I've borrowed again from Kathy. She say's it so perfectly. Please read and
save the following information for your records.
Dear List members, it is the end of the year and we have many
"newbies"
that
have joined us and will continue to do so. I am posting this FAQ for
all
of
you, new and old and want to remind you not to send UNSUBSCRIBE
requests
to
the list. The request addresses are for this purpose.
PLEASE -- read all of your WELCOME message that you should have received
when
you joined the list. SAVE IT! You will need to refer to it in the
future.
I
ask that you also bookmark the List home page and you can always go
there
and
re-read the list rules & guidelines and subscribe and unsubscribe
as
needed.
Instructions are all right there.
========
Frequently Asked Questions About Mail Lists
A mailing list is a way of forwarding messages to others who are
interested
in the same genealogical research as you. You send your message to
the
list
and it is sent to everyone who has subscribed to that list. And
everything
that anyone else sends to the list will be sent to you. It is a great way
to
find others who are researching in the same area or are researching
the
same
surname.
A mail list does not have an address that you can go to. It is not a place
on
the Internet. It only forwards email messages. It will have an
address
something like: LISTNAME(a)rootsweb.com
A website will have an address that starts with "http://" or "www."
Lists come in Digest and Mail form. In most cases, the -L signifies list
mode
(you will receive a copy of every message posted to the list as a
single
email) and the -D signifies digest mode (you receive groups of messages
every
day or so, depending on how busy the list is).
HOW DO I POST TO A LIST?
First make sure you are subscribed. Use Password Central to see what lists
you are subscribed to. Then send your post to: LISTNAME-L(a)rootsweb.com.
Substitute the list's name in for LISTNAME. Note: All posts go to the
LISTNAME-L(a)rootsweb.com address even if you are subscribed to the -D
digest
list.
IF I SEND A MESSAGE TO A MAILING LIST, WHO WILL SEE IT?
Any mail that you post to the list will be forwarded to everyone who has
joined all forms of that list. The -D subscribers will get it in their
next
Digest, and the -M (or -L) subscribers will see it almost immediately
as a
mail message from you. Please remember not to send anything to the list
that
you do not want everyone else to see! Please also make it readable -
no
HTML
code - just Plain Text.
HOW LONG WILL MY NOTE STAY ON A LIST?
Posts to a list are sent out almost immediately in mail mode or saved in
the
digest and sent out when the digest size or time limit has been met.
A
post
does not stay on the list. It is only sent out once in mail mode and
once
in
digest. Many lists are archived. Check with your List Administrator
to see
if
a particular list is archived or not. The archives can be searched
through
http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl and at the threaded
achives at <A
HREF="http://archiver.rootsweb.com/
">http://archiver.rootsweb.com/ </A>
I FORGET WHICH LIST I SUBSCRIBED TO....HELP
You will find the list name in the header lines at the top of the list
mail
you receive.
You can also get a listing from Password Central, which is located at <A
HREF="http://passwordcentral.rootsweb.com/ ">
http://passwordcentral.rootsweb.com/ </A>
I SENT A POST TO THE LIST, BUT IT DIDN'T APPEAR ON THE LIST. WHAT WENT
WRONG?
You might have sent it to the wrong list or the wrong address. Remember
that
the "-request" address for the list is for computer
commands and is not
the
address for posts to the list. Check the header of a piece of list
mail to
see the correct name and address for the list. It should be in this form:
LISTNAME-L(a)rootsweb.com (All posts should go to the "L" list address even
if
you are subscribed to the digest format.)
Are you still getting the list mail? If not, you might have been unsubbed.
Use Password Central to see what lists you are subscribed to.
If you are still getting the list mail, but your post did not appear on
it,
then you might have a problem with the subject line of your post or
with
your
e-mail address. Sometimes if you leave the subject line blank, the
computer
will take it as a misdirected sub or unsub request and reject the
post by
forwarding it to the list administrator instead of the list. If you begin
the
subject line with ARCHIVE or even AR the computer thinks you are
asking
for
archives and sends that to the list admin. Try changing the subject
line
and
reposting the Message.
You must post to a closed list using the exact address that you used when
you
subscribed. Check a piece of list mail and see what address the
computer
used
to send you the list mail and compare it to the address you are now
using
as
your return (reply to) address. They must be EXACTLY the same. Any
changes
in
capitalization, additional characters or words or even an extra space
and
the
computer will not recognize you. If you have more than one address
and
wish
to post from both, contact your list administrator to put the second
address
on the accept list. Addresses on this list will be able to post to a
list,
but will not be sent the list mail.
CAN I SUBSCRIBE USING ONE ADDRESS AND POST FROM ANOTHER?
Contact your List Administrator to be put on the accept list. This will
allow
you to post from this address to a closed list but you will not
receive
list
mail at it. If you wish to receive list mail and post from two
addresses,
then just subscribe both addresses to the list.
To reach the list administrator, send a message to the address shown
below.
Substitute the list name for the xxx.
xxx-admin(a)rootsweb.com
MY MAIL IS BOUNCING, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
When the computer attempts to deliver an email to you and it cannot, the
email is returned to the sender. This is called a bounce. There are
several
reasons for an e-mail to bounce. It could be a bad address, a full
mailbox,
your ISP, or Internet problems. Many of these problems are temporary
and
will
fix themselves. If it continues, contact your ISP.
After so many bounces you will be automatically unsubscribed from
RootsWeb's
mailing lists (it's necessary because bouncing mail can wreck
havoc on the
server). If you have stopped receiving mailings from your list(s), that is
generally why. You can re-subscribe to the list, but if that fails you
will
need to notify your List Administrator(s), so they can manually
subscribe
you.
To contact the List Administrator of any RootsWeb list, send an email
using
this address. Substitute the name of your list where indicated.:
LISTNAME-admin(a)rootsweb.com
WHAT IS SPAM? HOW DO I STOP IT?
Spam is the name given to any unwanted e-mail. Generally, it is mass
mailings
offering get rich quick schemes, advertisements, porn, virus
warnings,
hoaxes, etc.
It is not welcome on any list and it causes many problems. The massive
loads
these mass emails produce can cause the computers at RootsWeb to
grind to
a
halt. Maiser, a former genealogy server like RootsWeb, was brought
down by
a
single spammer (the person who sends the spam).
If you cross post to more than a few lists, you may be considered a
spammer
by the RootsWeb computer. At that time your message will be blocked,
and
possibly your name and address will be blocked from RootsWeb too.
If you are the list administrator, you can send one copy of the spam to:
abuse(a)rootsweb.com. Full or expanded headers are most helpful.
If you are a list subscriber, e-mail your list administrator by replacing
LISTNAME with the actual name of the list in this address:
LISTNAME-admin(a)rootsweb.com
For example: SMITH-admin(a)rootsweb.com
MY DIGEST MAIL IS UNREADABLE.
You need to set your mail preferences to receive attachments as inline
links
or as straight text. Some mail servers will interpret a digest mail
as a
mail
message with X number of attachments. This is very frustrating for
users,
and
should be easily fixed. RootsWeb can't help you. You will need to
contact
your mail system administrator for specific help in setting up your mail
preferences file.
I CAN'T OPEN ANY OF THE ATTACHMENTS ON DIGEST MAIL.
You need to set your mail preferences to receive attachments as inline
links
or as straight text. Some mail servers strip the attachments and
leave you
with the first message only. This is very frustrating for users, and
should
be easily fixed. RootsWeb can't help you. You will need to
contact your
mail
system administrator for specific help in setting up your mail
preferences
file.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE TO A MAILING LIST?
To subscribe to a list, simply go to the index at
http://lists.rootsweb.com
and follow the links to the list you are interested in. You will find
links
you can click on to subscribe or unsubscribe, along with additional
information.
HELP! I CAN'T UNSUB FROM A LIST.
There are four reasons why your unsubscribe request might fail.
A. LIST NAME ERROR: Are you sending the request to the right list? With
tens
of thousands mail lists, it can get confusing. Please check the
header on
a
piece of list mail from the list that you want to unsubscribe from to
make
sure you have the right name.
B. LIST ADDRESS ERROR: Are you sending the request to the right address?
The
computer address for a list has "-request" in the address.
The address to
post to the list does not. You can not unsubscribe by sending the request
to
the list. Information on unsubscribing should be in the welcome
message
you
received when you subscribed. The address is:
LISTNAME-REQUEST(a)rootsweb.com
(Substituting the list's full name for LISTNAME). You must send
the
request
to the same list (mode) you requested when you subscribed. If you
subbed
to
the "L" list, you must send the request to the
"L" address and if you
subbed
in digest mode, you must send the request to the "D"
address. You can also
go
to
http://lists.rootsweb.com/ and click on the list you are on. When
the
email window pops up, use the word UNSUBSCRIBE instead of subscribe.
C. MESSAGE ERROR: Are you sending the correct message? Please remember you
are communicating with a computer and it only understands commands. Put
only
the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the email. Anything additional
and it
will only confuse the computer and it will reject your request. Also the
command must be spelled correctly. It is best to leave the subject line
blank, but if your ISP or software requires you to use it, then just put
UNSUBSCRIBE there too.
D. YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS IN ERROR: Is there a problem with your email
address? Did you get a notice that you were not removed from a list when
you
tried to unsub, but are still getting list mail? Email address
problems
are
the hardest to solve. Remember again that you are dealing with a
computer.
The address you are now using as your return (reply to) address must be
EXACTLY the same as the one you used when you subscribed to the list. This
is
necessary otherwise people with similar addresses would be able to
unsub
each
other.
The computer will not recognize you as the same person if something has
been
changed, added or deleted to your address. If you use user(a)xxx.com as
your
return address, and
xxx.com starts inserting a new segment in your address
such as user(a)mail.xxx.com, SmartList will think you are two different
subscribers. Please check a piece of list mail to see what address the
computer used to send you list mail and compare it to the return address
you
are using now. Remember, EXACTLY the same. If your address has
changed and
you have no control over it (as in some ISPs that add "mail." to outgoing
email or if you have changed ISPs and need to unsub an invalid older
address)
then you must contact the List Administrator and asked to be
unsubbed.
Try all of the above to unsub yourself first, but if you do and it doesn't
work, then contact the List Administrator and ask to be removed from the
list.
To contact the List Administrator of any RootsWeb list, send an email to:
LISTNAME-admin(a)rootsweb.com
Substitute the list's full name for LISTNAME. For example, if you were
writing to the ROOTS-L List Administrator, the address would be
ROOTS-admin(a)rootsweb.com
I GOT A MESSAGE SAYING I WAS UNSUBBED BUT I'M STILL GETTING LIST MAIL.
WHY?
You may have been subscribed twice to the list. SmartList will only
send
out
one copy to an address on the "-L" list and one copy to an
address on the
"-D" list, ignoring duplicates. But when you unsubbed, only one address
was
removed, leaving one still on the list and hence you are still
subbed.
Please
check with the List Administrator.
I GOT UNSUBBED FROM A LIST BUT I DIDN'T UNSUBSCRIBE. WHAT HAPPENED?
Your mail could have been bouncing without your knowing it. Most lists
limit
the number of bounces an address can cause before it is
automatically
unsubbed. This may be as few as three. On a busy list, these bounces could
reach the limit in a hour, others may take days. It is posts TO you, not
FROM
you, which are causing these bounces. It happens when list mail is
sent to
your address and your ISP (or other location through which the email was
routed) sends it back as undeliverable (bounces it.) This happens when
your
mailbox is full, or when your ISP is offline temporarily. You would
normally
receive an unsub notice, but if your email was bouncing, this notice
may
have
bounced too. Just try subscribing again. If you have any problem
doing
this,
contact your List Administrator.
The other possibility could be that the List Administrator unsubbed you
for
some reason. If this happened, then you must resolve it with the list
admin.
The list admin can remove people from a list and prevent them from
posting
or
subscribing again. In general, RootsWeb will not interfere with the
daily
workings of a list or with the rules a list admin imposes on a list, and
will
intervene only in extreme cases.
List Policies
1. Please NEVER send the following to any Rootsweb list:
Virus warnings
"Me, too" messages
Lost child messages
Broadcast off-topic messages that the sender has requested be forwarded to
all lists.
2. Praise in public; criticize in private. If you do not like how someone
formats their message to the list, don't write to them on or off list to
tell
them ---that is up to me as the List manager and you must take it up
with
me
and not the other list member.
3. If you have a problem with any list, do *not* post a message about it
to
any list. Address it to LISTNAME-admin@rootsweb replacing
"LISTNAME" with
the
actual list name.
Or better yet, use the link provided on the specific List home page for
the
administrator and it will be sent to me, already indicating what list
that
you are writing to me about.
List members can do nothing to help solve your problems with the list (no
mail, can't unsub, strange error messages, can't post, etc.) and any
posting
to the list on such is unwelcome email to all other list members.
Opinions about how any list is managed or comments that are made about
the
List Administrator's rules, or messages to the list in this vein
will not
be
tolerated and means you will be removed from the list without
warning.
4. If you believe that the behavior of another list member is
inappropriate,
do *not* take the person to task *on* the list. Address such concerns
to
the
list manager, and it will be my thankless task to resolve it.
5. The topic of each list is listed on each individual list home page.
Everything else is "off-topic" If you have a matter you'd like to discuss
but
are not sure if it is "on topic", please check with the
list manager,
before
posting it.
6. If you post ANYTHING off topic, especially regarding VIRUSES, you will
be
removed without warning.
The best place to check all lists that you are subscribed to is PASSWORD
CENTRAL -- Please do this before contacting me. In most cases this will
answer your question about whether or not you are still on the list.
Taglines
Taglines are short one-liners that list managers can cause to appear in a
somewhat random manner following individual messages on the mail (-L)
version. Digest (-D) members never see these. Actually, they represent, in
10
short blurbs, my collective advice to list-members. They are also
subject
of
periodic revision. I will include URL's that may be helpful to
you from
time
to time in these taglines.
Powerful Ways to Search the Archives
WE ARE NOT ALONE! Search archives of related mailing lists/boards/forums.
You
do not have to be subscribed. Listed in order of traffic in 12-98,
highly
subject to change. In/on each, you find people that you do not see on the
others. The small lists have good stuff, too. Expect some graffiti on the
unmoderated message forum boards.
Search any Rootsweb mailing list archives:
ENTER NAME OF ROOTSWEB MAILING LIST ARCHIVES TO BE SEARCHED
http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl
You will need to "already know" the name of the list to be entered:
Rootsweb
mailing lists
If you would like to apply these same search procedures on all of the
USGenWeb archives (like the pension statements, wills and deeds we have
uploaded to county/state archives), you can do so here:
SEARCH THE USGENWEB ARCHIVES BY STATE
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ussearch.htm
<A
HREF="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irishrose/lists.html&...
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irishrose/lists.html</A>
Many wishes to you all for a Happy & Healthy New Year!
Jenny Kernan
List Administrator ( List Mom ) to ARGUE, BRADY, CHALK,GARDINER, GETCHALL,
GETCHELL, GILSTRAP, GUERRERO, GUFFEY, GUFFY, IVERSON, JACKS, JACQUES,
KERNAN, KNUDSEN, LARSEN, MACFARLAND, MIERS, PARSHALL-JAMES, PARSHALL,
TREWHITT, TRUITT -- surname lists.