FAQ

[Andrew M. Rudoff]

Long overdue for a FAQ posting...  probably time for me to update it
a bit, but I'm posting it anyway for those who need a reminder how to
subscribe or unsubscribe.

The searchable archives are off-line temporarily while I'm fixing a
problem.  Should be back soon...

-andy

   MAILING LISTS PROVIDED BY THE PIANO TECHNICIANS GUILD
                    As of June 07, 1999

           This file is available on the web at:

             http://www.ptg.org/faq/lists.html

The following lists are provided by the PTG as a community
service.  The PTG does not maintain any control over the
content of these lists.  Each list is described briefly below,
along with subscription information.  When posting, please
remember to choose the appropriate list for your topic.

PIANOTECH -- a forum for piano technicians

	The "pianotech" list is intended for technical discussions
	among piano technicians.  Other topics of general interest
	to piano technicians do come up, but the main focus is on
	sharing technical information.  It is an "open" list, allowing
	anyone to subscribe and submit posts.

	To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		subscribe pianotech
	
	in the body of the message (the subject field is ignored).
	If you wish to receive digests instead of individual posts,
	send the line:

		subscribe pianotech-digest

	instead.  Messages are posted by sending them to:

		pianotech@ptg.org

	To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		unsubscribe pianotech

	This list is archived on the web at:
	
		http://www.ptg.org/archive/pianotech.php/

PTG-L -- a list for PTG related discussions

	The "ptg-l" list is intended for discussions about the PTG
	itself (policies, politics, announcements, etc.).  It is for
	PTG members only.

	YOU MUST BE A PTG MEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE!

	To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		subscribe ptg-l
	
	in the body of the message (the subject field is ignored).
	If you wish to receive digests instead of individual posts,
	send the line:

		subscribe ptg-l-digest

	instead.  Messages are posted by sending them to:

		ptg-l@ptg.org

	To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		unsubscribe ptg-l

	This list is archived on the web at:
	
		http://www.ptg.org/archive/ptg-l/

	You need your PTG member number and password to access the
	archive.  See your 1998 membership invoice for your password.

CAUT -- a forum for College And University Technicians

	The "caut" list is intended for College And University
	Technicians (abbreviated CAUT).  It is an "open" list,
	allowing anyone to subscribe and submit posts.

	To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		subscribe caut
	
	in the body of the message (the subject field is ignored).
	If you wish to receive digests instead of individual posts,
	send the line:

		subscribe caut-digest

	instead.  Messages are posted by sending them to:

		caut@ptg.org

	To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		unsubscribe caut

	This list is archived on the web at:
	
		http://www.ptg.org/archive/caut.php/

HUMOR -- humor for piano technicians

	The "humor" list is an "open" list, allowing anyone to subscribe
	and submit posts.  It is intended for jokes, funny stories, etc.

	To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		subscribe humor
	
	in the body of the message (the subject field is ignored).
	If you wish to receive digests instead of individual posts,
	send the line:

		subscribe humor-digest

	instead. Send your posts to:

		humor@ptg.org

	To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@ptg.org
	containing only this line:

		unsubscribe humor

	This list is archived on the web at:
	
		http://www.ptg.org/archive/humor/


                     TESTING THE LISTS

PLEASE DO NOT POST TEST MESSAGES TO THE LISTS!  When you post a message
that says "just testing" you are cluttering up hundreds of mailboxes and
your message gets entered into the archives for that list.  Instead,
send the line:

	which

to the address:

	majordomo@ptg.org

This line asks the server software to tell you which lists you are on.
The messages take the same path as a posted message, so you end up testing
that you can send mail to the server, and that it can send mail back to you.
In addition, you get to see what lists the server thinks you're on, so that
tells you if you have somehow been unsubscribed.  Best of all, you don't
bother hundreds of people with a "testing" message.  The "which" command is
handled automatically, so you can do this type of test as often as you like
(i.e. every month, every day, every hour, whatever).


     FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PTG MAILING LISTS

1. What types of posts are allowed and disallowed on each list?

	Anyone can post anything.  But each list does have its
	intended purpose and everyone will be happiest if we all
	try to stick to topics appropriate for each list.  Sending
	a PTG political discussion to pianotech or a completely
	non-PTG related message to ptg-l are guaranteed ways to
	get flamed.

	Please follow these guildlines when posting:

	- Sign your real name to your messages (adding your location
	  and place of employment is even better).

	- Don't post large attachments or messages -- offer to send it
	  to people or make it available on the web instead.

	- Don't "cross-post" your message to multiple mailing lists.
	  Choose the one forum best suited for your topic instead.

2. Why aren't the lists moderated?

	The lists are meant to be open forums.  Moderating these lists
	would be a big job and it would be tricky to filter these lists
	in a way that everyone agrees is fair.  If enough interest arises,
	we can create new, moderated lists in addition to the open lists
	we have.

3. How do I tell the list server to send me my own posts?

	This list software, majordomo, always sends you copies of your
	own posts (it is not configurable).

4. How do I tell the list server to send me digests?

	You must unsubscribe to the list and subscribe instead
	to the "-digest" version of the list as explained earlier
	in this document.  For example, subscribing to "pianotech"
	will cause you to receive every post individually.  Subscribing
	to "pianotech-digest" will cause you to receive collections
	of posts periodically.

5. I'm going out of town, how do I suspend delivery?

	You must unsubscribe and re-subscribe when you return.

6. Is there a way to search the on-line archives?

	Not yet, but that is in the works.  In the mean time, there is
	an excellent searchable archive of the pianotech list maintained
	by David Parkhurst at:

		http://www.webcom.com/wind/ptsearch.html

7. Why don't the on-line archives contain old messages?

	We're currently only archiving those messages sent after the lists
	moved to the PTG server.  We're in the process of updating the
	archives to contain old messages.

8. Why did my message take so long to be sent out on the list?

	Several things could cause delays.  The two most likely delays are:

		- some machine or network is temporarily down
		- you message required approval by the list manager

	Messages require approval by the list manager if they contain
	words like "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" at the top.  This avoids
	the very common annoyance of someone sending these requests to
	the list instead of to majordomo@ptg.org.  If the list manager
	determines the message should really go out on the list, it is
	approved.

	If you think your message has been dropped or delayed an unusual
	amount of time, DON'T SEND MORE MAIL OUT TO THE LIST!  This just
	causes a wave of "is the list working?" messages.  Be patient!
	You can always send the word "help" to majordomo@ptg.org to see
	if the server is responding, or contact admin@ptg.org for more
	detailed status.

9. Who do I contact for list administrative issues?

	admin@ptg.org

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