Outlook uses a very inefficient database for storing messages (IMHO), and
the file sizes can get HUGE very fast.  I archive ALL my e-mail about once a
month and the files are usually about 15 to 30 MB!  (OK, I do get a few word
documents each day as attachments, but they are 20 to 30k at most usually).

The best way that I have found for managing list traffic is to simply set up
a bunch of good "rules".  For example, anything with the word "diesel" goes
in the trash, along with anything having to do with tires, or other key
words that I am not interested in (a good example would be the "guns" thread
that floated around last year).  I have a couple of special folders set up -
one for any mention of the words "Viscous" or "VC" or any message from Derek
Drew (since I don't want to miss any updates on the VC project!).  I have
another folder that messages with the words "Syncro," "Synchro", "4WD," or
"AWD" get automatically routed to.  Anything else goes into a generic
"Vanagon List" folder which I read when I have time.

Once I learned to set up these rules, and got them fine-tuned, I found
participating in the list on a daily basis to be a LOT easier and not so
overwhelming.  :-)

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: David Beierl [mailto:dbeierl@IBM.NET]
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 9:11 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: No Direct Vanagon Content

At 10:36 AM 2/1/2000 -0600, Roy O. wrote:
>can get  v-e-r-y  tedious! There must be a better way to save good Vanagon
>content and avoid using the archives.

Every time a folder starts to get unhandily big, just start another one.  I
my case I keep everything and mark the particularly interesting ones -- I'm
too lazy to get rid of the dross.  When my Van-list inbox gets to be about
10,000 messages, I clip it down to the beginning of the previous month by
transferring the older messages to another mailbox in my archives folder --
Van01, Van02, Van03 etc.

Minimal work and decent results.  I'm using Eudora -- no idea what you or
Outlook consider a "big" mailbox <g>.

david

>Roy O.
>'87 Westfalia GL
>(till death us do part)

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"