Couldn't send your message because there was no message! Yes there was!

June 2, 2009 1:46 PM

Can you remove the requirement that MeFi mails have to have text in the body? Sometimes a quick question/comment in the subject line suffices. I think most of us are techologically literate enough to not need the reminder that we are sending w/o text, and it doesn't remove any functionality for anyone.
posted by desjardins to feature requests at 1:46 PM (36 comments total)

.
posted by grouse at 1:49 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

EOM
posted by Deathalicious at 1:50 PM on June 2

 
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 1:50 PM on June 2

I didn't even know that MeMail did that, but I happen to feel that it promotes civility to include a message along with a subject. I'd be curious what other people think on this issue though.
posted by jessamyn at 1:54 PM on June 2 [2 favorites]

I remember back in the BBS days, when the title said it all, the body would simply be:

TSIA
posted by liquoredonlife at 1:56 PM on June 2 [2 favorites]

Subject to your approval.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:09 PM on June 2

posted by box at 2:09 PM on June 2

To the august members of this Meta Filter,

First let me state that it was a great kindness when you let me browse thread #82113 on the subject of "unicorn tattoos". If only was had tattoos like that when I served in the Highlander regiment I think my days in the army would not have been so dreary!

On the subject of messages which lack what is commonly referred to as the "body" of the message, I must say that I am against this in both principle and in practice. Certainly one could not possibly fully convey the many nuances and shades of meaning necessary to adequately communicate one's feelings to the distant party in the limited space available in the "subject" line alone. The subject is a precis, if you will, of a much more sophisticated thought and while the art of constructing a precis has fallen out of fashion amongst the youth of today, I feel that it is nevertheless a valuable skill that serves an important purpose. One should not be in such a hurry that one feels compelled to pare one's message to the very bone. Messages like that would make for a thin soup indeed.

I hope you all can join me this summer at Chuffnell Hall for our annual ice cream social.

Yours Truly,
&c
posted by GuyZero at 2:09 PM on June 2 [14 favorites]

Also, it seems like a reasonable request, though I must admit that any sentence that starts 'I think most of us are technically literate enough...' triggers a little muted-trumpet noise in my brain.
posted by box at 2:11 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

How to dispose of the body without getting caught.
posted by Knappster at 2:12 PM on June 2

I'd be curious what other people think on this issue though.

I think desjardins is strung out on sugar again and just 'causin trouble.

It's a small change which doesn't bother than those who prefer including the body, but it starts to veer into the instant message/tweet category i.e. just a way for people to pop off comments without thought.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:13 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: Just a way for people to pop off comments without thought.
posted by electroboy at 2:14 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

How hard is it to just put a blank space (or any other single character) in the body of an email? Tab, Space, Send.
posted by zarq at 2:28 PM on June 2

Forcing people to add superfluous body text is wasting valuable bandwidth that could be better used to pirate leaked Hollywood blockbusters.
posted by Joe Beese at 2:28 PM on June 2

I think desjardins is strung out on sugar again

Guilty as charged. Plus, did I mention that it's Zachary Quinto's birthday?
posted by desjardins at 2:29 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

My recommendation is that if you have no specific body text to accompany your subject line you should compose a brief poem (a limerick, perhaps, or a haiku if you are pressed for time) elaborating on the theme of the message.
posted by cortex at 2:37 PM on June 2 [7 favorites]

Actually I take back what I said earlier. That specific feature is there so that I will never, ever get a MeMail that seems as if it has come from my father. You'll note that you can't send a MeMail that has more than three question marks in the subject line also. Same thing.

kidding!.... or am I???
posted by jessamyn at 2:41 PM on June 2 [2 favorites]

My recommendation is that if you have no specific body text to accompany your subject line you should compose a brief poem (a limerick, perhaps, or a haiku if you are pressed for time) elaborating on the theme of the message.

I will tolerate nothing but pantoums.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:41 PM on June 2

Just duplicate the subject line.

Just duplicate the subject line.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:42 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

That may bring on the wrath of the Hooded Fang.
posted by GuyZero at 2:45 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

Interestingly, I almost never would use the subject line this way. I'm much more prone to do a quick message in the body and leave the subject line blank.

Which, now that I think about it, is way more irritating on my part.

Tab, Space, Send.

I feel like this could be a good name for a forum about people sharing their LSD experiences.
posted by quin at 2:53 PM on June 2 [3 favorites]

Shrieking loudly at the monitor (Microsoft LoudScreem™) is another option. Press Alt-F4 to release the hounds.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:09 PM on June 2

Metafilter: Just a way for people to pop off comments without thought.

I read some MeFi threads for the sole purpose of finding the inevitable "Metafilter: [description culled from a post upthread]." They make me smile =)
posted by headnsouth at 3:21 PM on June 2

I still remember receiving an email from a friend of mine back in college, when we were hoping to room together and waiting for NYU to tell us what was what. After he hears word that it's not going to work out, he sends the message where the subject line simply reads:

Where you livin', boy?

Which would've been fine, but I guess the email client wouldn't let him send it without a message in a body, so he included one, namely:

Well? That goat ain't gonna fuck itself.

So I thoroughly approve of having to include a message, myself.
posted by Navelgazer at 3:39 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

Great diary. Thanks. n/t (0+ / 0-)
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 3:41 PM on June 2

n/t
posted by Super Hans at 5:01 PM on June 2

It can't hurt to explicate. That way often lies greater understanding.

You could always twitter if you're that desperate to explain in a diminishing number of characters. @stephenfry

what, no amusing coincidence often misinterpreted as irony tag?
posted by Sparx at 6:11 PM on June 2

What we need here is subject lines with a 140 character limit and no body text at all.
posted by flabdablet at 6:29 PM on June 2

 
posted by orthogonality at 6:30 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

What we have here is a failure to communicate!
posted by backseatpilot at 6:54 PM on June 2

SysRq, just don't do that if your subject line is beetlejuice, and you have a habit of accidentally tapping the 'v' key twice. You might have an issue on your hands.
posted by deezil at 6:58 PM on June 2

I think I found a secret series of shortcut keys that will let you bypass this problem. When you finish typing the subject line, without clicking out of that text field just hit: ctrl-A, ctrl-C, tab, ctrl-V. Now you can hit send without getting that message.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:06 PM on June 2

Can you remove the requirement that MeFi mails have to have text in the body?

Can you remove the futility of clicking on a subject to be met with austere disappointment?
posted by zennie at 8:34 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

A shorter series of shortcut keys: tab -
posted by flabdablet at 9:51 PM on June 2

FWIW, every email I receive that consists of just a message in the subject field drives me a little bit closer to my rampage.
posted by chrismear at 2:15 AM on June 3

Can you remove the futility of clicking on a subject to be met with austere disappointment?

Yeah, can we put austere disappointment in the header or something?
posted by Sparx at 4:40 AM on June 3 [1 favorite]