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@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@rootsweb.com. Substitute the list's name in for LISTNAME. Note: All posts go to the LISTNAME-L@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@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@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@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@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@rootsweb.com For example: SMITH-admin@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@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@xxx.com as your return address, and xxx.com starts inserting a new segment in your address such as user@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@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@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  Thank you 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">http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irishrose/lists.html</A> Many wishes to you all for a Happy & Healthy New Year! Rooting for the past --Kathie Harrison - List Admin. 19 lists Board Admin. 25 message boards at Rootsweb Thunder is good. Thunder is impressive. But it's the lightning does the work. ~Mark Twain