When Technology Dumbfounds People ...

It leads to clogged email in-boxes! One of the professional groups that I belong to, which shall remain nameless, is so technologically challenged that it is pathetic. The group has a few hundred members and they have serious communication problems because they do not know how to leverage technology. And I'm not talking about anything sophisticated here!

They tried a web site. It was pretty simple, but it had some basic information. It hasn't been updated in about three years, despite constant newsletter announcements that it will be updated shortly. In my naive years I even offered to help update the website, but was told they already had someone to do it.

Then they tried a listserv about a year or two ago. I have no idea what happened to it. I don't believe I ever got a message through it.

And now ... a new listserv. I would like to point out that listservs have been around for well over a decade and they are pretty darn easy to use. It's just email, people. And yet ... Yesterday someone sends out a "test" message on the listserv. He wants to know if other people got his message. Said message goes out to about 400 people. Many of those kindhearted people decided to reply to the listserv to let the sender know that they received the important "test" message. (Sigh) Finally, the listserv administrator sends out a message reminding everyone that they are replying to all with their pointless messages, thereby clogging everyone's email. Nice. Thanks. I would have said so myself, but I wouldn't have been so polite.

So this morning I have a gazillion emails with the subject line "avoid cluttering the listserv" and everyone thanking the listserv administrator for reminding people not to clutter the listserv! Good grief! (If I were the listserv administrator I would delete all of those people.)