I've had a couple of people tell me lately that they aren't getting the list mail. Upon further investigation, I've found them in a different mode than email mode. So it's probably time to explain to the reading audience how the various mail modes work on Google Groups. Some of it will apply to other lists on other servers (Yahoo and Rootsweb).
Google Groups has 4 modes of mail. If you have a Google account, you can pick and chose and switch between them. If you don't have a Google account, I have to change them for you. 1) No Mail Mode (Yahoo has this; Rootsweb does not): With this mode, you don't receive any messages, in any form, at all. This is a good mode for vacation time! Also, if you aren't actively researching, this may be the preferred mode. You can go out to the Web Board/Archive and read all the messages there, just like any other Web board or Forum. You may respond to messages that way as well. Just look for the topic or thread you are interested in and click on it and read all about it. (One reason why I ask for people to respond to the same thread and to stick to the topic of the thread). 2) Email mode (all list-servs have this): Each message is delivered within minutes of the author hitting send. It goes out to everyone on the list (who has a mode selected; it can't go out to No Mail Mode). It is also posted within minutes on the Web Board/Archive/Forum. The vast majority of people on this list (I'd guess about 85%) are on Email mode. It generates about 10-15 messages per day to your inbox. At times it can go as high as about 23 messages. (Another reason why I ask for people to stick to the topic that's in the subject. When the list gets busy, someone may be deleting all the posts about Sao Jorge island from their inbox because that is not their research interest, yet someone else started to talk about their ancestor from Sao Miguel instead and posted it to that thread. So it may get deleted in the volume of email because it looks like it belongs to the topic/thread of Sao Jorge). 3) Digest mode (I think all list-servs have this): If there were 12 messages that day, they are bundled together and delivered at some set time by the list-serv. So Digest mode people get only one message sent per day. Less volume in the inbox. However, most email programs copy the previous email sent and include it in the email. So with this mode, you can see the same message over and over. Your eyes need to be trained to look for the next topic. That's why I ask people to clip or cut out the previous message or just to leave the portion of the message that they are answering in the email. Also, answering from this mode requires the user to go out to the Web Board/Archive/Forum, I think. 4) Abridged mode (I think this is unique to Google Groups): If there were 12 messages that day, they are bundled together too and delivered at some pre-set time. But, instead of the entire message in the email, only the first few lines appear in each message with a blue hyperlink that takes you out to the Web Board/Archive/Forum to read the rest of the message. Dick Eastman's Newsletter is similar to this format. So the reader decides after a few lines if that topic is of interest and can read more about it, if not, on to the next email. Hope this explains the modes better! Cheri Mello Listowner, Azores-Gen Researching: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership."
