GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING

How do I subscribe to Arooooo!?

Send an e-mail message to Mimi, our List Mom, expressing your interest in Arooooo! and telling her about yourself and your beagle(s) in two or three (or more) paragraphs, to serve as your introduction to the other subscribers when you're subscribed to the list. Tell us, if you would, how you heard of Arooooo! Please don't attach photos of your beagles to your e-mail message. You'll be able to add pictures of your beagles to our Web site after you're subscribed.

Note: You can't subscribe yourself to Arooooo!

Because the size of the list is limited, we may not be able to subscribe you right away. We apologize for that, but we want to keep the list small and intimate and the number of posts manageable.

How do I unsubscribe from Arooooo!?

Send an e-mail message to listserv@milepost1.com with nothing in the subject line and the following words in the body of the message—

You have to send this (and all other server commands) from your subscribed address.

Please, if you're unsubscribing, for whatever reason, drop a note to Mimi and tell her that you are and why. List Moms worry a lot. Thanks!

I'm going on vacation. How do I temporarily suspend Arooooo! mail?

Set your subscription to nomail mode. Send an e-mail message to listserv@milepost1.com with nothing in the subject line and the following words in the body of the message—

You have to send this (and all other server commands) from your subscribed address.

I'm back from vacation. How do I get my Arooooo! mail again?

Set your subscription to mail mode. Send an e-mail message to listserv@milepost1.com with nothing in the subject line and the following words in the body of the message—

You have to send this (and all other server commands) from your subscribed address.

How do I switch to the digest version of Arooooo!?

Send an e-mail message from your subscribed address to listserv@milepost1.com with nothing in the subject line and the following message:

Note: You can't use this command unless you're already subscribed.

How do I switch from the digest back to the regular Arooooo!?

Send an e-mail message from your subscribed address to listserv@milepost1.com with nothing in the subject line and the following message:

Note: You can't use this command unless you're already subscribed.

How do I change my subscribed address?

Send an e-mail message to Mimi with both your old and your new address.

What else can I ask the server to do?

You can send an e-mail message to listserv@milepost1.com with one of these commands:

You have to send these (and all other server commands) from your subscribed address.

What's the address for posting to the list?

We'll tell you that when you're subscribed.

Can people who aren't subscribed post to Aroooo!?

Nope. Spam is harmful to beagles and other living things, so the list will accept no posts from non-subscribers—and subscribers have to post from the address from which they subscribed. (If you want to change your subscribed address, or if you want to subscribe a second address so that you can post from home and work, write to Mimi.)

What if I'm not subscribed, but I have a really important announcement, like a beagle who needs rescuing?

Just send it to Mimi, who'll post it to Arooooo! if it's appropriate.

Can I cross-post an important message to other mailing lists and/or other people?

If you cross-post a message and then a recipient of that message uses the "Reply to All" function in his or her e-mail software, that response will be sent to Arooooo! Since only subscribers can post to Arooooo!, that message—perhaps many messages if you cross-post to a mailing list—will bounce. Please—don't cross-post.

It's perfectly okay to send a message to Arooooo! and to other mailing lists or individuals, but do so as separate posts, not as a cross-posted message. And thanks!

HOW TO BEHAVE LIKE A BEAGLE

What can I talk about on Arooooo!?

Anything.

Well, almost anything. Please don't forward spam and/or chain letters to Arooooo! Why? Because these are colossal wastes of Internet resources—bandwidth—and enough of them can exceed the capacity of someone's mailbox or bring down a mail server.

What can't I talk about on Arooooo!?

Nothing.

Well, almost nothing. See above.

Can I post off-topic?

Sure.

What constitutes beagle-approved behavior on Arooooo!?

First, please don’t attempt to send attached files to Arooooo! If you want to share a photograph, a sound file, a document, or an application, send it to individual list members only or upload it to the Web and post the URL. Why? Because sending out files to 50 or 60 people puts a strain on our server and because some of the intended recipients might not want the file you're sending, especially if it's a file created in a program or in an operating system they don't have. And because there are too many viruses floating around as attached files. As a matter of fact, because of the threat of malicious code, the server will now reject posts with attached files and return them with a reminder that files may not be sent to the list.

Second, please don’t send messages to the list using formatted text. With some mail readers, formatted text turns into what looks like HTML code, making your post all but impossible to read.

Third, please trim the messages you’re responding to. All we need is a reminder of the prior message(s).

What if someone on the list starts harassing me?

It's not likely to happen, but, if it does, deal with it. Do as your beagle would do—growl back. Somebody's grandfather once remarked that, if two people always agree, one of them probably isn't necessary.

Please do not block posts from other members of the list. Arooooo! is not just a list, it's a community—and if someone absents him- or herself from the community, and turns his or her back on some of its members altogether, he or she doesn't belong on the list. In addition, some mechanisms for blocking individual list members result in bounce messages to Mimi, who will take remedial action if the situation isn't quickly resolved.

What if I say something I later regret?

Assume a submissive posture, perhaps pee, and then get on with your life.

What if I want to be alpha?

Someone is likely to challenge you. Do you really want to get humped?

What if I really love this list?

Say so and watch Mimi wag her tail.

What else should I know?

If in doubt, eat something.