ADMIN: TECHWR-L Instructions Reminder

[TECHWR-L Administrators <admin -at- raycomm -dot- com>]

Gang,
Here's a reminder of the basic "how do I" stuff for the
TECHWR-L list. 

Please, in particular, make sure that your system vacation
("John Doe is in Hawaii until August 1, neener, neener, neener")
messages are _not_ sent to either the list or to individual
posters based on TECHWR-L messages. That is, a poster to
TECHWR-L should not get an out of message reply from your
system. Contact me with questions, although do keep in mind
that I don't run your office email system, so can't tell you
how to do that--that's a question for your local system
administrator. If all else fails, set TECHWR-L to NOMAIL
before you leave, then reset MAIL or DIGEST when you return.

Thanks,
Eric


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Revised 1 March 2001

BASIC TECHWR-L INFORMATION

SUMMARY: You can do everything you need to do and find anything
  you need to know about TECHWR-L by visiting (and bookmarking)
  http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/subscribercentral.html

     Q: What's the best way to change my subscription options,
        change my address, subscribe, unsubscribe, or even read
        messages on TECHWR-L? 
     A: Use the Web interface at:
        http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/subscribercentral.html
        (Bookmark it for easy reference.)

     Q: How do I post messages to the TECHWR-L list?
     A: Send a _plain_ _text_ message to:
        TECHWR-L -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM

     Q: I want to unsubscribe from the list but don't want to
        visit the Web site, look up these instructions, read the
        FAQ or anything. I just want to send the listowner an email
        and have him do it. What will he say?
     A: The listowner will tell you to read the last five lines of
        any message (other than the Premium Announcement posting) sent 
        to the list. He'll ask you if you've followed the instructions 
        on the line that starts with "To unsubscribe...". He'll ask 
        what error messages you received when you tried following 
        those instructions. Then, he'll suggest gently that, as you 
        managed to subscribe on your own and on purpose, you can 
        probably sign off in the same manner. So, try that first. 

     Q: I would rather read TECHWR-L through a newsgroup. Is this
        possible?
     A: Absolutely! The bit.listserv.techwr-l newsgroup (widely
        distributed throughout the Internet) is a mirror of this
        list. Alternatively, you can access a private newsgroup
        from news://lists.raycomm.com/techwr-l (which is a spam-free
        TECHWR-L mirror). 

     Q: I would like to use a Web browser to read TECHWR-L. Can I?
        You can read TECHWR-L through the archive address at
        http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/archives.html.
        To post, you'll have to subscribe and send the
        "SET TECHWR-L NOMAIL" command to LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM -dot- 

     Q: I'd like to learn more about the list, find topic summaries,
        and get all-in-one-spot access to instructions, rules, and
        related information about TECHWR-L. Where should I go?
     A: Find all of this information and more at the Official 
        TECHWR-L Web Site at http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/

     Q: Who is the listowner and how do I contact him?
     A: Eric Ray is the owner (that's me), and my address is
        EJRAY -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS AND RESOLUTIONS

     Q: Why am I having trouble posting to the list?
     A: Due to problems with spamming, the TECHWR-L list
        is restricted. Only subscribers to the list can
        post. If you are a subscriber but your E-mail address
        (as shown on your outgoing messages) has changed, you'll
        have problems and have to make your subscribed address
        match the address from which you post. 
        You can do this either through the Web site at
        http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/subscribercentral.html
        or by unsubscribing (using the instructions at the end of
        every message you get from the list) and resubscribing. 
        (Note: There's no point in getting surly -- subscription and 
        verification of your identity both take place automatically 
        via the Lyris software. If, as is highly likely, your address 
        changed without your knowledge, your local system 
        administrators are the only ones to yell at.)

     Q: Why did my message bounce back from Compuserve (or AOL or 
        any other address besides something @lists.raycomm.com)?
     A: You post an article. You get a bounce message a few minutes 
        later. You swear, "Rats, it didn't work." You post again. 
        Trouble is, you can get a bounce message because there's one 
        bad address on the subscriber list (someone who didn't 
        unsubscribe before losing an account, for instance). The 
        bounce message generally tells you that, if read carefully--
        or you could just wait and see if your article shows up.  
        So, before reposting a "bounced" article, please be sure 
        it was truly bounced from the whole list  and not just 
        undeliverable to a single addressee. Contact the listowner 
        before reposting if you have any doubt. (Thanks to Stan 
        Brown for this one. EJR)

     Q: I tried to post a message and had it returned to me with
        a rejection message about attachments or HTML or something. 
        What's going on, and what should I do?
     A: The list processing software is set to reject all HTML-
        formatted messages as well as all attachments. Additionally, 
        messages containing more than 30 consecutive quoted lines 
        will also be returned. These limits exist to keep attachments 
        from polluting the list (they show up as garbage for many 
        readers, and can spread viruses and the like when they don't 
        end up as garbage) and to discourage wholesale quotations--like 
        including the entire digest for a one liner comment. 
        

GENERAL INFORMATION
     Q: Where can I find other information about TECHWR-L
        and about technical communication in general? 
     A: At the Official TECHWR-L Web site, which you'll find at
        http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/. You'll also find the 
        latest information about the list, links to archives, and
        a ton of other information. 

     Q: Are archives for TECHWR-L available on the Web and how do I
        get them?
     Q: Dear Listowner, I inadvertently deleted some Techwhirl
        messages and need them back. Could you please send me....
     A: TECHWR-L archives are available through the Web at
        http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/archives.html and at
        http://www.documentation.com/techwrit/techwrit-l.htm 
        and probably other places. 

     Q: Why is it that you let other people post off-topic stuff, but
        then you remind me about what the posting guidelines are? If 
        they can do it, I can do it!
     A: The listowner does not generally moderate this list. That is, 
        everything sent to the list appears on the list. Phrased 
        differently, the listowner cannot exercise any control over 
        what other people post, but probably reminded them about the 
        posting guidelines as well. 

     Q: I have a message that would interest many of the subscribers, 
        but don't want to post it to the whole list. Can I just get
        the  list of subscribers and send it myself, or at least send 
        selectively to many subscribers? 
     A: No. 
     
     Q: Where do I send additions, corrections, and comments about 
        this posting?
     A: To Eric, the listowner, of course. EJRAY -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM


CHANGING SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS VIA EMAIL    
      (Listowner recommendation: Use the Web interface at
      http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/subscribercentral.html
      rather than using email to manage your subscription--it's
      more flexible and more powerful.)
      
     Q: How do I subscribe to TECHWR-L?
     A: Send a message (any or no content) to: 
        JOIN-TECHWR-L -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
     Q: How do I unsubscribe?
     A: The best and most reliable solution is to use the instructions
        at the bottom of each message you get from the list. That address is 
        customized for you and will almost always work, even if your mail 
        address has changed. 
     
     Q: My company's mail server had problems for a few days
        and now I'm not getting TECHWR-L mail. What do I do?
     A: Your subscription was probably automatically put on hold
        because of your bounced mail. You were notified, but if
        the hold message _also_ bounced, you'll hear nothing but
        silence. By the way, don't let your system administrator
        tell you that this is normal (it's not) or that there were
        no problems on your end (if you were held, there was 
        a problem.  To fix this, send a message to: 
        LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
        Put anything on the subject line, and include on the   
        first line of the message:
        UNHOLD

     Q: What are digests and how do I get them?
     A: Digests are daily mailings which include all 
        postings to TECHWR-L from the last 24 hours. These 
        are unedited, and unmoderated--they just give you 
        one big message instead of many little ones.
        To get digests (assuming you are a subscriber),
        send a message to: 
        LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
        Put anything on the subject line, and include on the   
        first line of the message:
        SET TECHWR-L DIGEST

     Q: My digests are coming through as lots of little attachments
        rather than a single longer file--can I fix it?
     A: Usually you can fix that--although it depends to an extent
        on your email system. Try sending a message to:
        LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
        Put anything on the subject line, and include on the   
        first line of the message:
        SET TECHWR-L DIGEST

     Q: My digests are coming through as a single long file
        but I'd rather have a bunch of little attachments. Can
        I change it? 
     A: Depending on your mail system, you might be able to change it.
        Try sending a message to:
        LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
        Leave the subject line blank, and include on the   
        first line of the message:
        SET TECHWR-L MIMEDIGEST

     Q: I want to stop my mail or digest, but I don't want to 
        unsubscribe because I hate that confirmation process. 
        What do I do?
     A: To stop your mail or digest (assuming you are a subscriber),
        send a message to: 
        LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
        Leave the subject line blank, and include on the   
        first line of the message:
        SET TECHWR-L NOMAIL
     
     Q: I stopped my mail using NOMAIL, and now I want regular mail. 
        What do I do?
     A: To change back to regular mail,
        send a message to: 
        LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
        Leave the subject line blank, and include on the   
        first line of the message:
        SET TECHWR-L MAIL

     Q: I got digests, and now I want regular mail. What do 
        I do?
     A: To change from digests back to regular mail,
        send a message to: 
        LYRIS -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM
      
        Leave the subject line blank, and include on the   
        first line of the message:
        SET TECHWR-L MAIL



**************************************************
TECHWR-L: Empowering Technical Writers Since 1993
        http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/
Eric -- Listowner     Deborah -- Webmaster/Editor
**************************************************

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