Of course they get sent around, that's why you're out here complaining about them, no? 

You mentioned the topics that people may mass mail about, but if that information is wanted why shouldn't they send it via mass mail? 

Out of all of the above mentioned, there is one piece of information that I wouldn't want to hear about. Birthday's, I couldn't give a shit. Everything else I would want dependent of my CL and family. 

As a former CL, and a current LH.. I can tell you that a lot of them that you people send... dont actually get sent down to the members.

Let me clarify that.. They dont get sent down in mass mail form. Some people have learned how to communicate without sending mass mails for every single thing.

Well that's a different problem altogether. CL's and hands should know what information needs to be sent out to their members and which information doesn't. If the information that should or is that is wanted by their members isn't sent then they clearly aren't doing their jobs correctly.  

I think the problem is people are not utilizing other forms/methods available that they should be.

I am going to leave it at that. I have said my piece and I disagree with most of what's been said in defense to all these craptastic mass mails. Its like the boy that cried wolf.. If your mails are garbage for most of the time, why should I take anything else seriously?

Example 1:

Crew Member A is offline, someone gets a Durden alert, Member A logs on clueless to the upcoming Durdens, checks mails, yay Durdens coming, doesn't shoot the BG or pay for an MIA. 

Example 2:

Crew Member A is offline when a  crew leader falls from Wackback. Protection order goes out via crew chat. Crewmember A doesn't read the streets before they line up a shot of an unsponsored. Pew Pew. Oops, pro has been order broken!

Fact: Not everyone makes it a priority to read the Streets they log in.

Example 3: 

A rogue sets up, citywide chat request goes out for the WS of the proer. Member A logs on after this request goes out and doesn't see it. Member A gets the statement but doesn't think it's important so deletes it or sells it. Oops.

I could list a bunch more, but as a current Left Hand, former Right Hand, Left Hand, Crewleader, Godfather, etc etc etc blah blah blah... I can see while some mass mail is pointless (Birthdays because I really don't care if I don't know you. Sorry, not sorry.) some is not if you attempt to put yourself in the place of those the mail is directed toward. 

I also don't care about who has who as a hand or why they change them out, but some feel that excessive transparency will save them in the end. So be it. If they want to share their city's politics, actions, and what's behind them with everyone that's their prerogative, it may come back to bite them in the end or it may not.

I don't care that a city is holding a competition that has nothing to do with the city that I represent, yep, had that mass mail and I didn't bitch about it.

You may not give two rat's asses about a Durden announcement, but guess what, someone does. 

My issue is, other than mass mail there is no other way of ensuring a piece of information is sent to people that you would like it to be sent to, with the insurance policy of them definitely receiving said information. 

I believe a way around this and to reduce the number of mass mails that is sent to everyone would be to have the facility to create custom mass mail groups in a similar way that you can create contact groups. Hell, even adding a Mass Mail Contact Group option would be great.  

Let me help you out there Hetepi.

Auth announcements ---> The Streets

TylerDurden announcements ---> It is possible to make an OOC thread to share the times if you really feel like you must tell people that its about 8 or so hours away. Although I am sure it matters more to people online more than offline so it could be shared via IRC.

Yes, I heard the concerns about it disappearing on IRC but I shut off my laptop last night. Logged in and checked Lounge this morning to find all of last nights conversations still there. So unless a reset of Lounge happens there is always a good chance to catch up there.

Birthday announcements --> Most people dont care unless its one of their friends... and in that case they would generally already know.

Hand changes.. ---> Meh. I don't see the importance in mass mailing it. Hands change quite frequently without  a message being sent.

War/WS Requests/Shot Reports... ---> Sure mass mail that shit up. Enjoy all the mass mails you can possibly have on any of those things. Those are actually somewhat important to very important on the scale of IG stuff.

Tasha, your help is certainly appreciated. 

Auth announcements - Does every new auth create a thread before they setup? To my knowledge, they don't. What about if there is an auth during a more hectic time such as war? 

TylerDurden announcements - How long until people start complaining it is nothing more than a spam thread? Also, what about that one guy in my city who doesn't use IRC/Lounge? 

Birthday announcements - I don't care even when it is my friends. This has zero relevance to my in game character. 

Hand changes - For me this would be dependent on the CL. If they want to explain their reasoning for their decision then I wouldn't mind hearing it. 

War/WS Requests/Shot Reports - As you quite rightly say, this stuff is of high importance. No quarrels there. 

Hetepi, perhaps they should start creating those auth threads. Most auths usually know they are going up with plenty of time to prepare.  Have we just gotten lazy? Probably.

Durden mails are nothing more than spam. So why not a spam thread? Its going to be the exact same thing in mails as it is in OOC. Spam. Ridiculous spam.

Most people dont care about the birthday mails but they still for some reason keep getting sent out like someone other than their friends might care.

Tasha, if it's no longer a requirement to do that prior to auth then not everyone is going to. Have we just gotten lazy? Absolutely, but that's what happens when everyone is now spoonfed everything. 

Durden mails are considered spam by yourself for your own reasons, however it isn't considered spam to those folks who enjoy building guns. I'm not sure it's as clean cut as you make out. 

I had a thing going when I was HenriDucard for Bella Vista - called "An Announcement Board" - a thread in our HQ where important notices were posted. This thread was required to be on everyone's Watchlist, and covered things like; Auths, WS reqs, and Birthday Mails. It could have easily included Durden alerts had we not already set up another system for that. 

Every mail that was important was posted there as opposed to being forwarded to inboxes, leaving it up to the players as to whether or not they wanted to keep themselves informed. 

I don't see something like that ^ catching on, really, but it's how I'd do it again were I not retired to the point of never accepting an upper role again. 

You can't change what other people Send out. All you can do is suggest for small changes in how things are done, like the one I noted up there, and control what you do with the mails that come forward. Don't like contributing to the "spam"? Don't forward it out. Don't like getting it? Put people on Ignore.

All in all though I do agree, the amount of seemingly pointless mails being flooded our way the last few years, it's getting a little out of hand. (Especially when you get the same damned WS req, Durd Alert, or Birthday notification in your inbox 3 times from 3 different people because...............................................................Nope, I actually can't think of a valid reason for this. Uppers should coordinate notification mails fo sho)