(Specific details below in Para's 5 & 6)

1. The Good Thing About Listservers

2. The Bad Thing About Listservers

3. The Toilet Paper Analogy

4. The Plea

5. How It Works - Unsubscribe

6. How It Works - Subscribe

7. For More Info - Phone Me

8. Problem Partially My Fault - Apologies

9. Volunteers Always Welcome

• Multiple Announcers - These listservers allow multiple announcers to send information at NO CHARGE to large numbers of people, that is hopefully of interest to you.

• One Address Book - The many announcers don't have to keep track of email addresses at all, because the Listserver automatically keeps the one master address book updated.

• Self Subscribe - The Listserver allows new people to subscribe and unsubscribe themselves whenever they like, and automatically updates the address book.

• Web Page - The Listserver automatically creates an archive web page, which

• gives "web page visibility" for the announcements
• provides a backup message  location where you can always find the message if you lose or did not receive your copy in your email.

We cannot seem to get people trained to do the subscribing and unsubscribing themselves when they change their email addresses.

With several Listservers in operation, some with a hundred or more names,

and with people continually asking us to change their email addresses in the Listserver;

we find ourselves spending all our time adding and removing peoples names for them.

In reality, this is probably always going to be an UPHILL struggle, as I estimate that probably 99% of computer users in this North Central Pennsylvania region have little knowledge  about using their computers, other than being barely able to turn them on and off, and I am guessing that they are not interested in spending the time to learn or do anything more.

Using an analogy, if the subscribe/unsubscribe functions are considered to be a tool like toilet paper, then ideally it is the user's job to use the toilet paper.  Therefore, if people keep asking us to do the subscribing and unsubscribing jobs for them  -- then we feel like we are spending a lot of our lives accomplishing nothing except doing the digital equivalent of wiping people's rear ends for them.

Please try to handle the unsubscribe (details Para. 5 below) and subscribe (details Para. 6 below) functions yourself, whenever you change your email address. 

When you change to a new email address, please try to subscribe your new address yourself.  (Unsubscribing your old address is optional, but you may temporarily get 2 copies during the period your mail provider forwards email from your old address.)

There are links in the footer of each email sent from each Listserver,

that allow anybody to unsubscribe or subscribe themselves at any time.

Just send a 'blank' email (no subject, no body necessary)

from the address you want to unsubscribe to

'Listname-UNsubscribe@yahoogroups.com'

(where 'Listname' is the name of the Listserver)

and then reply to the 'request-for-confirmation' that Yahoo will send you.

(( Note that whichever address you send this blank message from,

Yahoo will unsubscribe that address.))

More Info -- Yahoo Unsubscribing Help

Specific Addresses:     (Note these are not case sensitive)

• RailNet-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com     Track2 RailNet
• dances-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com     Track2 DanceNet
• ScrantonDanceNet-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com     (Scranton DanceNet)
• SusquehannaSeniorNet-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Susquehanna SeniorNet)
• cpamu-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Central Pa Mac Users)

"Members only" Listservers:

• LooseTies-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Loose Ties Model RR Club)
• SsgPrivate-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Susquehanna S Gaugers Model RR Club)
• Track2Test-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Test [practice] Listserver)

Just send a 'blank' email from the address you want to subscribe to

'Listname-subscribe@yahoogroups.com'

(where 'Listname is the name of the Listserver)

and then reply to the 'request-for-confirmation' that Yahoo will send you.

(( Note that whichever address you send this blank message from,

Yahoo will subscribe that address.))

More Info -- Yahoo Subscribing Help

Specific Addresses:     (Note these are not case sensitive)

• RailNet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com     (Track2 RailNet)
• dances-subscribe@yahoogroups.com     (Track2 DanceNet)
• ScrantonDanceNet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com     (Scranton DanceNet)
• SusquehannaSeniorNet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Susquehanna SeniorNet)
• cpamu-subscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Central Pa Mac Users)

"Members only" Listservers:        (membership must be approved by Moderator)

• LooseTies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Loose Ties Model RR Club)
• SsgPrivate-subscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Susquehanna S Gaugers Model RR Club)
• Track2Test-subscribe@yahoogroups.com    (Test [practice] Listserver)

If you have additional questions, email me your telephone number,

and I can call you,  or email you my cell phone number.

This problem is at least partially my fault, as when we initially subscribe new people to these Listservers, we usually don't tell them that we request them to handle the unsubscribing and subscribing in the future when they change their email address.

However, in my defense, often this conversation takes place in the middle of a dance or middle of some other meeting, where the person has neither the time nor interest at the moment to listen to all the Listserver details.

If you're sitting there thinking to yourself, "Gee, this job of subscribing and unsubscribing people sounds like a fun way to spend some time", then please contact us, as we can always use assistance.  Let me assure you, it is very glamorous, satisfying, and rewarding work.