to her, this would create an online unsubscriber-bashing meleé.

Friend: Unsubscribe. Thanks!

Jacki (list manager, who ends all her posts with "peace within, peace between, peace among"):
Unsubscribing info is in the footer of each and every email you receive from the list, just follow the directions. I've copied and pasted them here for you.
Jacki
List mom (but not list slave)

T.H.F.: Wow. How rude. I will now unsubscribe as well.

D.L.: If you thought that was rude, you should unsubscribe. What is rude is signing yourself up for an email list and then not taking the 5 seconds it requires to unsub yourself, but rather asking the list owner to do it for you because obviously they have way more time than you do!

Jacki: Each and every email from the list _has the unsubbing information in the
footer. Also, please note : I just posted this information on Jan 21. Sorry, but, IMO, FWIW, the rude person is not me --the list mom (who is not the list slave) but folks expecting others to perform tasks for them that they are or should be (particularly if they are or are thinking about homeschooling their own children) capable of performing for themselves, now that's rude in my book.
Peace within. peace between. peace among,
Jacki

Friend: For crying out loud, you people are way too emotional! Honest mistake--get over it!

Jen: I think we should all put a 30 minute hold on angry postings. It is really unpleasant to read these tirades and it reflects badly on us all.
Yes, I waited 30 minutes to send this.
P.S. I am going offline the rest of the day, just in case this provokes angry tirades (just joking....mostly).

D.L.: No, it isn't a mistake. It is a blatant act of NOT following simple instructions, which are listed at the end of EVERY email sent to this list.

D.L.: Sorry, Jen, I didn't wait 30 minutes. Mainly because I know Jacki has several other things going on today and simply doesn't need to deal with these petty "unsubscribe" posts. After 12+ years of helping her with these lists, I do tend to get a little aggravated with people who can't/won't do things for themselves.

Friend: Perhaps it's time for you to retire then, before your blood pressure gets the best of you over something so unimportant, in the grand scheme of things, as a listserve.

D.L.: I would if others were willing to step up to the plate, instead of telling us how to do things!

Traci: Looks like we have weeded out the crazies now! LOL

David: Well in the grand scheme of things not much in our lives is important. That just goes to show that the grand scheme of things is of limited usefulness in judging what is important in our everyday lives. I think having your time wasted by inconsiderate people is quite reasonably a matter of some personal importance. And of course if it was the first time it had ever happened it would be easy to let it pass. But when it has been pretty regularly repeated for years, it gets old, very old.

Friend: It's unfortunate that you feel that your reaction to everyday inconveniences is not important in the grand scheme of things. It's also unfortunate that you are a group that does not forgive mistakes. I'm sorry, but not all of us are perfect in every detail of everything we do in life, as you would claim to be.

Amanda: Ok. How about we just unsubscribe from this thread? ;)

That was the best idea someone thought up all day. And that finally ended it.


I think it's time for Jacki to rewrite her goal statement from peace all around and instead try for something a little more attainable, or at least find a new catch phrase that meshes more with her online personality. Also, learning correct punctuation would be beneficial, especially since you are your children's teacher (I corrected a few of the errors so that you don't come off as a complete idiot).
D.L., you should probably schedule yourself for an upper GI to check for an ulcer.
Traci, way to promote your group!
And David, I sincerely hope you find a purpose for living (other than insulting people, whom you don't know, on listservs).