Attachment Guide

As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words.  An attached  image or graph is an excellent way to show the point of your discussions and we encourage them.   These guidelines should be followed when including attachments.

Our lists have strict message size limits (currently 1.5 megabytes).  If you exceed this size you may get a message back saying that it is too big and waiting for moderator approval.  Unless it is very close to the size limit, it will not be approved.  You will need to figure out how to send a smaller message.  A 1 megabyte message from you may turn into 1.4 megabyte message when encoded for emailing and eventually becomes over 3 gigabytes that our server has to send out.

• Avoid too many attachments -- Try to make your point with fewer pictures/documents, if possible.  The total message size can add up quickly.
• Avoid proprietary formats -- Many people have developed a habit of sending Microsoft Word or Excel documents expecting that everyone can read it. This is not a good practice and should be avoided.   Another problem with these documents is that they can be HUGE.
• Send reduced images -- Many times the point/feature can be shown with a much smaller image. (See below)
• Use the web -- For large amounts of information you can quickly put together a simple web page to show your stuff.  This way you only need to send the URL through our list.
• Use the cloud -- There are new services, such as box.net, where you can share your resource.

• Size -- Instead of sending that huge 1024x1024 image try to reduce it to 300x300 and see if it still makes your point.
• Crop -- For satellite images sometimes you can crop to the exact feature you wish to show.
• Color -- Some images do not need to be in full color.
• Compress -- Use the highest compression factor when saving.
• Stick to just .jpg or .png formats for images.

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