List Subscription & Problems

Learn how to use email lists, in general, and the GNLIB-L list at Topica in particular.

Please read these important bulletins!
  Temporarily Suspending Your Subscription! 
  Dealing with Flooding / "Vacation" messages. 

How Listservs / Email Discussion Groups work.
An email discussion group, or "listserv" (not "listserve") is always hosted on a special computer called a server.  This computer is dedicated to one task: the routing of email messages between members of the group.  When a member subscribes, or signs up, for a listserv, their name is added to a mailing list.  Then, each time someone posts a message to the group, the server forwards that message to each subscriber on the mailing list.  When you send an email to the "posting address" of the group, that message is, in turn, sent to everyone in the group, including yourself.  Often, subscribing or unsubscribing to a listserv is handled automatically by the server - no human will process your request.  You must send a message to a special email address to "turn on" your subscription.  To get off the list, you must send a message to the "turn off" address.  Sending a message to the "posting" address will do nothing other than route a copy of your request to everyone in the group, none of which are able to help you.  If you are lucky, however, the list administrator may be monitoring the messages on the day your request comes through.  He or she may take pity on you and turn off your account with their list.  More often, however, particularly with the server at Topica (where GNLIB-L is currently hosted), the list administrators and the list members in general will do nothing.  At Topica, the information to unsubscribe is included on every message routed through the server.  To get off the list, you have only to click the "Unsubscribe Me" link at the bottom of any GNLIB-L email message.

How GNLIB-L got started.
To learn more about the how's and why's of the Graphic Novels in Libraries discussion list and its support website, please view our Learn More page.

Who can subscribe to GNLIB-L?
Membership to the list is open to any professional in a book-related field who has an interest in the field of graphic novels in public and school libraries.  Currently the list's subscribers include public and school librarians (both titled and untitled), representatives from comic publishers, distributors, and wholesalers, elementary and secondary teachers and home school educators, representatives from library vendors and jobbers.  Members may subscribe with through their organization's email address or through a web-based email provider, such as Hotmail or Yahoo.

Can I Solicit on GNLIB-L?
Generally, no.  Topica, the host of the list, has specific rules about commercial solicitation.  Some non-profit activities are permissible.  If your activity is a) non-profit, b) library-related, c) graphic novel-related, please send information to the list's facilitator, Steve Miller at gnlib@alltel.net

Rules and Guidelines for using GNLIB-L.

How to subscribe to GNLIB-L.
To join the Graphic Novels in Libraries list, simply send a blank email message to gnlib-l-subscribe@topica.com.  The server will then add that email address to the mailing list.  You must send the subscription request message from the email address at which you wish to receive the GNLIB-L messages.

How to post a message to GNLIB-L.
Posting a message to the group is as simple as addressing an email message to gnlib-l@topica.com. When it receives the message, the server will check to see if you are a member of the group (e.g. you "signed up," or subscribed).  If so, then it will forward your message to every member of the list.

How to recognize a message from GNLIB-L.
When a message from the list arrives in your inbox, it will be prefaced with the code {GNLIB-L}.  This code was set up by the list-owner to help you identify the posts from this list from the other messages you receive throughout the day.  

How to reply to a message from GNLIB-L.
Responding to a message from the listserv is the virtually same as replying to any email message.  Select the email message you wish to reply to, and hit the "Reply" button in your email program.  Look at the TO: email address in your reply - if it does not say GNLIB-L@topica.com, then you must choose the "Reply-All" option in your particular email program.  When the TO: address is correct, you will notice that a "Re:" has been prefixed to the subject line.  You may then type your response to the message in the text-entry area.  NOTE:  It is considered courteous to include brief quotations from the original message, to help the recipients recall the flavor of the message you are replying to.  It is considered discourteous to "quote" the entire original message in your reply.  Being responsible with your quoting is not only polite, but will decrease the amount of space your message will take up on the recipients' computers.  This is a good thing.  When you are done replying, have modified the quotation, double checked that the subject line still applies to your message, and verified the TO: address, simply hit the "Send" button to relay that message to the listserv.

How to unsubscribe to GNLIB-L.
To leave the Graphic Novels in Libraries list, simply send a blank message to gnlib-l-unsubscribe@topica.com.  The server will then remove that email address from the mailing list.  You must send the un-subscribe request message from the email address that you wish to be removed from the list.

General Netiquette.
Netiquette is a contraction of "Network Etiquette."  These guidelines, from the "Emily Posts" of Cyberspace, are simple tips to improve your online communications.  It is strongly recommended you review these tips.

The Netiquette Homepage
The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette
Business Netiquette International

Why does it do that? - The Techie FAQ

• Why do the responses sometimes arrive in my inbox before the question?  The list server computer usually does a fair job of getting the messages out FIFO, First-In, First-Out.  Sometimes, because of delay in either the email network in general, or in the routing of messages on the server, you might begin receiving the answers to a question before the message containing the question itself arrives in your inbox.

• What's with all the "greater than" signs along the left side of the email? That indicates the portion of a Quote.  When the sender replied to a message, their email software (likely automatically) copied the entire original message into the reply.  This "quote-back" is usually indicated with a dashed line, or indented with the ">" character.  It is considered courteous to quote only the necessary parts of an original message in your reply.  Only include as much as you need to "jog" everyone's memory as to what you are replying to.  It is very discourteous to leave a long string of quotes from many repliers underneath a message from yourself.

• Hey!  My message came back to me!  Yes!  That's a good thing!  As a subscriber to the discussion list, so you are also on the "mailing list."  Any message you post to the group will also be forwarded back to you.  

• Hey!  My message didn't post to the group!  Are you a member of the group?  Did you post to the correct email address?  Did you actually hit the send button?  Many email groups only allow subscribers to post messages.  At Topica, if you are not signed up on the list, the list server will send you a "who are you?" message, offering you an opportunity to sign up.  To post a message to the list, follow the instructions above to get the correct "post to" email address.  Sometimes, people get distracted and either cancel or minimize a New Message window without actually sending it.  If the email was never sent, the server can't route it.

• I'm going on vacation.  Should I unsubscribe until I get back?  YES!  Please!  Every message routed through the server contains the lines "This message was sent to (email.)" and "To unsubscribe, click here."  To suspend your subscription, even if temporarily, please Unsubscribe.  When you return, Subscribe again.  This process is simply a matter of sending a message to an "unsubscribe" email address, then sending a message to a "subscribe" address.  See the top of this page for these specific addresses.  Refer to Vacation Suspending & Auto-Responders for things that can go wrong when people go on vacations.  Suspending your membership temporarily during vacation will not affect anything.  You will simply "miss out" on the messages that came in while you were gone.  These may be viewed at the Topica archive site, if you wish to get caught up.

Why is this FAQ so thorough?
We all have brain-fritzes from time to time and some individuals may be new-comers to computers, or to email, or to discussion groups.  This information is written so that the least inexperienced can easily benefit from the listserv.