GISMO Listserv Guidelines

The following topics are covered in this message:

1. What is Virtual GISMO?
2. What is the GISMONYC listserv?
3. How do I subscribe to GISMONYC?
4. How do I post a message to GISMONYC?
5. What types of messages can I post?
6. How are messages stored?
7. How do I reply to posted messages?
8. How do I change my email address?
9. What do I do if I want access to the GISMONYC site, but
I don't want all that email?
10. How do I unsubscribe from GISMONYC?
11. Questions?

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1. What is Virtual GISMO?

Virtual GISMO is a subgroup of GISMO devoted to facilitating the online
communications of the group, via a web site
(http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/gismo), and a suite of online communication
tools located at Yahoo! Groups (http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/gismonyc).
The web site includes information about GISMO meetings, functioning and
policies, subgroups, contacts and archives and acts as the main portal for the
communication tools. The Yahoo! Groups site contains an interactive calendar,
listserv/bulletin board, polling tool, member directory, links and file
archives. As of the September 1999 issue, the GISMO newsletter is also being
stored at the Yahoo! Groups site. Each of these tools is linked from within the
GISMO site for easier navigation.

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2. What is the GISMO listserv?

The GISMONYC listserv is GISMO's most active communication tool, and is located
at Yahoo! Groups: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/gismonyc. The listserv is
a moderated email list that allows members to send email messages to the entire
group using a single address. Messages can be read on the web site by anyone,
regardless of whether they are a member of GISMO, but you must be a registered
member of GISMONYC to post or receive messages in your email box. Other content
on the Yahoo! Groups site, such as the file vault and member directory, is not
viewable by the general public.

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3. How do I subscribe to GISMONYC?

To subscribe to the GISMONYC, you must be a GISMO member. Either you have
attended at least one GISMO meeting and have filled out a member form or you
mailed a form and submitted a personal paragraph. New members are added to the
list after each meeting as the database is updated. If you do not receive an
email invitation to join the listserv, you may subscribe by sending a blank
message to:

gismonyc-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Once your GISMO membership is verified, you will be added to the list.

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4. How do I post a message to the GISMONYC?

To post a message to the GISMO listserv, you can either send an email to:

gismonyc@yahoogroups.com

or, use the online form located at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gismonyc/post

While you do not need to be registered with Yahoo! to post or receive GISMONYC
messages via email, if you wish to use the online form to post a message, or to
review any other members-only areas of the site, such as Files, Polls and
Databases, you must be logged into Yahoo! Groups with a Yahoo! ID. To create a
Yahoo! ID, visit http://edit.yahoo.com/config/eval_register.

Once your message is approved by the listserv administrator, it will be sent to
all members of the group and stored in a searchable Bulletin Board archive at:

http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gismonyc/messages

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5. What types of messages can be posted?

The list is moderated to ensure that messages are appropriate to GISMO
interests. Feel free to post any message on GIS and mapping related topics,
including upcoming events, reviews, commentaries, etc. Ideas are not censored;
however, personal, off-topic and overtly commercial messages will not be
approved. The administrator will usually notify you if a message is not
approved, or to verify whether a message of a personal nature was intended to be
sent to the group.

The only exception to the no advertising rule is that Yahoo! Groups, our site
host, requires discreet advertising at the end of each emailed message. (Not so
discreet on the site, but that is the price of a free site).

Meeting minutes and articles of interest to GISMO members are periodically
posted to the listserv. If you have written a piece that you believe is
appropriate for archiving on GISMONYC, please forward a message to
gismonyc-owner@yahoogroups.com, copying Jack Eichenbaum at jaconet@....
This way, we can review the content of the essay, and proof and format it before
it is saved in the File folders and forwarded on to the group.

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6. How are messages stored?

Messages and replies are archived by on the Yahoo! Groups site at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gismonyc/messages. Messages can be viewed either
by date or by thread.

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7. How do I reply to posted messages?

The listserv is moderated by the listserv administrator. If you believe your
reply is of interest to the entire group, feel free to respond directly to the
listserv address. Otherwise, reply just to the original sender. Refer to your
email program's "Reply" and "Reply To" functions to determine the best way to
send your reply.

Please remember, however, that when you reply to the listserv, the reply will be
sent to over 400 people! If the reply is intended only for a specific
individual, please delete the listserv address in the To: field and type in the
individual's address before sending. Messages that are obviously intended for
the sender and not the entire group will be forwarded to the original poster and
marked "Ignore" by the listserv administrator.

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8. How do I change my email address?

Please send any email address changes to the listserv owner at
gismonyc-owner@yahoogroups.com, including your name, old email address and new
email address, so that we can verify the change against the GISMO member
database. Please note that if you are changing your email address, do not just
send a message to gismonyc-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Your identity as a GISMO
member may be unknown, and the list owner will have to contact you anyway for
your name and old email.

You may also update your email and other information via your Yahoo! member
profile by visiting this address:
http://edit.yahoo.com/config/eval_profile?.intl=us&.done=http://groups.yahoo.com\
. Enter your password to access your profile. Please note that the Yahoo!
database is maintained separately from the GISMO member database. Therefore, if
you update your email address at Yahoo!, you will also need to forward the
change to gismonyc-owner@yahoogroups.com so the change can be reflected
appropriately in the database.

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9. What do I do if I want access to the GISMONYC site, but
I don't want all that email?

Yahoo! Groups has a function that allows you to select the type of email
delivery you prefer: every email to your box, digest mode, or no email. To set
your preferences, go to the "Edit My Membership" section of the site at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gismonyc/join to update these settings.

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10. How do I unsubscribe?

To unsubscribe to the listserv, please send a message to:

gismonyc-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please note that if you unsubscribe, you will lose access to the member
directory and other featured areas on Yahoo! Groups.

If you cancel your membership with GISMO or GISMONYC, your email will be removed
from the Yahoo! Groups list.

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11. Questions?

Please refer any questions about the listserv or the Yahoo! Groups site to:

gismonyc-owner@yahoogroups.com