Frequently Asked Questions
My name is Peter Lakeman and I am the owner of this list. I am responsible for keeping
it running as smoothly as possible and setting some rules and guidelines. My email address
is;
lakeman-admin@rootsweb.com
You can subscribe to the list in either the List mode or Digest mode.
In List mode, every post is sent to you as an individual email.
In Digest mode, posts are grouped together into one email and sent to you approximately daily (depending on the number of posts).
To subscribe to the List mode, send a message to:
LAKEMAN-L-request@rootsweb.com
with only the word 'subscribe' in the body of the letter. No header is required and
signatures should not be used.
To unsubscribe from the List mode, send a message to:
LAKEMAN-L-request@rootsweb.com
with only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body of the letter. No header is required and
signatures should not be used.
To subscribe from the Digest mode, send a message to:
LAKEMAN-D-request@rootsweb.com
with only the word 'subscribe' in the body of the letter. No header is required and
signatures should not be used.
To unsubscribe from the Digest mode, send a message to:
LAKEMAN-D-request@rootsweb.com
with only the word 'unsubscribe' in the body of the letter. No header is required and
signatures should not be used.
If you would like to change to the other mode, unsubscribe from your current mode and then subscribe to the other mode.
Note that signatures in the body of the subscribe/unsubscribe request (such as those added by servers such as HOTMAIL) will cause problems with the automatic subscription process. In these cases, please email the list owner (at the above address) who will manually subscribe/unsubscribe you.
To post a message to this list send it to:
LAKEMAN-L@rootsweb.com
The above address is to be used regardless of whether you are subscribed in List or Digest
mode.
Do not post virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, political announcements, current events, personal messages, etc. to the list.
Do not post copyrighted material to the list.
Do not breach the privacy of living people.
Do not spam the list (spam is the sending of unrequested off-topic posts to multiple recipients).
Do not use a long signature. Rootsweb generally suggests a maximum of five lines.
Messages exceeding 15 kilobytes in length will be rejected by the Rootsweb computer.
File attachments such as database files and picture files will be rejected by the Rootsweb computer. If you have a file you would like to share with the members, announce what you have to offer, then send the file only to those who request it, via private email.
If you have HTML or RTF turned on in your email program, please turn them off, as your
posts will be rejected by the server and returned to you. To find out how to turn these
features off, go to:
http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help/html-off.html
To save bandwidth, posters are requested to limit their own signatures. Five lines are fine, ten are far too many.
Subscribers breaking these rules may be permanently unsubscribed without warning, although the Listowner tries at all times to be human.
Replying.
Try to keep quoting to a minimum. "Quoting" is repeating text of the message you are replying to. Some quoting is necessary to remind other readers what the thread is about, but do try to use good judgement. Quoting the previous writer's signature block or surname list is totally unnecessary.
When replying to the list (this also can apply to private replies) try to quote some portions of the previous message so that other readers are reminded what the "thread" is about. Make it clear what is quoted material and what you are adding. Most email programs take care of this for you by inserting greater-than signs ">" at the beginning of each quoted line or possibly double brackets "<<" before and ">>" after the quoted piece. Use standard Windows procedures to "cut" unnecessary material.
When you have finished writing your reply and BEFORE you send it, scroll down and delete all unnecessary material from the previous message - quote ONLY enough to show what you are answering. This is especially appreciated by those who receive their mail in the Digest mode, who otherwise receive the same message over and over again in the one digest. There is definitely no need to resend taglines and long and complex signatures.
When replying, it is up to you whether you reply to the list or personally to the original poster. If you consider that your information is of general interest to other subscribers, post it to the list. If your information is of limited interest to other subscribers, please reply by email directly to the original poster. This list is set to have replies automatically go to the list, To reply privately to just one person, cut and paste their e-mail address in the address line where LAKEMAN-L@rootsweb.com appears.
If you are subscribed in digest mode, chances are your email program has inserted the subject line 'LAKEMAN-D Digest Vxx #x'. Remember to change this before you post.
Tips for successful posting for Newbies (and Oldies).
Always use a helpful subject line like "Fred LAKEMAN, Plymouth, DEV c1900", rather than a useless title like "Inquiry about my family line".
When posting your query try to give as much information as you know, i.e. dates and
places of all vital events if known, along with enough other family members so that the
reader can positively identify if they are researching the same family. Remember to
include the four basic items:
WHO (you are posting about [complete name]),
WHERE (did these folks live?),
WHEN (did these folks live?) and
WHAT (are you seeking?).
Netiquette.
Be respectful and friendly to all posters. Many will not be as experienced or computer literate as you think you are.
Vulgarity and personal attacks on other list members will not be tolerated.
If someone else violates these rules, please do not discuss the issue on the list. Either discuss it privately or with the the list owner.
Do not try to regulate this list. If you do not like the way someone formats their queries or responses, or the content of their subject titles, take it up with the list owner, not in the list.
This list has been archived on the Rootsweb server since 23 April 1999, which is only a few days after the list started.
To look at all the posts to this list, go to
http://archiver.rootsweb.com/LAKEMAN-L/
and select a month from the the next screen. This will show you all the posts to the list
for that month.
Alternatively, you can search for particular topics/text on the list by going to
http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl
enter the list name (in this case LAKEMAN) in the 'Name of List' field and click on the
'Submit Query' button. On the next page, type in a search phrase such as Fred (do not use
LAKEMAN as every post will be found) or London in the 'Query' field, select the year you
want to search, click the 'Search' button, and a list of all post for that year which
includes that search phrase will be displayed. Then select one of the displayed posts
(using one of the blue options underneath each post) to view the actual post.
A support website for the LAKEMAN mailing list is provided, and includes general information as well as more specific information such as subscriber's research interests.
The URL of the support website is:
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~surreal/lakeman/
Please check it regularly to see what is new.
Technically, Rootsweb has a "no commercial use" policy. In case of doubt, send the message to the list owner, and I'll review it and forward it to the list if appropriate.
If you need help with any of the items discussed in this FAQ, feel free to contact the list owner.
My contribution to the success of the list is the provision, maintenance and supervision of the list resource. But the major factor in its success is the contributions from all subscribers, so keep those posts coming, and make them as interesting and as enjoyable as possible.
Last updated on 27 February 2004