From the Listowner's website:
Table of Contents
WELCOME
Let me be the first to welcome you to SCOUTS-L, the "Electronic Roundtable that
Never Ends". SCOUTS-L provides opportunities for members of youth groups
world-wide to interact, compare notes on their programs, discuss organizational
problems and concerns, and communicate with members all over the world!
While the groups discussed may be heavily weighted towards the programs of the
Boy Scouts of America (BSA), we DO INCLUDE WAGGGS (Girl Scouts and Girl Guides),
Boys' and Girls' Clubs, and other world-wide scouting and youth organizations.
We also welcome you if you belong to NO national youth organization.
I realize this is a rather long file to read but the time taken will be well
spent. Hopefully many of your initial questions will be answered here. The
guidelines set forth will help make for a more enjoyable SCOUTS-L for all. I
would also highly recommend that you keep a copy of this file. It contains a lot
of reference information that you WILL need in the future.
WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT ON SCOUTS-L?
If you can imagine a daily meeting with parents of Scouts, leaders at the unit
level, Scouters (scouting leaders) at the group, local Council or Regional level
and occasionally some people who make Scouting their career (or did at one time
or another) -- from all over the nation and from around the world -- you have an
idea of the impact this discussion list has.
We talk about a wide variety of issues and topics, from the silliness of a
"Woodbadge animal" to the very seriousness of child protection policies that
many organizations have recently installed. While we don't profess to have the
answer to EVERY issue or question, we do spend a great deal of time answering as
many as we can. In most cases, we not only answer the "where it can be found in
the literature" question, but also give some practical applications of why it is
or is not so.
We tell stories of how our units or groups are doing, to inspire and to just
share with others our anxieties, our fears and our joys. We get personal
occasionally, because we have grown to be more than merely people discussing
youth programs...we've become friends. We care when our fellow members are in
the hospital, or when their new son or daughter is born, or when we attended our
first training session or when we decide that perhaps our service is needed
elsewhere.
And we are listened to, comforted, and encouraged to move forward by the others
here. We get lots of useful answers and suggestions and we joke around with each
other from time to time. Then, we move on to another topic and the process
starts over again.
As you can imagine, not everyone here is in total agreement every day with all
issues and resolutions of issues. We do argue, we express ourselves with deep
personal emotion, but we also remember that we are in the company of fellow
Scouters...people who understand that disagreements are a part of being human;
that the disagreement is with the other point of view, and NOT the other person.
Therefore, you will NOT find here the outlandish language and ongoing
discussions about topics that have no real answer to them. We don't have time
for such nonsense...we're too busy discussing issues that CAN be resolved.
We try as hard as we can NOT to censure or ignore ANYONE's point of view or
thought on ANY topic, but we have "driven some topics deeply into the ground."
Please check the logs *before* bringing up a sensitive topic that we have talked
about before. Also, please think before replying to a issue which "may set off
firerockets." If you have any concerns, please let the list administrator know
or send him a copy of your proposed posting BEFORE you post it to the list.
We would also appreciate it greatly if you sign your name somewhere in the
posting so that replies can be "personalized" to you rather than a pseudonym.
This makes it nicer for you to be recognized as an individual.
Finally, the list quality has been maintained by the number of questions that
we've answered over the years. In many cases, the questions we've asked have
also been raised by others who are not on the list, only to be ignored or
discarded. Some of our questions --and our collective answers-- have resulted in
program or policy changes by the BSA or other organizations.
This is *your* chance to ask questions that you felt "stupid" asking local
officials; to get the REAL answer to that policy that someone told you was "in
the book and that's the way it is"; to resolve just WHERE do you wear that new
award that your son or daughter or you received. We are MORE than willing to
answer ALL questions, concerns, or problems that you may be having with your
unit or organization. However, we do so ONLY with the understanding that you
cannot get answers anywhere else. We don't want SCOUTS-L to be your ONLY source
of information about what should or should not be done. We urge you to seek out
the local offices of your youth organization BEFORE posting here...it avoids
embarrassing "gaffes" between you and your organization and it also keeps us
from coming between youth agencies and your unit. The advice given here is given
on the same basis as what you would receive from a friend (which we all hope to
become). None of us speaks on behalf of a youth organization in any capacity,
except in the cases where we have identified ourself as a volunteer or career
executive.
You are free (and encouraged) to extract and download the information shared and
share it with those that you work with in your youth agency or group. In this
way, you are not letting the information die! Many Scout "roundtables" use the
information from this list each month!
So now that you know what happens here on this list EVERY DAY, here's some
common information that you need to be aware of:
SUBSCRIBING
The act of SUBSCRIBING to the SCOUTS-L list is to place your name on the list
which will allow you to receive all postings to the SCOUTS-L list as well as to
be able to post messages to SCOUTS-L. To subscribe you should send a 1 line
email message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU without any extra headings or
signature lines. This message should be as follows:
SUBSCRIBE SCOUTS-L your name
You should use your REAL NAME in place of "your name". Handles are not accepted
on SCOUTS-L. Your email address is taken from the "FROM" line of your email
heading.
LISTSERV
The Listserv is a computer that accepts commands or inquiries. THERE IS NOBODY
PHYSICALLY AT THE LISTSERV ADDRESS!
Take some time to learn how to use and interact with the LISTSERV. This will
save you a lot of time and headaches when you want to search for some past
topic, retrieve files, or change some of your options. Remember there are 2
email ids that you use:
- SCOUTS-L@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU (email id is used when you want to POST a
message to the group)
- LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU (email id is used when you want to subscribe,
unsubscribe, get files, database searches, and change options)
The commands to LISTSERV are contained in the body of your email message. A good
command to start with is "HELP". Other useful commands to LISTSERV are:
| WHAT YOU SEND |
Description |
| SUBSCRIBE SCOUTS-L your name |
Can be used to change your name |
| UNSUBSCRIBE SCOUTS-L |
Signoff your id from SCOUTS-L
Send this from the same email account
that you used when you subscribed |
| SET SCOUTS-L NOMAIL |
To stop list mail temporarily |
| SET SCOUTS-L DIGEST |
Turn ON the digest feature |
| SET SCOUTS-L MAIL |
To turn ON mail again (reset
DIGEST) |
| SET SCOUTS-L REPRO |
To receive a copy of your
postings |
| QUERY SCOUTS-L |
To see your distribution
options |
| REVIEW SCOUTS-L |
Get a copy of SCOUTS-L
subscription list and list
header |
| INDEX SCOUTS-L |
Get an index of SCOUTS-L files |
| GET SCOUTS-L LOGyymm SCOUTS-L |
Get a particular log file
use the last two digits of the year
and the two digits for the month
instead of yymm |
| GET SCOUTPCX BSADSK0 SCOUTS-L |
Get a file from the archives
BSADSK0 is an example - use the real
file name instead |
DIGEST OPTION
For those of you who read SCOUTS-L only once-per-day, have trouble keeping up
with the volume of email postings, or those who are only reading SCOUTS-L and
don't intend to post, the DIGEST feature may be what you need. Once set, you
will receive ONLY one posting per day that contains all postings consolidated
into a neat package.
To set this option, send email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU with the following
message:
SET SCOUTS-L DIGEST
to revert back to normal receipt of individual messages:
SET SCOUTS-L MAIL
A special note to those who reply to a digested SCOUTS-L is to change the
subject line to something appropriate.
UNSUBSCRIBING
I know a lot of SCOUTS-L users out there will lose their computer accounts due
to the end of a semester. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE remember to "unsubscribe" from
SCOUTS-L before you lose your account. In case you don't understand, every
bounced piece of SCOUTS-L mail ends up being sent to me. This is very
frustrating on a busy day when I receive about 5-10 bounced postings for every
note that goes out to SCOUTS-L ... and we have had some pretty busy days!
To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU with the following
message:
UNSUBSCRIBE SCOUTS-L
INTRODUCTION
When first subscribing to SCOUTS-L, please feel free to post a brief message
(about a screen's worth) about yourself to introduce yourself to the list.
When responding to someone's introduction, please DO NOT USE the reply function
of your mailer as your reply will then also be distributed to the entire list.
Use private Email. SCOUTS-L makes a concerted effort to keep network traffic and
"junk mail" to a minimum, since there are many subscribers receiving SCOUTS-L
through their place of work.
FLAMING
First, a reminder to everyone about network "etiquette". The so called "flaming"
(insults) do NOT belong on the SCOUTS-L list and will not be put up with.
Personal vendettas will NOT be tolerated. The Boy Scout Oath and Law is the best
guidelines I can think of in these matters. PLEASE remember this! Flaming will
result in action by the list coordinator.
Discussions will naturally bring disagreement, however, rebuttals should always
be made in a rational, logical and mature manner in public. What has made
SCOUTS-L such a success is the manner in which most subscribers handle their
postings and how they address a topic. Let's keep it up!
NETIQUETTE
The SCOUTS-L list continues to grow and now has over 400 direct subscribers (I
have no idea how many scouters get our list through other means). Many users
access SCOUTS-L via their work place or through some commercial services (i.e.
they are paying to get our messages) and some even use 2400 baud modems to get
their email -- this is why it is VERY important that we follow some rules in our
postings.
These rules are sometimes known as "NETIQUETTE".
- Everyone is asked to send an introduction of themselves when they
subscribe. I know we Scouters are a very friendly bunch and want to welcome
these new subscribers... in fact I think it would be really neat if each new
subscriber received 400 "welcome" notes, but NOT NOT to the list! Learn how
to reply to individuals and NOT the list. This applies to many
"congratulations" messages and others.
- Netiquette dictates private responses to private email. Please do not
post private mail to SCOUTS-L, even if you cannot find a mailing path.
Contact your local postmaster or the list coordinator for help. The list
coordinator will keep all communications confidential.
- Whenever possible, REPLY TO THE SENDER of a message and NOT THE ENTIRE
LIST unless the reply is of benefit to the group. Summarize whenever
possible.
- If you are a new subscriber, check out the archives (via LISTSERV) so
that old subjects are not "rehashed" over and over again. All postings to
SCOUTS-L are automatically archived into monthly log files for this purpose.
- We tend to discuss a particular topic for about two weeks or so. While
this is not a hard, enforced rule, we ask that time is not endlessly spent
on topics which we as Scouters have little or NO control over resolving or
which stray over to other topics. On the other hand, if you have *new
information* to provide (even after the topic has "died naturally"), please
send it to the list to consider.
- As a courtesy, please identify and cite newspaper clippings, magazine
articles, or postings from other sources (local BBSs, America Online {tm},
CompuServe {tm}, etc.) when you post them here. This list is used by some
members as a research reference or indexing tool.
- Please refrain from using any language that might be considered
questionable (even by the most conservative of us) on SCOUTS-L.
- As a rule, DON'T QUOTE MESSAGES! (Quoting messages is the act of
including the text of the message you are replying to.) Many are reading
messages once per day and have just read the note you are replying to and
don't need to read it again. If you must quote a previous message, please
take the time to delete all the extraneous text that does not apply.
- Please keep signature lines short and simple. There is a 99% chance we
already know who you are and your return email address is in the email
header anyway.
- If you want to post an item to the archive, please mail it directly to
me (eidson3@unix3.is.tcu.edu) but NOT to SCOUTS-L. All postings to SCOUTS-L
are automatically logged, and there is no reason to have items in the log
files as well as the archives. Archive files are usually larger than a
normal posting and are available to subscribers when/if they want them.
- Subscription to SCOUTS-L is *not* limited to the members of any specific
organization. Therefore, please do not discuss ANY confidential ritual or
ceremonies of any organization that is considered "safeguarded". If you are
unsure on whether the content of a posting is inappropriate, contact an
officer of the organization or the list coordinator.
- When posting messages, keep your line lengths to 72 characters or less.
This length seems to be a bit more universally accepted. Longer lines tend
to wrap in unusual places and make your messages generally unreadable.
- Don't use all uppercase. This is considered "shouting" in most email
circles.
Thank you for adhering to these guidelines. While SCOUTS-L may be one of the
more active mailing lists, following these guidelines will ensure that the
majority of subscribers can and will stay involved.
ARCHIVES
What is archived on SCOUTS-L?? Anything that YOU, the subscriber of SCOUTS-L
deems important enough to share with the world!
The archives of SCOUTS-L continue to grow and are (in my opinion) one of the
list's more valuable resources. They have become so valuable that many of the
archived items are in high demand by Scouters world-wide and have been exported
to other providers. Many of the SCOUTS-L archived items are also found on GEnie
{tm}, America Online {tm}, and CompuServe {tm} in various Scouting "libraries".
Besides the logging of messages, there are several files that have been compiled
and archived that may be of use to many of you. Recent additions include "Eagle
tips" and the FAQs from USENET's "rec.scouting."
To get a list of files, send email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU with the
following message:
INDEX SCOUTS-L
To get a particular file, send email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU with the
following message:
GET SCOUTFAQ SILK SCOUTS-L
Additional contributions are encouraged and welcomed. Please send contributions
to eidson3@unix3.is.tcu.edu. Currently FTP access is NOT available for SCOUTS-L
files.
LOGS
All postings to SCOUTS-L are automatically archived into monthly files. You may
retrieve these log files by sending the following command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU
either by interactive message or as the first line in a mail file:
GET SCOUTS-L LOGyymm
where "yy" is the year and "mm" is the month of the requested notebook.
When first subscribing, it is nice to get the last few log files so that you can
"catch up" on what has been going on. Log files are also useful to see what has
been discussed while you've been away from the list for a while.
I hope to see SCOUTS-L be a resource to Scouters and others as well as a forum
for which ideas can be expressed and the differences that we all have can be
appreciated.
Yours in Scouting,
Jon Eidson, Listowner SCOUTS-L
(eidson3@unix3.is.tcu.edu)
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