If you have never participated in an e-mail discussion list before, you should read this page
carefully. It explains in detail what a mailing list is, how RV-Talk
works and specific RV-Talk rules. It is your responsibility to
know how the list works, including how to subscribe, unsubscribe RV-Talk,
get help, switch to digest and other list operations. Besides reading this
FAQ, you should read the special RV-Talk netiquette page.
In addition to this FAQ, you should read the RV-T Help File, which
can be obtained by sending an e-mail to <lists@lists.pointinspace.com> and writing the word "help RV-Talk" in the body of the message.
If after reading this FAQ you still have questions, you can direct
them to list manager Howard Owens.
Q. What is an Internet Mailing List?
A. A mailing list on the Internet is very different from the kind
of mailing list you normally associate with postal junk mail. A
mailing list on the Internet is a good thing. It's an easy way
to meet other people who share your interest and exchange information,
ideas and advice.
Q. What do I need to know to participate in RV-Talk?
A. Participating in an Internet mailing list is pretty easy. All
you need to know is how your e-mail software works. You need to
know how to send an e-mail message. How to download your e-mail.
How to reply to an e-mail message. How to make sure you are sending
a message to the proper e-mail address. It also helps if you know
a little bit about Netiquette.
Q. How does the RV-Talk work?
A. The operation of RV-Talk is entirely automated. When you subscribe
(the technical term for joining the list), you address is added
to a database of other list subscribers. The next time a subscriber
sends a message to the list, the computer that runs the list,
checks the message, makes sure it is intended for the list, and
then e-mails it to everybody in the subscriber database.
Q. How does the computer know what messages are supposed to go to
the list?
A. There are three kinds of e-mail messages the list server (the
computer and software that runs the list) is concern about: 1)
Posts. Posts are messages sent by list members and are intended
for bulk distribution; 2) Commands or Requests. Commands (also
called requests) are messages sent by a person to the list server
asking the list server to complete some action, such as add that
person's e-mail address to its database; 3) Errors. Error messages
are those that don't fit into either of the first two categories.
For example, if you send a command to the wrong list server address.
RV-Talk's list server keeps all of this straight in part because
it operates off of two e-mail addresses. One <lists@lists.pointinspace.com>is
where you send your commands and requests, such as "subscribe,"
and the other <rv-talk@rvclub.com>is where list members post their
messages to each other.
An important point to remember is that RV-Talk is entirely automated,
so you need to send the proper commands and requests to the proper
address <lists@lists.pointinspace.com>and format them exactly as the instructions for the list indicate.
Q. Am I going to get a bunch of junk mail now that I've subscribed
to RV-Talk?
A. No. The mail you get will come from other list subscribers (anywhere
from 100 to 200 messages per day) as they discuss ideas, experiences
and events related to RVing. Later, The RV Club may establish
a weekly mailing that contains some sponsored information related
to RVing, but the RVClub is committed to keeping "junk mail" off
of RV-Talk. The RVClub also will not send you any mail that you
do not specifically authorize.
Q. I don't have time to read 200 e-mail messages per day, what should
I do?
A. You have several options. You can unsubscribe RV-Talk from the list;
you can use your e-mail software's filtering feature to filter
out topics that don't interest you; you can simply delete messages
that you don't think will interest you (you will know what to
delete based on the subject headings); or, you can subscribe to
the digest version of RV-Talk.
Q. What is the "digest version" of RV-Talk?
A. A mailing list digest is a condensed version of the list. Each morning, RV-Talk gather's up all of the e-mail messages for
the previous few hours and puts them into a single file. That
file is then e-mailed to all list members who are on the digest
version of the list. Regular list members do not get the digest
file.
Q. How do I get the digest version of RV-Talk?
A. If you are already a subscriber, send an e-mail message to <lists@lists.pointinspace.com>.
Write "subscribe digest RV-Talk" in the body of the message (no other words,
no quote marks, spelling counts). You will automatically be unsubscribe RV-Talkd
from the regular version of RV-Talk and subscribed to the digest
version.
Q. I am getting the digest fine. I see a message I want to respond
to. How do I do it?
A. How you actually do it will depend on your e-mail software. In
most cases, you will use the reply function. After you hit reply,
you correct the subject heading to reflect the subject of the
message you are responding to. Then you delete all of the material
that is not related to your response, which means most of the
digest. You then send your message to <rv-talk@rvclub.com>.
If you have one of the newer e-mail programs, you may be able to set it to receieve the digest as an attached file, which then separates the digest back into individual messages. This makes them easier to read and respond to. Consult your e-mail software's manual for instructions on how to do this.
Q. How do I unsubscribe RV-Talk from the list, if I ever want to?
A. Send a message to <lists@lists.pointinspace.com>. Write "unsubscribe RV-Talk" in the body of the message (no other words,
no quote marks, spelling counts).
Q. How do I stop RV-Talk while I'm on vacation or otherwise know
I'm going to be away from my computer for a while?
A. RV-Talk doesn't have a vacation hold function like some lists.
What you should do is unsubscribe RV-Talk to the list and then resubscribe
when you return.
Q. I've just read a great message from somebody on the list. How
to I send a message to the entire list so that I can share my
thoughts on this same topic?
A. Simply hit "reply" on your e-mail software. The posting address
for RV-Talk <rv-talk@rvclub.com>should automatically appear in
the "to" field of your mail message. Double check it and insert
it if it doesn't. Also double check the subject line. If you are
keeping your message confined to the same topic, don't change
the subject line. This will help others who share your interests
in this topic to recognize it as a message they want to read.
Q. Somebody wrote something I want to respond to privately. How
do I do that?
A. Hit reply and then remove the RV-Talk e-mail address. Find the
person's address in the message you are responding to and then
cut and paste it into the "to" field of your e-mail software.
After you type your reply, hit send.
Q. Should I "reply to all" or CC the original sender of a message?
A. Generally, no. If you have a message for the list, send it to
the list address <rv-talk@rvclub.com> only. If you want to send
a private message, send it only to the person you wish to write
to. This will cut down on e-mail traffic on the Internet and help
prevent e-mail clutter in some people's in-boxes.
Q. Suddenly I've stopped getting RV-Talk mail. Why?
A. There are many reasons the mail could stop. One is, the list
server went down. Computers crash all of the time. It takes real
people to notice problems and then fix them. Sometimes fixing
a mail server or list server is as easy as restarting it. Other
times, the problems are complex and require extra time and effort.
Be assured, when RV-Talk goes off the air, The RV Club staff is
going to do everything within its power to get it up and running
again as quickly as possible.
Another possible explanation for mail stopping is that you've
been unsubscribe RV-Talkd for some reason. If the list server received
a large number of bounce messages (e-mail that has been rejected)
from your account in a short period of time, your address will
be automatically removed from the list database.
It is also possible that some unknown glitch has developed between
the list server and your e-mail account. These problems usually
clear themselves up quickly.
Q. In what ways can I mention my business on RV-Talk?
A. You can respond in a very brief manner to specific question in
which you have expertise. You should try to avoid using your product
or business name in the body of your message. However, your business
name, product name, business address, business e-mail address,
business Web site URL and business phone number can all be contained
in your signature file.
To help clarify the issue, here are some specific rules:
- Only mention your own business in the context of an existing thread.
You cannot start a new thread and mention your business.
- Your business must be RV related.
- You cannot mention prices or ordering information in your post.
- You cannot include ordering information, such as a phone number
or URL in the body of the message.
- Do not go overboard with your sales pitch. Keep it simple, honest
and short.
- You can, and should, invite list members to write to you privately
for more information.
Q. What is a signature file?
A. A signature file is a file that your e-mail software automatically
appends to every message you send out. If you haven't created
one yet, you should (if your software offers that option). Ideally,
your signature file identifies you, contains your e-mail address
and your Web site URL, if you have one.
Q. I have a private RV-related page. Can I post the URL?
A. Yes. Please do. We would all like to see it, just make sure your
page isn't a thinly disguised commercial pitch.
Q. Can I post personal political opinions, thoughts on current events
or make posts on other issues not related to RVs?
A. No.
Q. What about the First Amendment? Don't I have a right to speak
out when and where I want.
A. There is no shortage of free speech on the Internet. But there
is a time and a place for everything. RV-Talk is not the place
for politics. RV-Talk is the place to come and discuss RVs and
RVing. That's it. And please don't try to disguise your political
opinion as an RV discussion. If you could express the same opinions
and omit every mention of RVing, chances are your discussion of
is off topic.
A rule of thumb: If your posts involved knocking or praising the
president, congress, liberals, conservatives, Republicans or Democrats,
your post is probably political.
Another rule of thumb: If a reasonable person can read your post
and discern from it whether you are a liberal or a conservative,
it is probably political.
Please confine your comments to RVing issues. Any issue that impacts
RVers, including those that involve government agencies and government
actions, can be discussed without bringing politics into the the
thread.
The reason we ban political discussions is that political posts
too often lead to flame wars. Arguments over politics drive people
from the list. While list members might argue just as vehemently
over how to winterize a rig, such arguements never cause masses
of people to unsubscribe RV-Talk the way a political arguement can.
We have also asked list members to no longer bring up issues related to guns. This issue always seems to lead to a flame war. The Club does have a firearms forum in its members' only area.
Q. I paid my RVClub.com membership dues and then got banned from RV-Talk. Can I get a refund.?
A. No. RV-Talk is free. You did not pay to subscribe to RV-T, so as a general rule of thumb, you're not really entitled to a refund. RVClub.com offers a lot to its members beyond RV-T.
Q. A friend sent me an e-mail about a virus, should I distribute the warning to the list?
A. No. Under no circumstances should you send virus warnings to the list. Before you forward any warning to anybody, you should do your research. Most such warnings (99.9 percent) are false. For more on virus hoaxes and urban legends, please consult these pages:
Q. If something is posted to RV-Talk that I find is out-of-bounds
for some reason, what should I do?
A. Bring your complaint to list manager Howard Owens. Do not post
your complaint to the list. Posting complaints to the list only
increases the noise on the list and keeps it off topic. Please
keep your complaints private by sending them directly to Howard Owens.
