The Sociology of UNSUBSCRIBING

[Timothy C. May]

About half a dozen messages like this one are posted here every week:

> PLEASE READ!  (sorry to shout)
> 
> All subscription requests should be sent to cypherpunks-request at toad.com


Despite this, every day there are several "Unsubscribe me, NOW!"
messages, with various degrees of politeness.

Folks, I am not going to repeat the instructions again. This is
becuase of the following conclusions I have reached:

1. The list is divided into two basic classes of readers: those who
read some or all of the messages, and those who skip most articles and
don't pay attention to what they read.

2. Those who read many of the messages then see these instructions
over and over again.

3. Those who don't read the messages, don't see or understand or have
a general clue about the instructions.

4. It is usually these folks who want off the list urgently. As others
have noted so many times, they have no clue as the general netiquette
for getting on and off lists (apparently even forgetting that they got
ON the list by sending a request to "cypherpunks-request at toad.com").

MAJOR CONCLUSION: All of the "helpful" instructions, including this
very message, are useless, as the folks who need to receive them are
demonstrably not bothering to receive them.

Draw your own conclusions.

--Tim May


-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay at netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409           | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power:2**859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available.