Then, only one copy will be sent to any member of a division 28 list, regardless of how many divisional lists to which they are subscribed. Thus announcements or other newsworthy items should be sent to DIV28super if they are to go widely. Div28super grants permission to post to everyone on the Div28m subscriber list; you have full access for posting to both lists.

*****

To all new div28m subscribers receiving this by email: Please read (and save or print out) the following document. It contains answers to the questions asked most often regarding the div28m Mailing List. This detailed document was written to save everyone considerable time. Because this is a rather large document, if you do not receive it intact, you might also find this information (or something like it) on the web at:

http://www.apa.org/divisions/div28/div28m/WELCOME.html

Most importantly ALL administrative questions you might have about the div28m list should be sent to the following email address:

div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org

Thank you, and welcome to the div28m list!

The Management

______________________________________________

div28m@lists.apa.org

Division of Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse Mailing List FAQ's Frequently Asked Questions Version: 1.0 Release Date: July 28, 1998,

List Owner: The Electronic Communications Officer

Organization: APA Division of Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse.

(C) 1998 - This FAQ may be freely distributed, provided that it is not edited in any way. Acknowledgement: Portions of this FAQ are adapted with permission from the COMPMED FAQ (Ken Boschert, DVM). The current version of this FAQ is archived at

http://www.apa.org/divisions/div28m/WELCOME.html

You can also retrieve this file by sending email to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

In the body of the message, enter the command:

GET div28m WELCOME

Question Summary

1. What is div28m and what is its purpose?

2. How do I join the div28m mailing list?

3. How many people subscribe to div28m?

4. Who is on the div28m mailing list?

5. Do I have to be a div28m member?

6. Is there a directory of div28m users?

7. How do I send messages to the div28m mailing list?

8. How should I respond to questions asked on div28m?

9. Is div28m a "moderated" list?

10. Should I cross-post messages found on other mailing lists to div28m?

11. How do I find old div28m messages?

12. Can I search through logfiles to retrieve specific messages?

13. Too many messages! Is there a "Digest" form of div28m?

14. How do I unsubscribe from div28m?

15. How can I temporarily suspend div28m mail (vacations, etc.)?

16. How can I determine what my current setting options are?

17. Why does the LISTSERV machine not respond to my commmands?

18. What is the difference between div28m and other lists?

______________________________________________

1. What is div28m and what is its purpose?

div28m is an electronic mail distribution list for the use of members of the Division of Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse of the American Psychological Association, and for otherAPA members interested in the discipline and practice of psychopharmacology. THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC LIST.

Most importantly, all, and we mean ALL, administrative questions about the div28m list should be sent to the following email address:

div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org

We owe thank the American Psychological Association for shouldering both the technical and fiscal responsibilities of hosting div28m.

______________________________________________

2. How do I join the div28m mailing list?

To subscribe to the div28m mailing list, you may fill out a Web form, or send e-mail to: LISTSERV@lists.apa.org with the BODY of the mail consisting of the following (the command MUST be in the BODY, NOT the subject):

SUBSCRIBE div28m Yourfirstname Yourlastname

(Example) SUBSCRIBE div28m John Doe

You will receive a message acknowledging your subscription request. Your APA membership will be confirmed by the listowners. Please be patient, and be prepared for some correspondence by email.

______________________________________________

3. How many people subscribe to div28m?

div28m began with approximately 400 subscribers. We expect it to grow with the division and with the increasing connectivity of the membership.

______________________________________________

4. Who is on the div28m mailing list?

div28m is subscribed to by personnel from many of the world's major academic, government and corporate institutions. All subscribers to this list are members of the Division or APA. Members of the public interested and concerned with the subject matter or professional affairs of the division may subscribe to our public list, DIV28.

______________________________________________

5. Do I have to be a member of APA to participate on div28m?

No. You may also subscribe to div28m if you are an elected affiliate member of division 28. Contact the current Division 28 membership chair: As of August 1998, this is Ralph Spiga at rspiga.UTMSIMAIL@msi66.msi.uth.tmc.edu for an application.

______________________________________________

6. Is there a directory of div28m users?

Yes.

To retrieve the div28m directory from the listserv, you may fill out a Web form,

or send e-mail to: LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

with the BODY of the mail consisting of the following:

Review div28m

To retrieve a breakdown of the div28m directory by country, send e-mail to: LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

with the BODY of the mail consisting of the following:

Review div28m by country

Please check our website for current information.

______________________________________________

7. How do I send messages to the div28m mailing list?

To send a message to everyone on the div28m list, simply address your email to:

div28m@lists.apa.org

Professionally oriented mailing lists follow certain conventions of network etiquette or "netiquette". With a large email list, it is necessary to try to adhere to generally accepted network standards of behavior. These are very similar to those used by most people at public events such as an academic conference, or maybe even in the bar after an academic conference. Think of div28m as an annual meeting that never ends! Participants may come and go, but the discussions and exchange of ideas and information continue as though they had a life of their own.

***Please Note*** When you post a message to everyone on the div28m list, you should give it some descriptive Subject: heading that adequately conveys the message contained within. If you are replying to a post, it is standard convention to retain the original Subject heading. Your email software will usually return the message in the form of (Re: original subject here).

Also note that most email software programs limit text to 80 characters per line. What might look good on your graphical email software may end up unreadable on other systems. Be sure you use a hard return prior to the 80th column on the right margin.

#### READ THE FOLLOWING (If Nothing Else) ####

• The #1 mistake made by most people when replying to messages on div28m is leaving the "Headers" in (i.e., the previous message's Subject:, To:, From: fields, etc.) It is absolutely essential that you remove these "Headers" from your reply or the LISTSERV machine will reject your post.
• Always include your "signature" (full name and e-mail address) at the end of your message. Why? Because people are more likely to respond to someone they can identify or if they know your credentials. Also, strange things happen to headers in e-mail sent from one network to another and some people use software that strips the header information. Many mailers can add a signature to your messages automatically and thereby provide an alternative ..(phone and fax are standard).
• Keep your signature short - four to seven lines is a handy rule of thumb for maximum signature length. Unnecessarily long signatures can be annoying. Some mailers allow you to add random strings to your signature: this is well and good and can add character if done carefully. It is a good idea to keep quotes short, since they add to the length of your signature. Definitions of "offensive" vary widely, but it would be wise to avoid quotes which might offend people on the grounds of religion, politics or sexuality, as well as topical or local quotes, since they may be meaningless to recipients in other countries or cultures.
• Finally, here are some more guidelines based on experience of what *NOT* to do:
• Do not send a reply to the entire list when a personal reply to a message is more appropriate. This is important because the way the list is set up, the default is to reply to the list. You *have* to make sure that you have redirected personal replies to an individual or face the potentially embarrassing consequences....such as passing along "love notes" or "confidential memos to your boss" <--- (Real examples that have happened to other people....no kidding.) As mentioned elsewhere in this document, any mail you send to the div28m list is immediately and irrevocably distributed to everyone. Don't let it happen to you!
• Do not send a message to the entire list requesting instructions about administrative aspects of the list. If you don't know the difference between the administrative address (i.e, LISTSERV@lists.apa.org) and the address which sends email to everyone on the list (i.e., div28m@lists.apa.org), then you stand a chance of annoying everyone, particularly the listowner who explicitly told you what the difference was....you did read this, didn't you? If you just don't know what to do, send email to:
• ( div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org ) and someone will reply to help you.
• Do not ask a question that is *so* basic that it could have been easily answered by picking up any introductory textbook. It is pretty selfish to waste the time of your colleagues because you were too lazy to look it up). div28m should be reserved for the kinds of questions that you have not been able to find in more traditional sources. That means textbooks, journals, Medline, and the div28m archives.
• Respect your colleagues' time and div28m will be a valuable resource. Do not feel like *you* have to comment on EVERY message sent to the list. If you want your messages to be read, then make them count. Refrain from "Me, too" messages or personal opinions, like "I didn't think that was funny" or "Your post offended me". Chances are, it was funny to many people or did not offend anyone else. The vast majority are more interested in the facts.
• If you are or represent a commercial organization, it is *not* cool to "spam" div28m, which is a free service. "Spam" is a term used to describe the practice of sending everyone on the list direct advertising-type messages. It is not in your best interest to antagonize the list members or listowner with unwanted advertising and that would also include trying to use the div28m list email directory for similar purposes, even outside the list itself. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in removal of posting privileges or removal from the list altogether. Note this does not mean commercial subscribers who are on div28m cannot post anything at all. Certainly, if you have information that would be helpful, your contribution is welcome. Similarly, it's entirely appropriate to respond to individuals off the list, if you think you are in a position to help.
• (NOTE): While it has been common practice to send "Job Notices" to the div28m list, please understand that the mailing list should *NOT* be your primary vehicle to get this information distributed.
• The most grievous email transgressions include sending messages to everyone on the list, asking whether the list is working or not. Email outages are not uncommon and are usually regional or temporary. Do not assume that if *you* are not receiving email from div28m, that no one else is either. If you're concerned, contact the listowners directly at div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org
• The next most grievous email transgression, and one that will put you in disfavor with everyone, especially the listowners, is forwarding posts such as "computer virus warnings" or "email chain letters". Such posts are usually bogus. Chances are nobody will benefit from your misplaced concern. Do NOT succumb to the temptation to forward these messages to the list. If you believe you have a bonafide warning, send it to us first, or check http://www.europe.datafellows.com/news/hoax.htm , considered the industry standard information source for new virus hoaxes and false alerts. In fact, if you have a question about whether or not anything should be posted, you would do well to contact the listowners directly at div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org.
• Try to stick to the subject matter and topics the list was meant to cover. From time to time, it may be useful or necessary to go off-topic. Just use good common sense or invite the discussion to be off the list.

______________________________________________

8. How should I respond to questions asked on div28m?

Some general guidelines to consider:

• Include enough of the original message to provide a context. Remember that electronic mail is not as immediate as a telephone conversation and the recipient may not recall the contents of the original message. Including the relevant section from the original message helps the recipient to place your reply in context.
• Include only the minimum you need from the original message. One of the most annoying things you can encounter in e-mail is to have your original 5-page message quoted back at you in its entirety, with the words "Me too" added at the bottom. Quote back only the smallest amount you need to make your context clear. Use some kind of visual indication to distinguish between text quoted from the original message and your new text. This makes the reply much easier to follow. ">" is a traditional marker for quoted text,but you can use anything provided its purpose is clear. Pay careful attention to where your reply is going to end up. It can be embarrassing for you if a personal message ends up on a mailing list, and it is generally annoying for the other list members.
• Ask yourself if your reply is really warranted - a message sent to a list server that only says "I agree" is probably better sent privately to the person who originally sent the message.
• People often report on interesting scientific news in the media, or forward items from other newsgroups or mailing lists. Full citation of sources is always appropriate and appreciated. Requests for references or comments are also welcome, and, when posed as specific questions of general interest, frequently lead to successful discussions.
• Write useful summaries whenever a question or request for information results in many replies. Particularly, with a large number of personal replies, it is expected that the person who posted the original article will compile and post a summary of the responses. That person is expected to exercise discretion and tact when compiling and editing the replies, to ensure a fair and accurate summary.
• Avoid starting "flame wars" (messages sent in anger). If you simply must say something highly critical, consider sending it via personal e-mail, rather than posting or mailing to the group.
• Always include a subject line in your message. It is often the only clue the recipient has when filing and searching for messages. You should make the subject line meaningful and specific. If you are replying to a message but are changing the subject of the conversation, change the subject, too.
• Do not type your message in all-UPPERCASE. It is more difficult to read. Sometimes a short stretch of uppercase may serve to emphasize a point. Try to break your message into logical paragraphs and keep your sentences to sensible lengths.
• Use correct grammar and spelling. Electronic mail is all about communication and poorly-worded and misspelled messages are hard to read and potentially confusing. Just because electronic mail is fast does not mean that it should be sloppy. If your words are important enough to say, then they are important enough to say properly.
• Electronic mail has very nearly the immediacy of a conversation, but is totally devoid of "body language". The Internet "counter culture" has had an answer to this problem for years - "smiley faces", or groups of ASCII characters which are meant to look like a face turned on its side. Like any embellishment, however, overuse of smiley faces destroys their value - use them sparingly.
• Above all else, remember that electronic mail is about communication with other people. When you compose an e-mail message, read it over before sending it and ask yourself what your reaction would be if you received it. Any time spent on making our e-mail clearer is time well-spent.

______________________________________________

9. Is div28m a "moderated" list?

No. Though we monitor all discussion and will step in to resolve disputes, we normally will not "edit" or "censor" anyone's messages to the list. Any messages sent to the div28m list are immediately and irrevocably passed along to all the list's participants as soon as they are received.

[Disclaimer] An integral condition to your participation on the list is that you agree not to hold the sponsoring host, div28m, or APA, or the listowners, liable for any actions or consequences resulting from the contents of postings or from contacts made through div28m. In other words, you accept the responsibility for your own actions if you accidentally or mistakenly post a message to the list or repost a message from the list. The host and listowner, who technically owns the compilation copyrights to the div28m list, reserve the rights to set individual users to "review" or "read-only" status or to remove any user from div28m at their discretion. Your participation on the list indicates your acceptance of these terms.

______________________________________________

10. Should I cross-post messages found on other mailing lists to div28m?

There are a number of related mailing lists on the Internet. Many of them will contain articles that might be of interest to the participants on div28m. In instances where the information is coming from groups like the federal government, e.g., grant announcements, there is little harm in forwarding such messages to div28m.

If you see a message posted by an individual on another list and feel it would be of interest to the group on div28m, it would be wise to obtain permission from that individual prior to reposting the information on this or any other list.

Likewise, before you get the urge to forward div28m messages elsewhere, especially to other mailing lists, you should obtain permission from the original poster, who technically has the copyright to that message. Do not assume that just because it was sent to a mailing list that gives you the right to repost without permission.

Again, the listowner does claim compilation copyright to the entire body of div28m messages and in no way will allow the reproduction of the entire body of work in any media format.

______________________________________________

11. How do I find old div28m messages?

All contributions to this list are automatically archived in log files. Older files are listed monthly; newer files are archived weekly. You can obtain the available archive files (containing messages from past months) by sending the command:

INDEX div28m

in the body of an e-mail message to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

You will receive a list of available files. To retrieve a specific monthly log file, send the command:

GET div28m LOGxxxxx

(xxxxx representing the year, month & week, i.e., LOG9311a)

in the body of an e-mail message addressed to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

______________________________________________

12. Can I search through old div28m logfiles to retrieve specific messages?

Yes. Below is a description of the commands you would need to send to the LISTSERV@lists.apa.org address to do your own searches (also called queries).

With version 1.8c LISTSERV software, it is *much* easier to search for messages. Do not use that older batch language in the previous versions. Instead, simply address an email message to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

In the body of the message, enter:

search 'put word(s) here' in div28m

The LISTSERV searches the subject line and message text of every message in its database and returns to you an index number, date and subject line of every message containing the search string.

An example is below.

Search 'cocaethylene' in div28m

Here's an example of the response you will get back from the LISTSERV if we had ever had such a series of discussions:

> Search cocaethylene in div28m --

> Database div28m, 2 hits.

> Index Item # Date Time Recs Subject

------ ---- ---- ---- -------

000095 97/09/11 17:06 18 Re: cocaine and alcohol

000429 97/12/14 20:52 71 Forensic Toxicology

To retrieve a copy of specific postings, include the number of the messages you want and send email to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

In the body of the message, enter:

GETPOST div28m 95 429

It is possible to add further parameters to your search in order to narrow it. You can limit a search by date with a "since. . . " predicate. Likewise, you can limit by sender and/or by the subject line with a "where. . ." predicate.

For instance:

Select 'cocaethylene' in div28m since 94/01/01

Select 'cocaethylene' in div28m where sender contains 'Thomas'

are all valid search commands that will (hopefully) dramatically reduce the number of entries returned to you.

______________________________________________

13. Too many messages! Is there a "Digest" form of div28m?

Yes. Some may elect to get the DIGEST version of div28m. That is, rather than receiving each e-mail message individually as it is posted, you can elect to receive one message a day with all that day's message traffic included.

To switch to the DIGEST form of div28m, send e-mail to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

and in the body of the message, enter the command:

SET div28m DIGEST

From that point on, the messages from div28m will be sent to you in one file starting the next day. The advantage is only a single file needs to be sent and all those messages are neatly bound together in a "magazine" (digest) format.

Depending on your email software, you can also send another message to the listserv with the command:

SET div28m MIME

With that parameter turned on, you can more easily view individual messages within the DIGEST. Otherwise, you will just get one huge contiguous message.

The disadvantage is similar to print magazines: do you ever get the time to sit down and read it? It may be a matter of personal preference whether you want to see the messages "on the fly" or as a neat package. The choice is yours.

If you change your mind and want to receive individual messages again, send e-mail to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

with the following command in the body of the message:

SET div28m MAIL

______________________________________________

14. How do I unsubscribe from div28m?

You may leave the list at any time by filling out a Web form, or by sending the following command to:

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

(in the body of your e-mail message):

SIGNOFF div28m

*** NOTE *** that the SIGNOFF command should NEVER be sent to the mailing list address (div28m@lists.apa.org), but to the administrative

Listserver address (LISTSERV@lists.apa.org). If you have problems unsubscribing, send a message to div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org and someone will help you. This scenario can happen if your email address changes and the listserv software no longer recognizes you.

______________________________________________

15. How can I temporarily suspend div28m mail (due to vacations, etc.)?

To temporarily suspend div28m mail, but remain on the list, send the following command to the administrative address, LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

SET div28m NOMAIL

This will suspend your mail delivery, but keep you from having to resubscribe to the list. Note that "NOMAIL" is one word!

To resume mail service, send the following command to the administrative address, LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

SET div28m MAIL

To temporarily suspend div28m Digests, but remain on the list, send the following command to the administrative address, LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

SET div28m NODIGEST

This will suspend your mail delivery, but keep you from having to resubscribe to the list. Note that "NODIGEST" is one word!

To resume mail service, send the following command to the administrative address, LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

SET div28m DIGEST

______________________________________________

16. How can I determine what my current setting options are?

If you wish to see your current div28m mail settings are, send the command:

QUERY div28m

in the body of an e-mail message addressed to

LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

______________________________________________

17. Why does the LISTSERV machine not respond to my commmands?

One of the most common problems associated with the inability to get the LISTSERV machine to respond to your administrative requests, like database searches or changing to digest or temporarily stopping mail delivery, is that your email address changed. In other words, sometime between when you first subscribed to div28m and the discovery of the problem, your email address mutated to something different. Many computers use email "aliases" so that your old address still works just fine for receiving mail, but the LISTSERV machine only knows you by your old address and "thinks" your new address is alien and not part of the div28m group. Your commands get bounced back with some cryptic message to that effect. To set things straight, send an email to div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org and someone will get back to you to help. Many times you are not aware of this subtle change in your email address (computer administrators are a notoriously sneaky bunch), but it happens all the time.

Second, although it is very desirable that you attach your email address to messages you send to the div28m mailing list, it is not necessary and actually a small problem to send your "signature" file along to the LISTSERV machine when using many of the administrative commands outlined above. Most email software programs have the capability or option to temporarily turn off the signature when sending a message. It is generally a good idea to do this because the LISTSERV machine thinks you are sending additional administrative commands and tries to interpret your signature as such. You will probably see the LISTSERV's output indicate that the commands make no sense to it. No real harm done, but it can interfere with queries. You are just better off not sending your signature to the LISTSERV machine.

You can also avoid this problem by separating your LISTSERV commands from your signature by the line:

// EOJ

or even a couple of dashes --

For example:

Date: Wed, 3 Aug 97 11:03:59 CST

From: user@university.edu

To: LISTSERV@lists.apa.org

set div28m nomail

// EOJ

(The start of a signature file below):

LISTSERV will ignore all lines after the EOJ or dashes and will not be bothered by a signature file.

______________________________________________

18. What is the difference between div28m and other lists?

div28m is intended for the use of the APA Division of Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse.

Our sister list, div28m is open to subscription by anyone interested in the activities of the division and its scope of interests providing that appropriate netiquette is observed, and that a modicum of decorum is maintained. The Division regards itself as providing a number of public services, and regards these lists as being of pedagogical value and as outreach tools. Thank you for your interest in our division. If you are an APA member, join our division.

If you are a psychologist, you should be an APA member!

______________________________________________

19. What information is available via the World Wide Web (WWW)?

Visit http://www.apa.org/divisions/div28 for further information

______________________________________________

div28m FAQ 1.0

Remember, ALL administrative questions about the div28m list should be sent to the following email address:

div28m-REQUEST@lists.apa.org

______________________________________________

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