JOIN AN ONLINE DIGEST
Since you are here, you should know that the Internet is a good way to gather information. Sometimes though you just can't seem to find an answer to a specific problem or question. The reason is that those of us with web sites post information based on our own experience, and may not have encountered the situation you seek an answer for. Possibly, it didn't occur to us to post the information if we had it, or we just haven't got around to posting it.
As an alternative to the Internet, e-mail can be another good way to get information with your computer. This is commonly known as a digest or list. These forums consist of e-mails which allow subscribers to read posts from others on the list. If you have a question, you post it to the defined address and it is then sent to all subscribers including you. If you read a post and have a contribution to make you can also post an answer or other advice regarding that post and everyone will see your response.
Most of these lists are moderated, meaning that one or more people review the posts to make sure they relate to the topic. This is to weed out spam or overly commercial posts. If you have a commercial web site, it is OK to have the URL in your signature line, but don't go overboard in the text area with promotion. Make sure you have something worthwhile to contribute be it a question, answer or point of interest.
In addition, there are two basic forms these forums can have. As a list, the posts are sent out individually after review like the Beekeeping list I subscribe to. I have recieved anywhere from zero to over thirty posts in a day from this as a result. The other form is the digest, which combines all of the approved posts into a single e-mail. The HBD, or Homebrew Digest comes out daily except Saturday night and usually has about two dozen posts. There is a 50K limit on the digest, so sometimes a post has to sit in the Queue until the next day to be posted. I Usually get this post between 9:30 & 10:00 PM Pacific time. Adjust your time accordingly. The Mead Lovers Digest (MLD) and the Cider Lovers Digest (CLD) also come in digest form, but only come out once or twice a week.
With all of these e-mail subscriptions, the e-mail address of the posting author is on his or her post, so replying directly to the poster is an option you have in addition to posting back to the list/digest. I have done this several times when I felt a direct reply was called for.
Here are the lists I subscribe to.
The HBD - Homebrew Digest
The following is the subscribe/unsubscribe information as copied from the HBD.
To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
"subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org.
**SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE REQUESTS MUST BE SENT FROM THE E-MAIL
ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, the autoresponder and
the SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE commands will fail!
To join the HBD click here, request@hbd.org and type subscribe in the message area.
Make sure you are sending this e-mail from the address where you want to recieve it, because it will be sent to the address from which the message is sent.
Posting and archive information is available on all posts.
The MLD - Mead Lovers Digest
The following is the subscribe/unsubscribe information as copied from the MLD.
Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests. When
subscribing, please include name and email address in body of message.
To join the MLD click here, mead-request@talisman.com and type subscribe and your name and e-mail address in the message area.
Make sure you are sending this e-mail from the address where you want to recieve it, because it will be sent to the address from which the message is sent.
Posting and archive information is available on all posts.
The CLD - Cider Lovers Digest
The following is the subscribe/unsubscribe information as copied from the CLD.
Use cider-request@talisman.com for subscribe/unsubscribe/admin requests.
When subscribing, please include your name and a good address in the
message body unless you're sure your mailer generates them.
To join the MLD click here, cider-request@talisman.com and type subscribe and your name and e-mail address in the message area.
Make sure you are sending this e-mail from the address where you want to recieve it, because it will be sent to the address from which the message is sent.
Posting and archive information is available on all posts.
BEE-L, the Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology
The following is the subscribtion information as copied from the BEE-L.
Subscribe on by sending a single line of mail to:
LISTSERV@listserv.albany.edu
that reads:
SUBSCRIBE BEE-L 'your full name'
To join the BEE-L click here, LISTSERV@listserv.albany.edu and type SUBSCRIBE BEE-L (cut and paste this into your message) then add your name on the same line in the message area.
There are other digests and news groups out there that I don't subscribe to because of the lack of time.
If you know of any good ones I should include here, send me an e-mail with enough information to create an entry like the ones above.
mike@fermatorium.com
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FERMENTATION page.