SCREEN-L's "Frequently Asked Questions" (and their answers) is
posted once a month. The subject heading on this message will
always be "SCREEN-L's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)," so hardy
veterans will be able to scotch it with little muss or fuss.
Comments: SCREEN-L's coordinator, Jeremy Butler,
[log in to unmask] (UA1VM = "ewe-ay-ONE-vee-em").
To receive a copy of the latest version of this FAQ, e-mail
[log in to unmask] and put GET SCREEN-L FAQ in the message. A
World Wide Web version of the FAQ is also available on SCREENsite:
http://www.sa.ua.edu/tcf/res/listserv/slfaq.htm
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1. What's the deal with messages on SCREEN-L?
1.1. What is SCREEN-L's founding principle?
1.2. Are there other film/TV discussion groups that are less
"academic" than SCREEN-L?
1.3. Are there guidelines or limits to the discussions on
SCREEN-L?
1.4. How do I send a message to all the SCREEN-L
subscribers?
1.5. How do I reply to a message I receive from SCREEN-L?
1.6. What format should messages to SCREEN-L use?
1.7. What sorts of messages are inappropriate for SCREEN-L?
2. How do I control my SCREEN-L subscription?
2.1 How do I leave SCREEN-L?
2.2 Are there modifications I can make to my subscription
besides just signing off?
2.2.1. What subscription options can I set?
2.2.2. Can I suspend mail temporarily?
2.2.3. Can I get a bundled "digest" of SCREEN-L messages?
2.2.4. How can I get more information about the persons
posting SCREEN-L messages?
2.2.5. How can I get an acknowledgment of messages I post
to SCREEN-L?
2.2.6. Why aren't my own SCREEN-L messages sent back to
me when they're posted?
2.2.7. How can I find out who is subscribed to SCREEN-L?
2.2.8. Can I conceal the fact that I am subscribed to
SCREEN-L?
3. How else can I get to SCREEN-L messages (old and new)
besides having them individually mailed to me?
3.1. How can I read current SCREEN-L messages without them
filling up my e-mailbox?
3.2. How can I retrieve old SCREEN-L messages?
3.2.1. What is the difficult way to retrieve those
messages?
3.2.2. What is the easy way to retrieve those messages?
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1. What's the deal with messages on SCREEN-L?
1.1. What is SCREEN-L's founding principle?
SCREEN-L is designed for persons teaching, researching, and
making film and television--whether they are film/TV educators,
students, professionals, media librarians, or self-schooled fans.
Discussion, therefore, is invited regarding film/TV criticism,
theory, history, production issues, and teaching.
1.2. Are there other film/TV discussion groups that are less
"academic" than SCREEN-L?
CINEMA-L, a lively list also devoted to film, provides an
entertaining forum for folks wanting to chat more informally
about the movies. Its address is [log in to unmask]
There are other film and TV lists available as well. E-mail
Jeremy Butler ([log in to unmask]) for more details. Or, if
you have access to the World Wide Web, check out these two URL's
for lists of film/TV lists:
Guide to Film and Video Resources on the Internet:
http://http2.sils.umich.edu/Public/fvl/film.html
Jeremy Butler's short list of film/TV discussion groups:
http://ua1vm.ua.edu/~jbutler/screen-l.filmlist
1.3. Are there guidelines or limits to the discussions on
SCREEN-L?
SCREEN-L is a *moderated* list. This means that all messages are
read by a moderator before they are passed along to the list. He
filters out messages that are inappropriate. The moderator is
Jeremy Butler ([log in to unmask]).
1.4. How do I send a message to all the SCREEN-L subscribers?
In order to "post" a message to SCREEN-L, simply send e-mail to
[log in to unmask] You will first receive an acknowledgment
of your message and then, when/if your message is forwarded by
the moderator to SCREEN-L's subscribers, you will receive a
second note informing you that it has been posted.
1.5. How do I reply to a message I receive from SCREEN-L?
All SCREEN-L messages have a special mail code (REPLY-TO)
attached to them so that replies automatically go back to SCREEN-L
and *not* to the human who originally posted the message.
Warning: this makes it easy to reply to SCREEN-L messages, but
it also makes it very simple to mistakenly send personal, private
messages to SCREEN-L that you intended to send the human posting
the message. If you want to send a private message, use your
mail system's FORWARD function or address a new message from
scratch.
1.6. What format should messages to SCREEN-L use?
While there's no strict format to SCREEN-L messages, it is always
a good idea to:
1. Sign your message with something more human sounding than
your e-mail address (e.g., Jeremy Butler rather than
[log in to unmask]). Identities are not always clear
from the headers sent with e-mail messages.
2. Include a descriptive "subject" heading. Most e-mail
systems and SCREEN-L's "digest" (see below) use subject
lines in their listing of messages. A descriptive subject
line increases the probability that SCREEN-L subscribers
will actually read your message.
1.7. What sorts of messages are inappropriate for SCREEN-L?
1. *Personal* attacks on individuals.
Healthy disagreement and differing opinions are welcome,
but when that disagreement turns into venomous insults and
hateful verbal assaults it will not be tolerated.
2. Comments that have absolutely, totally, fundamentally
*nothing* to do with the study of film or television.
SCREEN-L messages should somehow relate to the *study* of
film and TV, not just the casual enjoyment of these media.
This is interpreted rather broadly. Postings to SCREEN-L
need not be dry, didactic treatises from which all joy has
been crushed. But also, they should not noodle on about,
say, the poster's penchant for full-lipped actors.
3. Personal notes to individual SCREEN-L subscribers.
4. Posts that duplicate information that has already appeared
on SCREEN-L.
If someone asks what "rosebud" was in CITIZEN KANE, only
*one* reply will be distributed.
5. Messages that quote many lines from a previous SCREEN-L
message and then add a short comment (e.g., "I agree!").
6. Discussion about SCREEN-L itself. There are exceptions to
this--such as when new SCREEN-L policies are being
debated. But, in general, comments about the list should
be directed to its moderator rather than to the group as a
whole.
7. Requests for jobs in film/video production. Very few
persons who do the hiring for film/video jobs read
SCREEN-L. There are better, more professionally oriented
forums for this sort of post.
8. Inordinately long posts--say, over 200 lines.
SCREEN-L is designed for the interchange of messages.
Longer essays, however, may be stored in SCREEN-L's
archive (called SCREEN-L FILELIST) so that SCREEN-L users
may request them. For more information, contact Jeremy
Butler ([log in to unmask]).
2. How do I control my SCREEN-L subscription?
2.1 How do I leave SCREEN-L?
Subscribers may leave SCREEN-L by sending e-mail with the command
UNSUBSCRIBE SCREEN-L
or
SIGNOFF SCREEN-L
to [log in to unmask] Please please please send this command
to "LISTSERV" not to "SCREEN-L." LISTSERV is the clerical robot
(a piece of software residing on the University of Alabama's
mainframe computer) that automatically controls SCREEN-L and all
its subscriptions. Its address, not [log in to unmask],
should be used to sign off or otherwise modify your subscription.
Important technical note: Using the REPLY function on your e-mail
system will *not* work when trying to sign off. If you
REPLY to a SCREEN-L message then your message will go to
[log in to unmask]
If you have trouble signing off, notify Jeremy Butler
([log in to unmask]).
2.2 Are there modifications I can make to my subscription
besides just signing off?
There are a number of things you can do to modify how your
subscription to SCREEN-L is handled. In LISTSERV terms, you can
"set" several options that will modify how SCREEN-L mail is sent
(or not sent) to you.
Here's the basic method: send mail to [log in to unmask]
Once again, note that the address is not "SCREEN-L," but rather
"LISTSERV," SCREEN-L's clerical robot. After the header, put in
the command:
SET SCREEN-L option
"Option" is the thing you want to modify for your own personal
subscription to SCREEN-L.
2.2.1 What subscription options can I set?
NOMAIL
DIGEST
INDEX
DUAL
ACK
REPRO
CONCEAL
Descriptions follow...
2.2.2 Can I suspend mail temporarily?
NOMAIL turns off your mail delivery but keeps your name on
SCREEN-L. Thus, to suspend mail delivery:
SET SCREEN-L NOMAIL
To restart delivery:
SET SCREEN-L MAIL
2.2.3 Can I get a bundled "digest" of SCREEN-L messages?
Every day SCREEN-L collects all of the day's messages and
packages them into a single file called a "digest." The digest
has an index at the start that contains the messages' subject
headings. Following the index is each of the day's messages--in
chronological order, separated by a line of hyphens, and
identifying each poster with his/her real name and e-mail
address.
To receive the daily digest of messages:
SET SCREEN-L DIGEST
To receive the index that is packaged with the digest but not the
messages themselves:
SET SCREEN-L INDEX
Since SCREEN-L is archived, you can order specific messages that
you see listed in an index.
If your account is set to DIGEST or INDEX you will not receive
individual messages as they are sent by SCREEN-L. To quit
receiving digests/indexes and go back to getting messages one at
a time:
SET SCREEN-L MAIL
2.2.4. How can I get more information about the persons posting
SCREEN-L messages?
In some mail systems it is difficult to tell the original source
of mail that was bounced off a LISTSERV like SCREEN-L. You can,
however, have SCREEN-L put this information into the body of the
message itself (as opposed to it being solely in the header).
This is called a "dual header." To receive dual headers:
SET SCREEN-L DUAL
To get rid of the dual header:
SET SCREEN-L SHORTHDR
If this does not work, try:
SET SCREEN-L SHORTBSMTP
2.2.5. How can I get an acknowledgment of messages I post to
SCREEN-L?
Normally, SCREEN-L acknowledges receipt of all messages. That
is, when you post a message, SCREEN-L will send you e-mail back
saying all's fine. You can, however, turn this off.
To stop acknowledgments:
SET SCREEN-L NOACK
To turn them back on again:
SET SCREEN-L ACK
2.2.6. Why aren't my own SCREEN-L messages sent back to me when
they're posted?
SCREEN-L knows who the poster of a message is and does not send a
copy of his/her message to him/her. But then, if you're worried
about getting through to SCREEN-L you might want copies of your
messages sent to you just to be sure they made it.
To start your messages being sent to you:
SET SCREEN-L REPRO
To stop your messages being sent to you:
SET SCREEN-L NOREPRO
2.2.7. How can I find out who is subscribed to SCREEN-L?
E-mail [log in to unmask] and put the following the first line
of the message:
REVIEW SCREEN-L
2.2.8. Can I conceal the fact that I am subscribed to SCREEN-L?
To hide your address from someone doing a REVIEW of SCREEN-L:
SET SCREEN-L CONCEAL
To unhide it:
SET SCREEN-L UNCONCEAL
3. How else can I get to SCREEN-L messages (old and new) besides
having them individually mailed to me?
3.1. How can I read current SCREEN-L messages without them
filling up my e-mailbox?
Every message that is e-mailed out to SCREEN-L subscribers is
also posted in a Usenet newsgroup named bit.listserv.screen-l.
(Most commercial information services such as America Online and
Prodigy and most universities provide access to Usenet.)
3.2. How can I retrieve old SCREEN-L messages?
Every message posted on SCREEN-L is saved in an archive called
SCREEN-L FILELIST. This archive may be searched and individual
messages may be retrieved.
3.2.1. What is the difficult way to retrieve those messages?
Using an arcane programming language, you send a series of
commands to [log in to unmask] If it likes your syntax,
LISTSERV will interpret the commands and send you the messages
via e-mail. (If you want more details on The Difficult Way,
contact Jeremy Butler: [log in to unmask])
3.2.2. What is the easy way to retrieve those messages?
If you have a World Wide Web browser or Gopher client, you may
use it to connect to the Gopher server at UA1VM.UA.EDU. Once
connected, you choose the "Local UA1VM Listserv Archives" option
and then "SCREEN-L archives." At that point, you may browse
through the SCREEN-L archives chronologically. The messages are
bundled by weeks in files identified thus:
SCREEN-L archives for 9407A
which would translate as "all SCREEN-L messages for the first
week of July 1994" -- "9407" being computer talk for the seventh
month of 1994, and "A" indicating the first week of that month.
("B" is the second week, "C" the third, and so on.)
A World Wide Web browser--such as Netscape or Mosaic--can also
connect you with this gopher site. The site's URL is:
gopher://UA1VM.ua.edu
Or, to go directly to the LISTSERV archives, use this URL:
gopher://UA1VM.ua.edu:70/11//Local%20UA1VM%20Listserv%20Archives
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To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L
in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]