Subject: online-news monthly note -- June 1996 From: outings@netcom.com Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 09:23:05 -0700
How the Web Was Won
Subject: online-news monthly note -- June 1996
From: outings@netcom.com
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 09:23:05 -0700
(I'm having mail problems; my apologies in the unlikely event you received
this twice.)
Monthly note -- online-news mailing list -- June 1996
- -----------------------------------------------------
This monthly note to online-news subscribers is meant as an introduction to
new subscribers, a reminder for old-timers, a statement of list policies, and
an update of list administrivia and news about the list and its participants.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The online-news list is made possible by:
* NETSCAPE COMMUNICATIONS - Click now - Our Free Server Upgrades Disappear
June 30. Netscape FastTrack Server. http://info.netscape.com/soln14_e
* INTERACTIVE PUBLISHING ALERT - Get the scoop on the latest trends in online
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* THE POSTMASTER - Announce Your URL Everywhere!
http://www.netcreations.com/postmaster/
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NEWS
- ----
** online-news "pledge drive" under way - Can you help? **
Operation of this list is supported partly by sponsors. However, I would
like to improve the functionality of online-news and upgrade to new list
software. (This will improve things such as blocking out spams to the list,
added functionality with new goodies like a vacation feature, and overall,
just better list administration. The software I currently use, Majordomo,
is proving inadequate and has been causing problems lately.) But commercial
list manager software is expensive, so I'm asking list subscribers to
*voluntarily* donate a $25 annual fee in order to fund this expense.
This "pledge drive" is designed to improve the online-news list and make
it more useful to you, while still keeping the list free to anyone who
wants to participate. If you find the online-news list valuable, I hope you
can contribute $25 for its upkeep and improvement.
Please send checks payable to Steve Outing/Planetary News to:
Steve Outing
Planetary News
1067 Marble Court
Boulder, CO 80303 USA
Alternatively, credit card payments (Visa, MasterCard and American Express)
can be accepted. Please send name as it appears on card, card number,
expiration date, and amount to be charged.
Thanks to those who already have sent in contributions!
** Having trouble posting? **
As an anti-spam measure, I've configured the list so that only subscribers
can post messages; messages sent from others will be intercepted by the
list software. Unfortunately, this means that some legitimate subscribers
will have trouble posting to the list, if the address they are using to
send a message to online-news is different from the one they subscribed
with. (This can happen if the address you are currently using is an alias
to the one you subscribed with.)
If you have trouble posting to the list for this reason, you'll need to
unsubscribe from your old address and resubscribe with the new one.
Instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing are further down in this
note.
** Additional sponsorship opportunities **
If your company could benefit from exposure to the 1,500 members of
online-news, please contact Steve Outing at steve@planetarynews.com (or
303-543-7810) about additional sponsorship opportunities. Information about
your company will be visible by the 1,500 members of this list -- many of
whom are decision-makers in the emerging online/Internet/new media industry
- -- who will be grateful for your company's financial support in making this
important industry resource freely available.
** You don't have to receive email to read online-news **
The online-news list can be read via the World Wide Web. Point a
Web browser at http://www.social.com/social/hypermail/news/index.html and
you'll find a hypermail archive of recent list discussions. This is a great
way to participate in the list without your email box filling up. Web users
can also post new threads and reply to posts from within the online-news Web
pages. The Web service was created by Guided Tour Software in collaboration
with Planetary News LLC (list owner Steve Outing's consulting company). Check
it out!
EVERYTHING YOUR EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ONLINE-NEWS
- -----------------------------------------------------
1. About online-news
- --------------------
Online-news is a public list dealing primarily with the transition of
traditional news media into the online world. While we primarily focus on print
media activity in cyberspace, overall "new media" is fair game. If this is not
what you expected, now is the time to change planes!
Online-news is NOT a general journalism discussion list. Nor is it a place to
disseminate general-interest news tips to journalists.
2. How to send messages to online-news
- --------------------------------------
Send to online-news@marketplace.com ; this will send your message to all list
subscribers around the world.
3. When you have trouble
- ------------------------
First, contact your local site administrator, who should be able to help you.
If that fails, then contact the list owner, Steve Outing, at
steve@planetarynews.com (or owner-online-news@planetarynews.com).
4. How to unsubscribe
- ---------------------
If you ever want to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to
majordomo@marketplace.com and type "unsubscribe online-news" in the body of
the message.
5. How to subscribe
- -------------------
If you unsubscribe and later want to sign up again, send a message to
majordomo@marketplace.com and type "subscribe online-news" in the body of
the message.
6. How to stop mail when on vacation
- ------------------------------------
Sorry, online-news does not currently have a "no-mail" or "vacation" feature.
To stop mail temporarily, simply unsubscribe from the list (see item #4) and
resubscribe when you return (item #5). We hope to add a no-mail feature at
some point in the future.
7. Can I read this list in digest format?
- -----------------------------------------
Yes. To get online-news messages in digest form, you will need to subscribe
to a separate list, online-news-digest. Send a message to
majordomo@marketplace.com and type "subscribe online-news-digest" in the body
of the message. If you already are subscribed to online-news (non-digest list),
then you also must unsubscribe from that list (item #4).
Digests typically are delivered 1-3 times a day, depending on list traffic.
A typical digest will have 15-20 messages compiled into 1 email message.
8. How can I find archives of list discussion?
- ----------------------------------------------
#1 -- Point a Web browser at the online-news hypermail archive --
http://www.social.com/social/hypermail/news/index.html -- where a limited
archive of list messages is stored.
#2 -- All messages posted to online-news are stored on marketplace.com and can
be retrieved with an email command. Messages are grouped into month files
named like this:
online-news.9507 = archive file for July 1995
online-news.9508 = archive file for August 1995
To retrieve one of these files, send a message to majordomo@marketplace.com
and include the following command in the body of the message:
get online-news
For example, to get the July 1995 archive, tell majordomo to "get online-news
online-news.9507"
Warning: These monthly archive files are large -- 2-3 megs, typically.
9. How to get a list of subscribers
- -----------------------------------
Send this command to majordomo@marketplace.com (type in body of message):
who online-news
(Only list members can get a subscriber list.)
10. How to get files attached to the online-news list
- -----------------------------------------------------
To get a list of files attached to this list, send a message to
majordomo@marketplace.com and type "index online-news" in the body. You will
be returned an email message with the names of downloadable files in the
online-news file storage area.
To retrieve a file, tell majordomo to "get "
11. This is an unmoderated list
- -------------------------------
Messages sent to online-news@marketplace.com do not go through a human editor.
The list software automatically disseminates your message to all list
subscribers throughout the world.
12. List netiquette
- -------------------
Because this is an unmoderated list, you are responsible for what you post to
the list. Please take care in choosing your words, keeping in mind that you
are sending your thoughts to thousands of people -- many of them colleagues
in your profession. Here are some guidelines:
* Please keep flames off the list; send them privately, if you must.
* If you are quoting someone else's words, credit them. But please be careful
to make sure you are attributing excerpts of a message to the correct person.
A frequent error is for a previous message to be attributed to someone else
who contributed to the thread earlier.
* Keep your messages short to conserve bandwidth. (They're more likely to be
read by other list subscribers if you do.)
* Don't quote an entire message, only to add a "Me too!" note on the end. The
best technique is to quote only small portions of messages you are responding
to -- just enough to make the context of your reply understood.
* Stay on the topic. This is the most important rule of netiquette for this
list. General journalism topics and messages unrelated to online publishing
are not fair game. The list will be most useful to you as a resource if
everyone sticks to the agreed-upon topic.
* Use a descriptive subject line. Many people decide whether they want
to read a message based on the content of the subject line.
* If a thread changes topic mid-stream, change the subject line to fit the
new topic. (e.g., "Re: Delphi and MCI (was Re: Murdoch rumor)")
* Sign all your messages. You are more likely to get people to listen to your
message if they can associate a name with the words. Many return email
addresses do not indicate who you are (e.g., 71112@compuserve.com), so please
remember to sign your name -- and, preferably, professional affiliation --
at the end of your message.
* Be tolerant of newcomers who make mistakes. We were all new to this medium
once.
* Remember, there are real people at the other end of this mailing list. Please
be respectful in your public communications with the members of this list.
13. Respect copyright
- ---------------------
Please do not distribute copyrighted information to the online-news list.
Sending the full text of a New York Times article about online newspapers,
for example, is not acceptable and is a violation of the Times' copyright. It
is acceptable to send excerpts of that article to the list, under "fair use."
Repeated violation of this restriction is one of the few things that will get
you banned from participating in this list.
14. Press releases
- ------------------
Posting press releases to the list is appropriate in certain instances, such
as to announce a new product or service that is relevant to the topic of the
list. Press releases about unrelated products will not be tolerated. Post
press releases with moderation. For example, a weekly press release about the
latest content of an online news service is going too far; once a month *might*
be acceptable. (List members, rather than the list owner, are likely to tell
you if you've crossed the line!)
15. Posting policy/guidelines
- ------------------------------
With the addition of our hypermail Web archive for online-news, please be
aware that your messages posted to the online-news list will be included on
the online-news Web site operated on the servers of Guided Tour Software.
Subscribers to online-news agree to allow Planetary News and Guided Tour
Software to republish their posts to the list on the hypermail archive with no
expectation of financial or other compensation by Planetary News or Guided Tour
Software. Acceptance of this condition is a requirement of participation in the
online-news list. If this is not acceptable, THEN DO NOT POST MESSAGES TO
THIS LIST.
16. Statistics
- ---------------
Number of subscribers (includes gateways).........1500*
Countries represented.....................more than 30
Number of individuals who posted messages
to online-news in a recent 7-day period.............47
Number of messages posted to the list
in that 7-day period................................91
Most messages posted by one individual
in that same 7-day period............................8
* There's no way to know how many people actually read this list. Many
subscribing addresses are gateways to multiple recipients at corporate and
educational LANs. From anecdotal evidence, I'd *guess* that at least 2-3
times this number of people read online-news. (Also, 80-100 people per day
visit the list's Web archive site.)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Outing Planetary News LLC
steve@planetarynews.com Boulder, Colorado, USA
owner-online-newspapers@planetarynews.com voice: 303-543-7810
owner-online-news@planetarynews.com fax: 303-543-1059
Consulting services for the newspaper new media industry
Read my Stop The Presses! column on E&P Interactive:
- ------- http://www.mediainfo.com/ephome/news/newshtm/stop/stop.htm -------
------------------------------
End of online-news-digest V1 #672
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From owner-online-news-digest@marketplace.com Wed Jun 5 11:42:11 1996
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