ANI-L Information About Listserv Commands

This file contains information about commands you can use to control your subscription options for ANI-L. All of these commands should be sent to the LISTSERV address, which is

listserv@listserv.syr.edu

When you send the commands to this address, the computer will read them and will set your desired options in place. Do NOT send these commands to the ANI-L address. If you do, they will not be read and followed by the computer, but will instead be posted to the list and sent to all the other members of the list.

List Information Commands:

To find out what your current subscription settings are: Send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

query ani-l

The computer will send you back a message giving information about your subscription.

To get a list of names and email addresses of ANI-L members: Send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

review ani-l

The computer will send you back a file containing a list of ANI-L members. Only ANI-L list members are able to retrieve this file. People who are not on the list cannot get it.

If you do not want your name and email address to appear on this list for other ANI-L members to be able to see, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

set ani-l conceal

Your name and email address will not appear on the list sent to members who use the "review" command.

Mail Options:

When you are first added to the list, the default setting is that you receive each message posted to the list as an individual message.

If you prefer, you may choose to receive the list in digest form. With this option, you will receive one LARGE message each day, containing all the posts that have been on the list in the preceding 24 hours, all in one file. If this is what you would prefer, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

set ani-l digest

If you have been receiving the list in digest form, or have been set to nomail, and you wish to resume getting the messages one at a time, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

set ani-l mail

If you want to temporarily stop receiving the list altogether, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

set ani-l nomail

If your account sets a limit on how much email you can receive, then it is a good idea to set your subscription to nomail if you are going to be on vacation, or are going to be too busy to retrieve your mail for a long time. That way, unread list messages will not keep accumulating in your mailbox while you are gone.

If you have been set to nomail and would like to resume getting the list, use either the mail or digest command as described above.

If you want to leave the list permanently, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

signoff ani-l

If you are going to stop using the account you are subscribed from (for example, if you have a commercial account and you are going to cancel the service, or if you have an account at school or at work and you are going to graduate or change jobs), please remember to sign off the list before your account terminates! If you would like to continue receiving the list on a new account, write to one of the listowners and tell us what your new account is.

If You Stop Receiving Mail from the List and You Don't Know Why:

There could simply be a temporary mail problem, either on your end, or on our end, or somewhere in between. But if you still are not receiving any list mail after several days, and if you are able to receive email from other sources, then the most likely explanation is that your list subscription has been set to nomail. This may happen if there has been a mail delivery problem with your account. When list posts cannot get through to a list member, the posts "bounce" to the listowners with an error message. If a member's mail is bouncing, we receive a bounced message for every post that anyone sends to the list. The only way we can stop all these bounced messages from clogging up our mailbox is by setting the person's subscription to nomail. And we can't send a message to tell the member what is happening, because no mail is getting through to the person.

(One of the most likely reasons for mail to bounce, especially on America Online or Compuserve accounts, is that the person's mailbox is full. Once again, this is why you should remember to set your subscription to nomail if you are not going to be able to download your mail for an extended time.)

You can check to find out what your subscription settings are by sending a "query" command, as described above. If you do not receive any response from the computer at all, then this indicates that mail is not going through for some reason. You will know when it eventually starts working again, because you will receive your reply.

If you do receive a response, and it shows that your subscription is set to mail, then it may be that no one is posting anything in the topic(s) you are subscribed to. If you receive a response and it shows that your subscription is set to nomail, then you can set it back to mail or digest using one of the commands described above.

Selecting Topics:

If you receive ANI-L in digest form, you will automatically receive all messages posted in all sections.

If you receive each ANI-L post as a separate mail message, you can choose which topics you want to receive.

When you join the list, your subscription is automatically set to receive the AC:, PA:, and DR: (the main sections), but not the VP: or CO: sections. If this is what you want, you do not need to take any further action.

If you wish to receive all five topics, then you should send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

set ani-l topics: all

If you wish to receive some subset of topics other than the default one, then you should send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

set ani-l topics: <list the topics you want to receive>

For example, if you want to receive only the AC:, DR:, and VP: topics, your message would read:

set ani-l topics: AC DR VP

If you want to receive only the PA: and DR: topics, then your message would read:

set ani-l topics: PA DR

You can also use + or - signs to add or subtract a topic without re-listing all the topics you are already subscribed to and want to keep receiving. For example, suppose you want to start receiving the CO: topic, and not to change any of the other topics you are receiving. Then you could send a message that reads:

set ani-l topics: +CO

and the CO: topic would be added to your current list of topics. Or, if you are subscribed to the VP: topic, but you want to turn it off because you are not going to be logged on for a list party and you don't want all the party messages to accumulate in your mailbox, then your message would read:

set ani-l topics: -VP

and VP: will be removed from your list of topics.

Archive File Commands:

All messages on ANI-L are saved in archive files. Each archive contains one week's messages. These files can only be accessed by people who are members of the list.

To get a list of the archive files available, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

index ani-l

You will receive back a list of file names. The names are in the format of

ANI-L LOGYYMMX

where YY is the last two digits of the year,
MM is the month,
and X indicates the week:

A is the archive for the 1st to the 7th of the month
B is the archive file for the 8th to the 14th of the month
C is the archive file for the 15th to the 21st of the month
D is the archive file for the 22nd to the 28th of the month
E is the archive file for the 29th to the end of the month.

To receive one of the archive files, send a message to listserv@listserv.syr.edu. The message should read:

get ani-l logyymmx

Fill in the values to indicate which archive you want. For example, if you want the archive for the first week of January, 1997, your message would read: get ani-l log9701a

If you want the archive for the third week of November, 1996, your message would read: get ani-l log9611c

Etc.

If you have any difficulty setting up your subscription options, feel free to ask a listowner for assistance.

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The ANI web site was last modified Wednesday 26 June 2002. Comments, questions, and suggestions concerning this site should be addressed to the webmaster at ANI. Regrettably, due to the webmaster's heavy workload, personal replies may not always be possible.