Comment 3 for bug 708223

On Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:04:47 -0000, Barry Warsaw <email address hidden> wrote:
> I agree that this is very often a PITA. The counter argument is that
> it's bad etiquette (and in some places illegal) to sign people up for
> mailing lists without their approval (i.e. opt-out). We've so far erred
> on the side of requiring opt-in for mailing lists

I didn't know it would be illegal in places. Are, say, bug subscriptions
considered differently there. I can sign someone up for all the bug mail
from Ubuntu, which will be more mail than any Launchpad mailing list, so
I'm not sure about the ettiquette argument really holding up.

> Maybe we need to loosen that constraint, but what conditions should
> apply to opt-out subscriptions? Perhaps we can inform users when they
> sign up for Launchpad, that their emails may get subscribed to mailing
> lists. We could make it even easier for them to opt-out, or we could
> allow people to set something in their account that would prevent
> someone else from subscribing them (i.e. force opt-in).

This I'm not sure about. Perhaps we just change the way creating a new
mailing list for a team, or adding someone with a team to a mailing list
works?

Instead of inviting them to go to a page to configure things, send them
an email saying "You have been requested to join the mailing list for
~whatever, click here to accept", and then tell them about the ability
to unsubscribe, change the delivery email address etc. on the current
page.

I think that would have resulting in a higher percentage of
subscriptions in my case.

It would still be a bit annoying that I couldn't create a team, put
people in it, create a mailing list, and then email them all on the
mailing list, but it would avoid the issues around subscribing someone
else directly.

Thanks,

James