FAQ for Upper Valley Birders mailing list: [log in to unmask]
Subject: List FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Posted 1/8/2007
(Revised 10/10/2005)
This is a reminder of list policies and useful information about managing your
subscription to UV-birders. This message will be circulated to all subscribers
several times a year. Please keep this message for future reference.
What is the purpose of UV-birders?
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This list is for the exchange of information on bird sightings, bird biology,
birding events, and closely related wildlife/nature topics, focused on the
Upper Connecticut River Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. Postings
may be made only by list subscribers, but subscription is open to all.
How do I post a message to the list?
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Postings can be made by sending e-mail to: [log in to unmask]
How do I report a problem?
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To contact the list owner to report problems or ask for help:
[log in to unmask]
Why does the list require postings to be made in "plain text" only?
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There are 2 reasons we require postings in "plain text" only. One is to
prevent in-line attachments which might contain viruses. The other is that
more formatted texts are often displayed by ListServ as unreadable gibberish.
A "plain text" requirement is quite common and is considered a reasonable
restriction on public discussion lists.
My posting contains only text, why did the list reject it?
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"Plain text" is a technical term used by computer programmers to distinguish
"unformatted text" from "formatted text" messages. You can't see the
formatting characters, but the computer can. There is a place in your e-mail
application where you can select "plain text only" as your preference, either
globally (all messages) or individually (message by message). Check the Help
file for your application or ask the consultant at your ISP if they provided
the application.
My friend tried to post to the list, and the message was rejected. Why?
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UV-birders has a "members only" policy for postings. This is to control the
flow of spam and viruses; only subscribed members can successfully post a
message. The list is "public" (open to anyone), and free, so you should
encourage your friend to subscribe.
How can my friend subscribe to the list?
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There are 2 ways to subscribe to the list. Obviously, your friend must have an
e-mail account.
1. Using the web interface. Have them go to the web-archive site at:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html
Click on the "Join or leave the list" link. Fill in the e-mail address (this
must be entered EXACTLY with no spaces - e.g., [log in to unmask])
and name. Leave the other settings alone (unless they prefer to get the
"Digest" version of the list - one message per day summarizing all the
postings). Then click on the "Join UV-birders" button at the bottom of the
page.
2. Using e-mail. Have them send an e-mail from their own account to:
[log in to unmask]
In the BODY of the message, write the command:
subscribe uv-birders
Using this method, ListServ will pick up the correct e-mail address for the
subscriber automatically from the message header.
What other policies does UV-birders have?
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NETIQUETTE (net etiquette) POLICY
This list is "unmoderated," meaning that your postings go directly to all
subscribers without being read by a moderator. Please be aware that many
diverse list subscribers will be reading your message in a public forum. It is
similar to getting up to speak at a Town Meeting, and you should conduct
yourself accordingly. If you want to carry on a lengthy discussion on a topic
with an individual subscriber, it is usually best to e-mail them directly and
take your discussion "private."
ADVERTISING POLICY
UV-birders is not open to advertising of commercial ventures. Non-profit,
membership organizations with activities relating to birds/wildlife/nature are
welcome to post their events as long as they are free (or nominal fee) and open
to the public. Occasional reminders about environmental concerns are also
welcome.
List members who are engaged in commercial activities in birding or related
environmental areas may point this out with an extra line below their
signature, such as "nature photography classes" or "spring bird identification
workshops" or "international birding tours". A link to an informational web
page is also acceptable. This will allow interested members to learn about and
privately contact providers of such services.
The discretion of the list owners may be exercised for issues not explicitly
mentioned here.
Can I look up past messages?
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A web-based archive is available, which includes powerful search features. The
address is:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html
You can browse messages by looking at the weekly summaries. You can also click
on the "Search the archives" link at the top of the archive page. You can
then search by the name of the author, or by key word. You can also put in
date restrictions. You could easily search for all mentions of the word
"bohemian" during the winter of 2003-04 to search for sightings of the bohemian
waxwing irruption that year. The archives for UV-Birders starts with postings
of 4/1/2003, the date we moved the list to ListServ at Dartmouth. Eventually
the archive will contain 5 years of postings, which is the maximum limit
allowed.
How do I manage my subscription?
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There is a very useful web-based subscription management feature. It is
located on the archives web page at:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html
From the archive page you can manage your subscription by clicking on the
"Subscriber's Corner". You will need to choose a password the first time you
use this feature. Once logged-in with your password, the interface is quite
easy to use.
What are the most useful ListServ commands?
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These commands can all be executed most easily through the web-based
subscription management feature on the archives web page at:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html
You can also execute them by sending a command to ListServ by e-mail. You
would send the command to: [log in to unmask] in the body of a
mail message. [NOTE: Do NOT send commands to UV-birders; it's ineffective (no
action will be taken) and annoying (the command will be posted to the list for
ALL to read)]. The general format for commands is: COMMAND UV-birders
[OPTION]
Some useful commands are:
SIGNOFF UV-birders (ends your subscription) (the web uses the term "LEAVE")
SUBSCRIBE UV-birders (to subscribe) (the web uses the term "JOIN")
SET UV-birders DIGEST (to receive the digest version-one message/day)
SET UV-birders MAIL (to receive postings in "real time"-many messages/day) (the
web uses the term "REGULAR")
SET UV-birders NOMAIL (to turn off mail without ending your subscription -
handy if you're on vacation and don't want to read dozens of messages on your
return, but don't want to SIGNOFF the list. Use the SET command with either
the MAIL or DIGEST option to turn the mail back on when you return)
INDEX UV-birders (returns a list of archive files-weekly summaries)
GET UV-birders archive name ( retrieve an archive file from the index list)
Example: GET UV-BIRDERS LOG0403A
Result: This retrieves the archive file (LOG) for 2004 (04), March (03),
week 1 (A).
We hope you find this FAQ useful. Happy birding!
Bill Schults, Dave Caffry
List-owners, [log in to unmask]
To contact the List-owners: [log in to unmask]
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To post messages, send e-mail to: [log in to unmask]
Set your e-mail application to PLAIN TEXT ONLY to post messages.
To contact the list owner: [log in to unmask]
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Web based archives and subscription management are available at:
http://listserv.dartmouth.edu/Archives/uv-birders.html
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