[Mailman-Users] Minor addition to Mailman/Cgi/options.py

[C Nulk]

Malcolm,

Thanks for your input and your examples.

My users don't normally have a problem with the listinfo page.  They
either put in their email address or don't.  If they don't, the Options
login page does ask for it.  Likewise, if they get to the User Options
page where they can change their options, there is no problem.

The problem occurs on the Options login page.   When the users see the
password field on that page, they completely forget about reading any
other part of the page.  They just plow ahead and become frustrated
(their own fault for not reading) and then I get email about
unsubscribing.  I did a capture of the page and a bit of obscuring of
the Options login page (with my addition).

  <URL:http://it.scu.edu/images/options.png>

Hopefully, that little addition will help my users (the ones that don't
read before acting).  If it helps others who face the same problem, great.

Malcolm, I have also done some separation of tasks which does help.  I
split the Unsubscribe and Edit options from one section into two
different sections.  It was another confusing aspect for the users
trying to unsubscribe.  Now, I tell them and my documentation says to
look for the Unsubscribe section, put your password in the field
provided, and click the unsubscribe button.  The next page was the one
tripping them up.

Thanks for the input,
Chris

On 5/3/2011 3:43 AM, Malcolm Austen wrote:
> On Mon, 02 May 2011 22:30:55 +0100, C Nulk <CNulk at scu.edu> wrote:
>
>> Don't know if this small addition would be useful to anyone else but I
>> will pass it along.
>>
>> A little explanation first.  It seems our users have some difficulty in
>> unsubscribing from the lists they are on.  I know it is simple, yet I
>> get a lot of email complaining the process is to difficult.  The biggest
>> issue I see is when the user puts in their email address then clicks the
>> "unsubscribe or edit options" button and the user lands on the Options
>> page.  Apparently, the users see the password field and try a password
>> and then find out it is not the correct one.  The users just don't seem
>> to read the page first which even tells the users to click the
>> unsubscribe button if they are trying to unsubscribe.  Well, they don't
>> read, have problems, then email me that they have tried "everything" and
>> it doesn't work.
>>
>> My solution was to modify the Mailman/Cgi/options.py file ...
>
> I started from a slightly different problem, of people who would, say,
> type in a new password, then scroll down admoring all the other options
> and click the save button at the bottom, the one for their 'subscription
> options'. I don't have access to the server so tackled this (to a degree,
> you may debate how effective it is) by edits to the list info and
> personal
> options HTML. In case it matters, this host is still running MailMan
> 2.1.9
> :-(
>
> <URL:http://www.weald.org.uk/mm-info.txt>
>    gives this appearance to the list info page
>    <URL:http://www.weald.org.uk/mm-info.png>
>
> The main benefit is to be able to point people to the numbered sections!
>
> <URL:http://www.weald.org.uk/mm-options.txt>
>   give this appearance to the list options page
>   <URL:http://www.weald.org.uk/mm-options-top.png>
>   <URL:http://www.weald.org.uk/mm-options-bottom.png>
>
> I think(hope) the table frames prompt people to use the various
> <form>s on
> the page separately and avoid the perception of a single set of choices
> with multiple save buttons.
>
> regards, Malcolm.
>
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