Helpdesk_Auto-reply.md

@@ -28,14 +28,36 @@ Requirements
   Otherwise it would be very noisy for the user and send mixed signals ("we need more info from you but we might not
 answer a second time").
   
+  - We can use email headers: 
+    - Send the auto-reply only if the headers "In-Reply-To:" and 'References:' are empty or do not exist, then:
+    - Messages forwarded to us from tails-sysadmins@ will not receive an auto-reply because they have a Reference header that is not empty.
+    - When we answer a user, we will not receive an auto-reply because the In-Reply-To is not empty
+    - When a user sends an email (or a WhisperBack report) they will get an auto-reply.
+    
+- Auto-reply sent if either of conditions are met:
+
+    - "In-Reply-To:" and "References:" are present AND not empty
+
+    - "In-Reply-To:" and "References:" and NOT present
+
+
 - WhisperBack emails: Some kind of notification when sending a report
   How would we let them know about the newer hot topics? 
-  - Adding a link to somewhere on our website would miss many people.
+
+WhisperBack users should receive a non-changing version of the Auto-reply, and also the auto-reply by mail if they add an email address. Because:
+ 
+   - People sometimes do not read the interface messages, but they read the email.
+   - The WhisperBack message can be localized, which the email will not be.
+   - The user may be using an old version of Tails, so the known issues should be consulted online.
+   - Adding a link to somewhere on our website would miss many people, but they can get a better message by email.
    - Embedding the current list in the notification would require to either fetch it in
 the background.
    - including the list in the image does not work, because it would be outdated as soon
 as the image is released and we won't be able to rely this mechanism for issues
-in the release itself, which misses most of the point.
+in the release itself, which misses most of the point. also, it will not work for old Tails.
+
+- Only email addresses NOT in a list maintained by helpdesk team (and maybe FT) will receive an auto reply.
+- The auto-reply adds a CC to tails-bugs, so it appears on the thread originated by the first email, and we can be sure that the user has received the auto-reply, when, to which address, etc. (we will get this auto-reply, because it will be sent to tails-bugs instead of our personal email which is on the exception list)
 
 
 Which email gets an auto-reply
@@ -58,13 +80,36 @@ Questions:
   auto-reply message to? (For example, if these messages have a
   special header that could allow you folks to configure your email
   client to automatically [delete] them?)
+
+  No, that would be terrible, not green computing, etc.
+  We think that for this situation, and others, we should have the possibility of adding emails to a list that NEVER receives emails. In this list we can add other email addresses like, tails-sysadmins or mailman bot addresses. Also, please read our idea about the In-Reply-To and Reference headers.
+
 - Is it OK if messages sent via WhisperBack don’t get an auto-reply
   email? - Can the last page of the WhisperBack report show the user a link to a web version of the auto-reply email?
   (Perhaps, after submission, a part of the auto-reply can be shown, and a link to "latest hot topics and such")
+
+WhisperBack users should receive a non-changing version of the Auto-reply in the interface after (or before) sending a report, and also the auto-reply by mail if they add an email address. Because:
+
+   - People sometimes do not read the interface messages, but they read the email.
+   - The WhisperBack message can be localized, which the email will not be.
+   - The user may be using an old version of Tails, so the known issues should be consulted online.
+
 - Is it OK if every message, even if it’s not the beginning of a
 thread, gets an auto-reply email?
+  No, as we said in the reqs, 'Non-WhisperBack emails: Only the 1st email in a thread triggers the auto-reply. Otherwise it would be very noisy for the user and send mixed signals ("we need more info from you but we might not answer a second time").'
+
 - Can we track opening posts in email headers? Should we rely on the Re: in the subject line? - What about the "In-Reply-To" field
-  - we can also rely on the fact that people writing an email to the help desk write to tails-support-private@ and receive a reply from tails-bugs@, so their second email will be to tails-bugs@ 
+  - we can rely on the fact that people writing an email to the help desk write to tails-support-private@ and receive a reply from tails-bugs@, so their second email will be to tails-bugs@ 
+  - We can also use mail headers: 
+    - Send the auto-reply only if the headers "In-Reply-To:" and 'References:' are empty or do not exist, then:
+    - Messages forwarded to us from tails-sysadmins@ will not receive an auto-reply because they have a Reference header that is not empty.
+    
+- Auto-reply sent if either of conditions are met:
+
+    - "In-Reply-To:" and "References:" are present AND not empty
+
+    - "In-Reply-To:" and "References:" and NOT present
+
 
 Implementation
 --------------
@@ -87,3 +132,4 @@ Once this auto-reply is in place, a number of other, important changes can be im
 <h1 id="template">Actual Auto-reply</h1>
 
 Migrated to https://tails.boum.org/support/help_desk_standard_replies/.
+