* How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii
@ 2004-06-20 12:27 Don Saklad
2004-06-20 18:54 ` Paul Johnson
0 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread
From: Don Saklad @ 2004-06-20 12:27 UTC (permalink / raw)
The council public notices full text are not available on the web. A screwy
calendar of public hearings dates is available but its difficult to navigate
and does not include the full text of the notice, only time, location and
minimal descriptor keywords.
http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii
@ 2004-06-20 12:24 Don Saklad
2004-06-20 22:08 ` Joel Reicher
0 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread
From: Don Saklad @ 2004-06-20 12:24 UTC (permalink / raw)
a. How might I set up a free public service with notices of
Boston City Council committees public hearings that the
council distributes merely by email in microsoft word
format ?...
Ironically, the council has been unwilling to see how to
distribute public notices in plain text ascii
b. Would there be something like a list server that would
automatically convert my forwarded public notices in
microsoft word format and make them readable on the web?...
I get the microsoft word formatted notices in rmail in
emacs and could forward them regularly, if necessary.
c. Or would there be another way for me to forward the
microsoft word formatted notices to a web link where
anyone would be able to check the current and archived notices?...
I could get an email address submitted on the email list that
would effect forwarding of the microsoft word public notices automatically.
> 1) The more you ask a user to do, the fewer of them will do it.
> Bottom line: fewer people in your target mailing, even
> consider coming to your event.
>
> 2) Instead of N people doing the conversion, it makes more sense for 1
> person to do it. The person who sent it. The person who wants the
> event to be successful. This also shows respect for the many
> recipients, you are choosing to make their lives easier, not harder.
> And the plain ASCII text version should be the first MIME
> component. As Jordan suggest, it should include useful web links,
> like maps to the site.
> If other versions are appended after that as other MIME
> components, it matters much less. Usually a waste of Internet
> bandwidth, mail spool space, CPU, etc, but whatever.
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread* Re: How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii
2004-06-20 12:24 Don Saklad
@ 2004-06-20 22:08 ` Joel Reicher
2004-06-21 7:09 ` Don Saklad
0 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread
From: Joel Reicher @ 2004-06-20 22:08 UTC (permalink / raw)
Don Saklad <dsaklad@nestle.csail.mit.edu> writes:
> c. Or would there be another way for me to forward the
> microsoft word formatted notices to a web link where
> anyone would be able to check the current and archived notices?...
>
> I could get an email address submitted on the email list that
> would effect forwarding of the microsoft word public notices automatically.
Sounds like a sensible way to proceed.
Convert the notices to HTML yourself (automatically or otherwise), and
post them on your own website.
You could use Word to do the conversion, although probably not in
batch and the HTML is pretty awful, or one of the pieces of free
software which aren't hard to find.
Cheers,
- Joel
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread* Re: How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii
2004-06-20 22:08 ` Joel Reicher
@ 2004-06-21 7:09 ` Don Saklad
2004-06-21 8:39 ` Joel Reicher
0 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread
From: Don Saklad @ 2004-06-21 7:09 UTC (permalink / raw)
Thank you Joel Reicher !
Plain text ascii would be ideal. The difficulty would be setting up an
automatic converter for the forwarded email.
If any of you kind folks out there would, please ask for the emailings
of public notices of city council committee hearings, take a look at
the microsoft word formatting and let me know any ideas, hints, tips
or pointers for setting up plain text ascii formatting on a web link
or how to set up a listserver type thing and its archives.
To subscribe or or unsubscribe
email: ann.hess at cityofboston.gov
subscribe public notices city council committee hearings
unsubscribe public notices city council committee hearings
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
* Re: How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii
2004-06-21 7:09 ` Don Saklad
@ 2004-06-21 8:39 ` Joel Reicher
2004-06-21 8:59 ` Don Saklad
0 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread
From: Joel Reicher @ 2004-06-21 8:39 UTC (permalink / raw)
Don Saklad <dsaklad@nestle.csail.mit.edu> writes:
> Plain text ascii would be ideal. The difficulty would be setting up an
> automatic converter for the forwarded email.
Many of the Word converters out there will do plain text.
Processing the mail automatically is not hard -- you just `forward'
your mail through something like procmail and correctly configure
procmail to send some of your mail through the converter. You can even
wrap the converter in a fancy script which will drop a file in the
right place for your website and modify the site's index.
Cheers,
- Joel
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread* Re: How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii
2004-06-21 8:39 ` Joel Reicher
@ 2004-06-21 8:59 ` Don Saklad
2004-06-21 12:18 ` Joel Reicher
0 siblings, 1 reply; 9+ messages in thread
From: Don Saklad @ 2004-06-21 8:59 UTC (permalink / raw)
>Processing the mail automatically is not hard -- you just `forward'
>your mail through something like procmail and correctly configure
>procmail to send some of your mail through the converter. You can even
>wrap the converter in a fancy script which will drop a file in the
>right place for your website and modify the site's index.
a. Who could set up something like that ?...
b Where do you get expertise about procmail and converting?...
c. Would there be anything in place that would not need that
expertise?...
City hall MIS management information services did not know
how to set up email in plain text ascii nor how to set up
a web link with the public notices of city council committees
meetings
http://cityofboston.gov/mis
http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread* Re: How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii
2004-06-21 8:59 ` Don Saklad
@ 2004-06-21 12:18 ` Joel Reicher
0 siblings, 0 replies; 9+ messages in thread
From: Joel Reicher @ 2004-06-21 12:18 UTC (permalink / raw)
Don Saklad <dsaklad@nestle.csail.mit.edu> writes:
> >Processing the mail automatically is not hard -- you just `forward'
> >your mail through something like procmail and correctly configure
> >procmail to send some of your mail through the converter. You can even
> >wrap the converter in a fancy script which will drop a file in the
> >right place for your website and modify the site's index.
>
> a. Who could set up something like that ?...
You could. :)
> b Where do you get expertise about procmail and converting?...
>From the procmail documentation and the converter's documentation. :)
> c. Would there be anything in place that would not need that
> expertise?...
Maybe, but I don't know of it. Special purpose software generally
doesn't exist (for free) unless there's a significant demand for
it. That's unlikely in your case, so your best bet is to configure
some generic software yourself.
> City hall MIS management information services did not know
> how to set up email in plain text ascii nor how to set up
> a web link with the public notices of city council committees
> meetings
> http://cityofboston.gov/mis
> http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil
Why do you keep posting these URLs?
Cheers,
- Joel
^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 9+ messages in thread
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2004-06-20 12:27 How to set a web link for forwarded public notices not in plain text ascii Don Saklad
2004-06-20 18:54 ` Paul Johnson
2004-06-21 7:06 ` Don Saklad
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2004-06-20 12:24 Don Saklad
2004-06-20 22:08 ` Joel Reicher
2004-06-21 7:09 ` Don Saklad
2004-06-21 8:39 ` Joel Reicher
2004-06-21 8:59 ` Don Saklad
2004-06-21 12:18 ` Joel Reicher
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