[Foundation-l] Foundation-l for dummies

[Walter Vermeir]

In response to recent postings with the topic "Re: [Fwd: About 
Alexandria] -> to Usenet ?"

=== Foundation-l is a mailing list ===

The concept of a mailing list is that you send an email to one email 
address and then that email is send to all the subscribers of the list 
who explicitly have chosen to receive the emails that are send to that list.

Some lists are high traffic, some are low traffic, some are virtually dead.

In any case do not complain that you get emails from a mailings list. 
That is the idea and logical result of joining a mailing list.

=== How to mange the stream of emails ===

Most email clients or web based email systems support the functionality 
for creating rules, filters, do move emails that match a specific word 
or tag to a separate folder. So that not all these list emails get stuck 
in the general inbox.

Look for "create rules" or similar.

The most basic way to sort the emails is using the subject line. You can 
make a rule to move all emails that have [Foundation-l] in the subject.

You can also use the "sender" email address (note: that is not the 
"From") for this. Or use if you can the "List-Id:" header.

Once you have them in a seperate folder see of you client supports 
"threaded view". If so, try it out on that folder.

=== Setting the emails off ===

The most certain way to avoid a full mailbox of list postings is to 
switch the email delivery off.

Go to the list page, for Foundation-l is that;
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l

Log in there to edit your options. It is the last input box on that 
page. Enter the email address you are subscribed with to the list. If 
you do not know that emailaddress view the source of a posting. Your 
email adress is in the headers somewhere.

If you do not know the list password ask a password reminder to be send.

Login. Disable mail delivery. It is the first option in the list of options.

=== Reading the list by "usenet" ===

A very easy way to read this list and most of the Wikimedia lists is by 
use of the gmane.org "mailing list to usenet" gateway.

You need software that supports that. Outlook express and Thunderbrid 
support that.

Subscribe to the server;

nntp://news.gmane.org

Foundation-l is named;

gmane.org.wikimedia.foundation

To find the other lists search for "wikipedia" and "wikimedia" to find 
the lists mailing lists.

When you are subscribed to the group you can read all list posting like 
it was a usenet group. If you are a list member you can also post the 
list the same way. Just reply to a posting. The first time you do that 
you will get an email from gmane.org that you need to send back. After 
that all postings will be send to the list and the newsgroup.

=== If that is to difficult for you ===

Just set the email delivery off and you can use a browser to read the 
postings.

For Foundation-l the page you need is;
http://news.gmane.org/gmane.org.wikimedia.foundation

You can also reply to a posting by using the followup option in the 
"action" pull-down menu.

Remove the text irrelevant text. A reply to a long post where you have 
added "me too" will not work.

The first time you do that you will get an email from gmane.org that you 
need to send back. After that all posting will be send to the list and 
the newsgroup.

=== A last option ... ===

You can also login to the list settings page and change the email 
delivery settings to daily digest. Then you will receive a lot fewer 
emails but longer ones that contain several postings.

You have that option but I do not recommend it. For you as a reader you 
lose the overview, the structure of the flow of postings. And more 
important if you wish to respond to a message you totally break the thread.

It is an option that best would be disabled as an user option.

=== End ===

This concludes this "how to read and use a WMF mailing list".

-- 
Contact: walter AT wikizine DOT org
Wikizine.org - news for and about the Wikimedia community