Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 22:48:08 -0500 (EST)
From: Larry Moss <moss@balloonhq.com>
To: Balloon Decorator List <balloondeco@balloonhq.com>
Subject: Re: question for balloon hq

On Mon, 17 Jan 2000, Freda Tesseneer wrote:

> Who determines what amount of writing is too wordy? I was sent back a post
> because it was intercepted and determined to be too wordy concerning the
> Flowers issue. Yet on the last posting most of the posts were longer than
> the one that I sent in. I would just like to know where the limit is drawn
> and why it is not the standard for everyone. I certainly can understand the
> need for limitations. It just needs to be consistent for all the posts.

Nothing is ever rejected for being too wordy.  When things are rejected,
it's based on very strict rules that have to be consistent since it's
completely automated.  (There's no way for an automated system to show
prejudice.)  There are a set of rules that the system applies to all email.
Here are the rquirements:

  You must post from the same address that you use to receive email.  In
  other words, if you receive your balloon list mail at bob@aol.com, you
  can't send email from robert@prodigy.com and expect it to go through.
  The one exception is if you're a paid BHQ member.  Then you can post from
  any address you've registered with us.

  You can't include too much of the message you are replying to.  If
  someone posts a 500 line message, and you respond by quoting the entire
  message with only one additional line tacked on that says, "I agree" it
  will probably be rejected.  I say probably because it's very difficult
  for an automated system to determine exactly how much has been quoted.
  Sometimes more gets through than should.  It's conceiveable you tried
  replying too much of a previous message included.

  You can't post HTML encoded email.  This list is for plain text.  The web
  site contains HTML and all the other things that the web is known for.
  Many people on this list still cannot read HTML encoded email.  This is
  quickly changing, and within a couple years, this restriction *may* be
  lifted if sufficient reason exists to do so.  Right now, there isn't a
  good reason for it, but there are reasons to not allow it.

  Binary postings such as software, video, and photos, are rejected for the
  same reason as HTML.  Many people are unable to make use of things like
  that arriving as email and it places a heavy burden on the mail server.
  Material like that is best distributed on the web, and we're more than
  happy to make those materials available if you send them to us to put on
  the web.  Photos can be sent to photo@balloonhq.com.  Video and software
  can be sent to me or Mark Balzer.  If it's balloon related and has no
  copyright restrictions on it, we'll try to place a link to it in an
  appropriate place in the Guide to Balloons and Ballooning.

If you receive a rejection notice that you don't understand, you should
write to BHQ-Admin@balloonhq.com with as much information as you can.  Send
a copy of the note you tried sending and a copy of the note you received in
response.  Without at least one of those, it's impossible to trace what
happened.  Posting to this list rather than writing to BHQ-Admin may not be
answered in the most timely manner.  As it happens, I'm up late trying to
get caught up on stuff, but writing directly to an admin will usually
result in a quicker response.

Larry Moss
Balloon HQ