From: G6JPG-255@255soft.uk   
      
   In message <1npvs10.wra7y8135pwyyN%nemo@erewhon.invalid>, John Hill   
    writes:   
   >J. P. Gilliver (John)  wrote:   
   >   
   >> Agreed. The problem here is not so much off-topic, as the usual problem   
   >> of a gmail user (yes, it doesn't apply to all such) encountering an old   
   >> thread, and adding to it, often without quoting any date and thinking   
   >> they're not posting but emailing. As "john1@" discovered for us, this is   
   >> a thread from 2007.   
   >   
   >At some risk of really going off-topic, why is this a problem with some   
   >gmail users? Is it something to do with Google Groups?   
   >   
   >I've just checked, and I've got postings to this group archived in   
   >Google Groups going back to 2009 (at least). But they are all clearly   
   >labelled with the date, and if I decided to follow something up I'd   
   >proceed accordingly.   
   >   
   >J.   
   >   
   (Apologies to others who've seen this before - I'd have replied by email   
   but could see that your email is munged.)   
      
   The problem does _appear_ to be with the combination of Google Groups,   
   and/or its user interface, and its use by gmail users. Although it is   
   _possible_ for those reading us by that means to send a private email   
   reply, the "post followup" option seems to be the one easiest to use;   
   also, it would _appear_ that the date, though as you say visible, is not   
   obvious to them. Also, there must be _something_ about the interface   
   that encourages them to quote very little of the post they are   
   responding to, sometimes none, and certainly usually not enough that   
   anyone seeing just their new post will be able to know what they're on   
   about.   
      
   (It probably doesn't help that usenet/newsgroups in general are known to   
   a declining number of people altogether.)   
      
   As usual, I must reiterate that   
   1. Not _all_ gmail users fall into this category   
   2. It isn't _only_ gmail users that do - I think I've seen one, maybe   
   two, of this sort of post that was from someone other than a gmail user.   
      
   I don't know what the solution is: even if we did have an "in" to Google   
   (which we don't), I don't know what _they_ could do, though improving   
   their user interface would be a start. Something that gets their users   
   to confirm "do you realise the post you are following up on is x years   
   old?" would be good, though mainly something that made "email" rather   
   than "post" response the default/obvious choice would be a better start.   
      
   But we're almost certainly not going to get that. In the meantime, it's   
   probably best if we _don't_ _post here_ responses to such posts, but   
   reply direct to poster. (And I realise it isn't always _obvious_ that a   
   post if of this nature.)   
   --   
   J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf   
      
   Where [other presenters] tackle the world with a box of watercolours, he   
   takes a spanner. - David Butcher (on Guy Martin), RT 2015/1/31-2/6   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)