Newsgroups: bit.listserv.slart-l
Date:         Sun, 27 Sep 1992 08:55:39 CDT
From:         "Fred Davidson, DEIL, UIUC" <DAVIDSON@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU>
Subject:      For New Subcribers: the welcome message

[We have had a large number of new subscribers in the last two days.
Normally, I send an individualized welcome message to each new person.
To be more efficient, I am sending it out this way -- and BTW, regular
subscribers: any feedback on this welcome message is *quite* appreciated!
-Fred Davidson, SLART-L Mgr.]

=========================================================================

              SLART-L WELCOME MESSAGE AND USAGE TIPS

                       (revised 05 APR 92)

                by Fred Davidson, SLART-L Manager


(Preface: If you do *not* subscribe to SLART-L, this welcome
message also includes full information on how to subscribe.)

Dear New SLART-L Subscriber,

1. Welcome
-=-=-=-=-=
   I am pleased to welcome you to the 'Second Language Acquisition
Research and Teaching' e-mail list.  A list is a bulletin board
where you can post and reply to messages of interest to all
'subscribers'.  A subscriber is anyone who signs on to the
list.  Typically, the subscribers share a common interest; in
this case, Second Language Acquisition.

2. What is SLART-L?  What is a 'list'?
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
   SLART-L was founded by Joyce Neu.  It is run on a computer at
The Pennsylvania State University in the USA, where Joyce used to
work.  Joyce has since left Penn State, and I now manage SLART-L
from the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL, USA, even though
it is still running on that Penn State computer.

   This list, like many such lists, is run by a program called
LISTSERV.  Often, lists are called LISTSERVers.  A good reference
on LISTSERVers is:

   Pierce, Glass and Byers.  1991.  Computer networking for
         educational researchers on BITNET.  _Educational Re-
         searcher_ Vol. 20, Number 1, January-February, 1991,
         pp. 21-23.

Let me highlight a couple of points from that article.  First,
you can get a 'list of all lists' from any computer running
LISTSERV.  The result of this is a message telling you the names,
locations, and topics of lists worldwide; you can then
subscribe to lists that match your interests.  Second, although
the Pierce _et al._ article refers to 'BITNET', lists are actual-
ly available from virtually any e-mail system.  I'll go into this
topic in Point 3 below.  Finally, you can get 'help' on lists
from any computer running a list.  The output of 'help' will tell
you how to get the list of all lists, among many other useful
pieces of information.  For help, send a one-line message to:

     listserv@psuvm              (but see Point 3 below
                                  regarding address variants)

which says:

     help


3. How do I contact SLART-L?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
     Since you have successfully subscribed, you have also
successfully contacted SLART-L!  But let me give you a couple of
other pointers, particularly since the major method for spreading
SLART-L is by word of mouth!

     SLART-L, as noted above, is run on PSUVM, which is a
computer at Penn State.  To subscribe to SLART-L you would send a
subscription ('sub') command to listserv@psuvm (see note on
variants, below) which says:

     sub slart-l your name and institution

Replace 'your name and institution' with your name and a short
abbreviation of where you work.  By giving both your name and
institution, the list records are more interpretable.

     Subscriptions and all listserv commands should be sent to:

     listserv@psuvm                  (BITNET variant)
     listserv@earn.psuvm             (A passthru for Europe)
     listserv@psuvm.bitnet           (A generic BITNET passthru)
     listserv@psuvm.psu.edu          (INTERNET variant)

Use whichever works -- the last one, the INTERNET variant, is
becoming increasingly successful worldwide.

     There are two types of communications you might want to send
to SLART-L: a 'post' and a 'command'.  A 'post' is a comment,
query, suggestion, job listing, request, etc.-- it is the kind of
thing a bulletin board is made for.  Posts should be sent to:

     slart-l@psuvm                  (BITNET variant)
     slart-l@earn.psuvm             (A passthru for Europe)
     slart-l@psuvm.bitnet           (A generic BITNET passthru)
     slart-l@psuvm.psu.edu          (INTERNET variant)

 ... whichever works for you.

     A command is a request for information about the list.  For
example, 'help' (see Point 2 above) is a command as is 'sub'.  One
frequent command is a request to review the names and e-mail addresses
of all subscribers to SLART-L -- there are hundreds!  The output of
'help' will give you more guidance on how to review the list.
Commands are placed in the *message* area of an e-mail message,
and are sent to the listserv address noted above.  Note the
general principle here: posts go to SLART-L and commands go to
LISTSERV, but both are 'at psuvm' ("@psuvm" -- or whichever of
the four variants above works for you).

     One important point: posts go to every subscriber on the
list, but commands do not.  If you send something to
slart-l@psuvm, then *everybody subscribed to the list will see
it*.  There is more on that issue in the usage guidelines in
Point 5, below.

     Commands, however, are between you and the LISTSERV control
program.  A command is not shared with everybody on the list.
Certain commands are echoed to me, particularly the 'signoff'
command.  That begs the question: "how do I leave SLART-L, and
why?"

4. Leaving SLART-L, temporarily and permanently
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
     In the following command examples, and generally with all
LISTSERV commands, note the spaces.  Failure to include spaces
will cause the command to fail.

     You can leave SLART-L permanently at any time by sending the
command

     signoff slart-l

You can leave SLART-L temporarily by sending the command:

     set slart-l nomail

and can then restart SLART-L by sending the command

     set slart-l mail

The difference is that a permanent signoff can only be restarted
by re-subscribing.  The 'signoff' command, in effect, deletes
your record from the SLART-L database.  The 'set...nomail'
command leaves the record in but suspends it from receiving any
messages.  If you are leaving your institution for an extended
period, I strongly recommend the 'set...nomail' command followed
by the 'set...mail' upon your return.  This is due to the
filespace problem (see Point 6 below): if you leave for a while
the traffic on SLART-L can cause either your in-box or processed
mail to overflow.


5. SLART-L Usage Guidelines
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[I am indebted to Joyce for originally authoring this segment.]

   SLART-L is an open list.  This means that anyone can send mail
to SLART-L whenever they want.  I, as the list manager, do not edit
mail. This has both positive and negative consequences.  On the
positive side, it means that communication is fast and answers
to questions are frequently received within 24 hours.  It also
means that some guidelines are called for.  These are given
for both new and experienced e-mail users and are as follows:

5.1.  Reminder: commands vs. posts.
----------------------------------
    Remember: All commands to REView SLART-L to see who's a subscriber
    MUST be sent to LISTSERV at PSUVM, ***NOT*** to SLART-L.  Similarly,
    commands to sign off, to set mail to nomail while you're away
    from your computer, etc. must be sent to LISTSERV, not to SLART-L.

5.2. Be aware of where your message is going.
---------------------------------------------
    When you post messages to SLART-L at PSUVM, they are automatically
    distributed to hundreds of subscribers.  When you send commands to
    LISTSERV at PSUVM, they are received and taken care of by machine
    (a listserver).   If you do not know who to send to, please
    contact me BEFORE you send the message to SLART-L.  A rule of
    thumb:  if you don't want hundreds of people to read your note,
    don't send it to SLART-L.

    Always check the "To:" line in the message that you are sending.
    Not all lists work the same way.  A message that you think is
    being sent to one person may be going to everyone on SLART-L.
    If the "To:" line says SLART-L, then the message is going to
    everyone.  If you want to reply to just one person, make sure
    that their ID is the one in the "To:" line.

5.3. Getting back copies of SLART-L posts.
------------------------------------------
    To get copies of past SLART-L messages, send a note to LISTSERV
    to INDEX SLART-L.  It will send you a listing of all the archived
    SLART-L files with instructions for how to receive them.

5.4. Use subject headers, please.
---------------------------------
    Keep SUBJECT headings current and topical.  Many people delete
    any messages that don't have subject headings because they
    figure that the messages are misdirected (that they should have
    been sent to LISTSERV).  Make sure that your messages have Subject
    headings and that they are still topical.  Change the subject
    heading if it is not.

5.5. Please sign your name *IN* the body of your message
--------------------------------------------------------
    Please sign your name to each message.  Not all systems show
    the name and userid of the writer.  Many on SLART-L have begun
    to put their names at the beginning of their messages so that
    readers know right away who's the author of the note.  This is
    very convenient for those people who do not see the author's
    name in the "From" line.  Whether you sign your name at the
    beginning or at the end of the message, please sign.  We want
    to know who you are so we can respond to you.

5.6. Read, then respond.
------------------------
    Please read all SLART-L mail before responding.  You may answer
    someone's question only to then read the rest of your mail and
    find that that question was answered with the same answer at
    least once before by someone else.

5.7. Regarding forwards from SLART-L to other lists, and vice-versa
-------------------------------------------------------------------
    Do NOT forward things from other lists to SLART-L until you
    have a feeling for what is appropriate and what isn't.  When in
    doubt, send the message to me and I'll be happy to take a look
    and let you know if it should go to SLART-L.  Likewise, I'll
    gladly advise you on cross-posting from SLART-L to other
    lists.  I monitor three lists: SLART-L, TESL-L and LTEST-L.

6. Filespace problems.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
     Many computer systems limit the amount of 'in-box' (unread
mail) filespace that a user can access.  The in-box is known by
many names.  On IBM VM systems, it is called a 'reader'.  On unix
systems it is called 'spool space'.  You should contact local
computer personnel and determine the size of your in-box.
Furthermore,  your mail may be limited by the size of the
*processed* mail storage space.  That is, after you process
unread mail and keep it, you can run up against another limit.
Local help personnel can assist on this point also.

     Let me recommend some guidelines for your use of e-mail in
general, both SLART-L messages and all your other messages.
First, delete completely any messages that you don't really want.
Remove them from your unread mail in box (whatever it is called)
and/or don't save copies of the messages elsewhere.  For mail you
do want, either print it out, or better still, download it to
diskette (save trees and money -- diskettes are cheap now, and a
3.5" HD disk holds a lot).  You can get even more efficient by
downloading to a hard disk, compressing the message using one of
many file compression utilities, and then storing the compressed
verison.

     I use e-mail *a lot*.  Once a month, I download my processed
mail -- copies of messages I have read, replied to, and sent --
from my mainframe computer system.  I put them on my hard disk (an
IBM compatible machine). Then I run a file compression utility
called 'PKARC' to reduce the size of the message files.  PKARC
is a widely available shareware program.  I then copy the compressed
file to a diskette.  I keep a copy of the compressed file on my hard
disk for a few months but delete it eventually.  Most importantly,
I delete all the processed mail from my mainframe account to save
space for new messages.

     A program like PKARC should be available for Macintosh computers
also.


7. Deletion of your subscription
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
    I have the capability to delete any SLART-L subscriber.  I do
so under two circumstances: (1) repeated and consistent failed
messages due to overloaded in-boxes, and/or (2) repeated and
consistent failed messages due to an inaccurate address, e.g. if
you change from one e-mail address to another or experience
lengthy downtime at your local system.  Point (2) is rather rare.
Provided that you subscribe yourself to SLART-L the system will
parse your incoming address and subscribe you accurately, so the
only real failure is downtime of your system, and waiting a few
days usually solves that.  Point (1) is a judgement call.  In
either case, I wait until I see *repeated* errors from your e-
mail address: e.g. five or six returned messages over several
days.  If that happens, I then delete your subscription.

     If I do have to delete you, a message to that effect is sent
to you.  Of course, if your e-mail address is failing, then you
won't get that either.  Therefore, I usually review the list of
SLART-L subscribers to see if anybody else is signed on from your
machine.  If so, upon deleting you, I also notify that person/those
persons and ask that you be notified.

     I have developed a sort of 'sense' of when to delete a signon.
I have noted that often a failed message is due to some temporary problem
either with your machine or with some intermediate machine.  Often, such
problems indicate a situation (e.g. a crashed computer) that are irritating
many people (outside SLART-L), and hence, the problem goes away shortly
since people work hard to get the problem rectified.  I have also noted
that certain mail destinations have problems frequently -- I have a sense
of several such destinations and, upon receiving error messages from those
destinations, usually don't worry.  I know those machines and know they
will be working again soon.

     In short, if your system is down for a long period, if you
change e-mail signons, or if you have lots of filespace trouble,
and if all of a sudden you quit getting SLART-L messages, send me
an e-mail directly to sort out the problem.


8. Conclusion.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
     If you have any suggestions, or need any help with using
SLART-L, please let me know.  All such inquiries or suggestions
should be sent to me personally, NOT to SLART-L.  My e-mail and
physical addresses are below.

Once again, welcome to SLART-L.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Fred Davidson, Assistant Professor
(Manager of the SLART-L LISTSERVer)
Division of English as an International Language (DEIL)
3070 Foreign Languages Building (FLB)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
707 South Mathews
Urbana, IL 61801, USA
tel: +217-333-1506
fax: +217-244-3050
computer mail:
           Bitnet: davidson@uiucvmd
   JANET passthru: davidson@earn.uiucvmd
  Bitnet passthru: davidson@uiucvmd.bitnet
         Internet: davidson@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

[Originally written by Joyce Neu, founder of SLART-L.  Revised by
Fred Davidson on:

02 JAN 92, 12 MAR 92, 05 APR 92]
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU