"A Reader" <a.reader@nowhere.com> wrote: >[ Hi all. I've removed the poster's identity because they hadn't > intended this to be a public post, but I am posting their question > for everyone because responses are likely to be of interest to > many people. - Mod ] > >To the Moderator (for your eyes only), > >All these Root'sWeb Lists are very interesting, but very hard to >read. Is there a format to follow? IE start at the bottom and read >upward. That seems to be the only way I can make sense of them. > >I would like to contribute at times or make requests, but can't seem >to get a handle on the protcol. > >There seems to be only a few that seem to post all the time and are >sometime snippy with their answers. > >I have been able to harvest a few web sites and tidbits of >infromation, but seems like a lot of repeated info. > >Please give me suggestions on how to get the best out of these >lists. Thank you in advance for your assistance. A List Reader. There is a lot to be said, but I'll make a start. First, you need to distinguish between different forms of communication. Mailing lists are not the same thing as newsgroups, for instance. This is a moderated newsgroup, not a mailing list. [ Actually, Methods is *both* a USENET Newsgroup and a gatewayed RootsWeb mailing list. It has been both a newsgroup and a mailing list since its creation a decade or so ago ... -Mod ] Second, a lot depends on the software you use; whether you should be reading from the top or from the bottom depends on whether your mail/news software lists messages with the newest at the top (which I think is the default for Outlook Express) or at the bottom (which is the only way Agent will do it). For the basic information on newsgroups, subscribe to news.newusers.questions and read the regular information postings there. Can someone else suggest a good guide to the ins and outs of mailing lists? (I don't use them when I can avoid it). -- Don Aitken Don Aitken <don-aitken@freeuk.com>