This idea is basically for an addition to email programs that detects when an email is being sent to a large number of people or a mailing list.

It then queries the user to check if they want to send the email to all of these people/list before sending it.

It should be easy enough to implement and has the potential to prevent red faces.

(with apologies)
-- madradish, Nov 10 2002

You mean a "are you sure you want to 'reply to all'?"
-- bristolz, Nov 10 2002


Aww, come on, [radish sprout] - a touch of color would look good on you!

A possible extension (far from foolproof) - maybe check the text to see if any of the recipients names are matched.
-- lurch, Nov 11 2002


Excellent idea, Insanus Raphanus Sativus. I've seen inadvertent posts in each of 4 YahooGroups I'm in.
-- thumbwax, Nov 11 2002


I caught a bad dose of Klez.H when it came round in June. I was going to squash it, but when it started sending bizarre emails to ex-girlfriends, purporting to come from my mother, I thought I'd sit back & watch the hilarity a little...
-- General Washington, Nov 11 2002


not another "Are you sure?" question!!! And by the way, the biggest problem in mass mail is server expanded lists, such as "users@halfbakery.com" that will only be one email address to your mail client; your client won't be able to tell which emails are list emails.
-- soster, Nov 11 2002


<aims friendly slaps at bliss and waugs>

I hadn't actually thought of it as a potential virus catcher, but that might work. [soster] you would have specify lists to the email program, some support this already. Waugs, I tend to agree with you on the spellchecker thing, but this isn't so drastic. Many email programs give prompts already for attachments over a certain size etc.

And for those who haven't worked it out, yes I did this very thing yesterday <blushes deeply>
-- madradish, Nov 12 2002


//your client won't be able to tell which emails are list emails//

I think you might be able to work around this, soster, by keying off the field "Precedence: bulk" or other email header fields that are commonly present in emails that come from lists.
-- krelnik, Nov 12 2002



random, halfbakery