Man & List Subscription Questions

[Martyn White]

>I'm going away for 3 weeks and don't want to clog up my mailbox so
>I'd like to change over to the digest mode or else unsubscribe for
>the time. However I can't find the file on how to do it. Help
>Please.
        Sure.  Have a good time.  Ben's words of wisdom are reproduced
below,  Martyn
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
... Please keep your hands inside the ride at all times ...

But, seriously, folks - the list will be moving some time within the next 24
hours. In support of that, I'm going to temporarily suspend all
subscriptions and removals so things can stabilize. All subscription status
changes will resume once the list is fully relocated.
   Included at the end of this message is the new "welcome" mail message.
Please read it and note especially all of the extra information about
controlling your subscription.

What this means to you
----------------------

1) The old <spcvxa.spc.edu> addresses will continue to work. You will be
able to send either to there or to the new list address:
        <boc-l at listserv.spc.edu>
[You could probably start doing so now, but please wait until you start
getting mail from the new list just to keep things somewhat sane.]

2) The new list is set to only allow postings from members. If you're
subscribed at an address that doesn't match your mailing address, you'll
need to multiply subscribe (see section below on "Multiple mail addresses").
You'll notice the first time you try to post something since it'll generate
a bounce. [Although I'm honestly not sure if I get the bounce or if you do.
:-)]

3) Everything else is pretty much described in the new welcome mail. If you
have any questions, please feel free to either send me mail at
<ben at st-canard.spc.edu> or <boc-request at listserv.spc.edu> or, if you think
it's a general enough question, post to the list.

4) I expect things will be a little hectic for a few days, so just hang in
there, please. The new world _is_ better once it's up and running. :-)

   YnSSHM,
   Ben

============== >8 ============== Cut Here ============== >8 ==============

Subject: Introduction to BOC-L (BOC/Hawkwind Discussion List)

Hello!

You have been signed onto BOC-L, the BOC/Hawkwind Discussion List.  Some
things you should be aware of:

1. This is a pretty tightly focused discussion group, we concentrate almost
exclusively on BOC and Hawkwind, with occasional excursions into "related"
music (such as The Brain Surgeons, Black Sabbath, etc.).

2. This can be a high volume group.  40-80 messages a day isn't unheard of.
(And, no, I'm not kidding about this...) [A digest option to reduce the
number of mail messages is available, although not the total size of the
daily mail drop. See "Additional Information" below.]

3. Most of the material is specific to one group or the other, so if you
only like one of the two bands, you may consider the rest of the articles
to be "noise".  Some people find it too much trouble to simply delete those
articles. [A topic-limiting option is available to pre-screen some of the
list mail, although this does require everyone honoring the topic
selections. See "Additional Information" below.]

4. The BOC-L archives are available for FTP from <ftp.spc.edu> in the
[.boc-l] directory. It's a VMS system, so the syntax for changing directory
is a bit different than what you might be used to. There is a readme in the
root directory which explains some of the differences, as well as the BOC FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions list) which answers some of the common BOC
questions.

5. Everyone is expected to behave themselves. If needed, I will step in to
reroute discussions which appear to have strayed from the path. Please don't
give me a hard time about things like this, as we try to stay on topic.

Please note that by continuing your subscription, you agree to abide by
whatever limitations/restrictions are described above or come about in the
process of being a list-member. If this bums you out, please unsubscribe
from the list now by sending a mail message to <listserv at listserv.spc.edu>
containing a message body of "UNSUBSCRIBE BOC-L".


Additional information
----------------------

1) Digests: You can switch to/from digest mode by sending mail to
<listserv at listserv.spc.edu> with a message body of:

        SET BOC-L DIGEST                To enable digest mode
        SET BOC-L NODIGEST              To disable digest mode

   Please note that enabling digest mode ignores any topic selections (see
below).

2) Topic selection: You can limit the mail you receive by selecting to view
only some of the "topics" which are discussed. Please understand that topics
are based solely on keywords contained in the mail Subject, so there's a
chance that things may either slip through or be excessively limited. You
can select/add/remove topics by sending mail to <listserv at listserv.spc.edu>
with a message body of:

        SET BOC-L TOPICS: BOC OTHER     Only see BOC and "other" Topics
        SET BOC-L TOPICS: +BRAIN +NIK   Add Brain Surgeons and NikWind Topics
        SET BOC-L TOPICS: -NIK          Remove NikWind Topics

   The current crop of topics which can be selected/specified are:

        BOC     Blue Oyster Cult-specific
        HW      Hawkwind-specific
        BRAIN   Brain Surgeons-specific
        NIK     NikWind-specific
        OTHER   Everything not specifically flagged as a topic
        ALL     Everything (This is the default topic filter)

   To categorize a mail message, you should put the topic keyword(s) in the
"Subject:" of the mail you send to the list. For example, to specify that a
mail message is pertinent to BOC and the Brain Surgeons, you could use:

        Subject: BOC,BRAIN: Will the original BOC ever get back together?

   As you can see, multiple topics can be specified on one subject line.

   Please note that topic selection will be ignored for digest mode.

3) Temporary absences: If you expect to be away for a while and would like
to temporarily stem the flood of mail you receive, you can turn on/off the
mail feed by sending mail to <listserv at listserv.spc.edu> with a message body
of:

        SET BOC-L NOMAIL                Stop receiving mail
        SET BOC-L MAIL                  Restart mail reception

4) Multiple mail addresses: If you happen to have multiple mail addresses,
you will NOT be able to post from any except the one with which you
subscribed. This also applies to anyone who receives mail through some other
form of mail exploder, such as a local bulletin board. If you wish to post
to the list, you will need to subscribe each address individually, and then
disable mail reception (see "Temporary absences" above) on all but your
preferred mail drop.

5) Further instructions about mailing list commands are available by sending
mail to <listserv at listserv.spc.edu> with a message body of:

        INFO REFCARD
        INFO GENINTRO


                                        Benjamin Cohen
                                        moderator, BOC-L
                                        <ben at st-canard.spc.edu>