New XML mailing list

[Michael Smith <smith -at- io -dot- com>]

Hello all,

Please take a minute to subscribe to a new XML-specific mailing
list, XML-DOC, that I've set up through the eGroups mailing-list
service (which, by the way, has now been aquired by Yahoo).

You can subscribe simply by e-mailing a blank message to:

  xml-doc-subscribe -at- egroups -dot- com

or you can subscribe at the XML-DOC Web site:

  http://www.egroups.com/group/xml-doc/

And once you've subscribed, please also take some time to post a
message if you can; it's a brand new list, and we need to get some
traffic going on it to make it useful.

Here's a capsule description of the list:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
XML-DOC is for documentation professionals, XML developers, and
anyone else interested in discussing the use of XML and SGML tools
and techniques in creating technical documentation -- particularly
computer software and hardware documentation.  Postings of any
sort related to XML and documentation are always welcome; the list
is especially appropriate for postings on the following topics:

 *  Single-sourcing with XML
 *  XML-based content management systems/document repositories 
 *  DocBook, the SGML/XML DTD for technical documentation
 *  Transitioning to XML authoring from a FrameMaker environment
 *  Publishing (e.g. converting XML to HTML, PDF, PostScript)
 *  XML training and certification
 *  Document analysis and data modeling
 *  Customizing/personalizing documentation for multiple audiences
------------------------------------------------------------------

  
A couple of things to consider before subscribing:

 * A small ad appears at the end of each message you receive from
   members of the list. The ads are automatically generated by
   eGroups; as the list owner/moderator, I can't control their
   content or remove them.

 * Although I guarantee as the list owner/moderator to keep e-mail
   addresses and personal information private, and not provide
   them to any third parties at any time for any purpose, I can't
   make any guarantees about what eGroups may do with them.
   However, eGroups does provide a detailed privacy policy:

      http://www.egroups.com/info/privacy.html

   You should read the policy before subscribing to the list.

   eGroups also has a "no spam" policy that you should read:

     http:/www.egroups.com/info/nospam.html

If you don't think you can tolerate the ads and/or don't want
eGroups to have your e-mail address, you probably shouldn't
subscribe to the list.

Just to let you know, though, I've been a subscriber to several
eGroups mailing lists for a while now, and never noticed that it's
brought me any additional spam.

(And as far as the ads go, one trick I've found useful for making
them less obtrusive is to just put a half a page or so of blank
lines at the end of any messages I post to an eGroup list. That
way, when the ads get tacked on, they end up way down at the bottom
of the message, with lots of soothing  white space in between, so
you only see them if you scroll to the end of the message.)

I'm really hoping we can use the list not just for communication
between technical writers, but also as an outreach to XML
developers and others. I think we can use it as a way of raising
awareness in the XML community about what working documentation
professionals really need from the technology.


Regards,

Michael Smith
List owner and moderator, XML-DOC