Replying to messages in this group

[Richard (group manager)]

It appears that some people get confused about replying to people on this mailing list, so here is a some information that I hope explains what to do.

The mailing list is just a standard Google group, and you can either have the messages delivered to you by email, or you can read them on the group interface on Google.

If you receive the messages by email, how you reply depends on what email software you use. I use Thunderbird, which has the options 'Reply to Sender Only' and 'Reply to List'.

If you use the Web interface, you can 'Post Reply' or choose the action 'Reply Privately to Author'. (There is a Help and Feedback option on the Settings menu.)

If you 'reply to list' or 'post reply' you are sending your reply to everyone who reads the list. If it's a private reply, this irritates all the people who find an irrelevant (to them) email in their inbox. However, there is no guarantee that it will reach the person you are addressing it to.

So, if you are sending a message to an accommodation owner, use 'Reply to Sender Only'  (or equivalent in your email program) or 'Reply Privately to Author' on the web interface. Alternatively, if they have an entry in the directory (http://naco.org.uk), you can contact them through that. Note that not all accommodation mentioned on the Google group is in the directory and accommodation in the directory is not necessarily mentioned in the group. That's usually the choice of the owners.

Regards,
Richard