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Mailing List - Frequently Asked Questions - Introduction

I Introduction, Terms and Definitions
I.A What is LINCSGEN?
I.B How much does it cost to subscribe?
I.C What are List Mode and Digest Mode?
I.D What is a Listowner?
I.E What is a Tagline?
I.F What is the Archive?
I.G Are there other mailing lists like this?

I.A - What is LINCSGEN?

E-Mail mailing lists are not the same as bulletin boards. With a Bulletin Board, you post your query and sit back and wait for people to read it and contact you. With a mailing list, everyone who is subscribed sees your message within minutes and can respond to it, either directly to you or to all the members of the list.

Some E-Mail mailing lists, like for specific surnames, may only have 20 or 30 subscribers. Some geographic area lists may have over 1,000 subscribers. You should be careful when subscribing because your inbox can be flooded if a new list is very active and generates 50 or more messages a day. If you don't want that volume of mail, many lists support a Digest Mode, where messages are collected and sent as one large e-mail. You don't miss anything in Digest mode, but it is not as spontaneous as getting each message when it is sent out.

ENG-LINCSGEN is a mailing list for people doing family History Research in the historic (pre-1937 boundaries) county or shire of Lincolnshire in England. Lincolnshire was the second largest county in size, but only the sixth largest (generally) in population. The Lincsgen mailing list members have a common interest in researching their genealogy and family history in Lincolnshire. Although the messages are mostly genealogy and family history, the topics sometimes have a tenuous link to these areas.

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I.B - How much does it cost to join?

Nothing. There is no charge to subscribe. You should be aware that your mail volume will go up, so if you pay "Connect Time" charges, those may increase, and if your ISP charges you for disk storage, that may increase.

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I.C - What are List Mode and Digest Mode?

There are 2 ways in which you can receive your messages from ENG-LINCSGEN:

The Mode is determined by which address you use to subscribe. Before you elect to use Digest mode, make sure you read the Help screens in your e-mail package to understand how these messages are displayed. Some "Newbies" get upset because the messages look blank if they don't have the correct settings in their e-mail software.

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I.D - What is a Listowner?

Most lists have someone who volunteers to play the role of policeman. Some active lists have two or three people who share the job. Their role is:

  1. Assist people who are having trouble subscribing or unsubscribing.

  2. Answer general questions about list volume and coverage.

  3. Enforce the list rules.

You will notice that it isn't their job to answer your queries. They may not have a lot of genealogical resources or the time to help with research, but they are willing to keep order on the maillist. It is the other members of the maillist who will likely be your best source for assistance.

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I.E - What is a Tagline?

Some lists put a TAGLINE (sometimes called a Signature) at the end of each message. Rootsweb allows up to ten different Taglines to be randomly applied to messages. The Taglines at the end of each message have important tips and links.

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I.F - What is the Archive?

Most lists have a place where a copy of each message is saved. Our message Archive can be searched:

  1. Start your Web-browser software. Go to:

  2. https://mailinglists.rootsweb.com/listindexes/

  3. Then enter: ENG-LINCSGEN

  4. Select the year to be searched and enter your keyword (search argument, surname, etc.).

For a simpler approach, you can try this:

  1. Start your Web-browser software. Go to:

  2. http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=ENG-LINCSGEN

  3. Select the year to be searched and enter your keyword (search argument, surname, etc.).

Messages don't appear in the Archive until a day or more after they are posted.

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I.G - Are there other mailing lists like this?

Yes, but not for all of Lincolnshire. There is a mailing list that covers the southern portion of the county and several other areas, called The FENS. If you know what Fens are, then this might be a good list to subscribe to. For other lists:

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Last updated on 5-May-2003
Click here to send any questions and/or comments about this site to the Lincolnshire County Coordinator.

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