GAO Daybook mail glitch

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

Don't know if it is Y2K related, but I subscribe to GAO Daybook...get daily emails on new GAO reports (so I can watch for ones dealing with Y2K). Well.. starting yesteerday, and continuing today, I am getting email from OTHER people subscribing to Daybook. Weird.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 09, 1999

Answers

Me too....They sent an apology today....

-- mmmm (mmmm@mmmm.com), December 09, 1999.

ahhh... I see on their website this notice:

Mailing Lists - On December 8 we had a temporary problem with our mailing lists. We apologize for the inconvenience.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 09, 1999.


Yep.

"Most... unexpected."

;-D

Diane

(Poor "Bill")

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 09, 1999.


from the emailed apology:

Dear Daybook Subscribers,

On Wednesday, December 8, an individual's subscription request was inadvertently

mailed to the entire GAO Daybook mailing list. We recently installed new software to manage the Daybook list. Unfortunately, it was inappropriately configured to

allow a request for a subscription to be sent to all members on the list. To compound the problem, about a dozen e-mail messages asking about the problem were also sent out to the list.

The problem was solved shortly after it occurred. It was not the result of a virus or any other security problem.

We are very protective of information about individuals who subscribe to our services, and we deeply regret any inconvenience caused by this incident.

===================

Hmmm... interesting time to be installing new software me thinks. Wasn't there supposed to be a freeze on new software installation, so it wouldn't screw up their Y2K compliance?

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 09, 1999.


Since I happened to be one of those on the receiving end of this mess, I would like to postulate how 'spin' and deception works. The apology from the webmaster states that only a dozen or so messages were routed wrong to the subscription list. I personally received over 40 messages in an 8 hour period. I not only got poor 'Bill" initial stuff but I got all the replies from the subscribers and the answers from the others. My answer was to forward each one to the webmastea with an occasional pithy comment. Yes GAO had a new software freeze on since the 15th of November. Amazing, the spin that can be put on things by people that will not adhere to the truth. Let's minimize the number of errors (forgeting the amount of irritation they cause), lets ignore that we announced a program freeze about 25 days ago.....and for goodness sake, DON'T blame it on y2k (even if it is).

Does all this sound familiar for some reason?? Think about it!

'going to Costco'.

-- Lobo (atthelair@yahoo.com), December 10, 1999.



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