Newsgroups: alt.radio.networks.npr
From: haoyuep@aol.com (Dan Hoey)
Date: 03 Jun 2001 13:41:04 GMT
Subject: Re: (yourturn@npr.org automated reply) What has happened to npr.org?

When I sent my message to "yourt...@npr.org" I got an
automated reply.  Here is my response:

Hello, "NPR Web team",

I ususally do not answer automated replies, but your reply was
simply amazing.  In it, you mentioned the URL

  http://www.npr.org/search/

which does not work, presumably because when you sold out
your web site to audible.com they didn't want anyone to be able
to get to the useful archives.

I hesitate to admit that the other URL you mention,

  http://www.npr.org/members/

actually does work in the intended way, allowing access to the
list of stations.  I hope that my mentioning that this link works does
not lead you to wreck it as well.

Of course, you also list your now-useless home page,
http://www.npr.org/.

Now in the automated message you claim that

> Due to the overwhelming amount of mail we receive, we cannot
> personally respond to each email, but we DO read each message.

Given the obsolete nature of much of the rest of the message,
please favor me with a quick personal reply, only to assure
me that the "NRL Web team" that signed the message
actually does exist, and that there is still someone left to
actually carry out your claim that you "DO read each
message."  I have no trust in your assurance that my
email is being read, when the assurance comes from an
automated process that could be left running long after the
people have been sacked.

If you prefer, you may post your assurance to the Usenet
newsgroup "alt.radio.networks.npr", where the message will
be open to the public.  There are other messages in the thread
"What has happened to npr.org?" that you may find interesting.

Dan Hoey
haoyuep@aol.com
The "e" is silent; "Hoey" rhymes with "boy".