Using E-Mail to Find Disability-Related Information Copyright (c) 1997 The West Virginia Rehabilitation Research and Training Center Barron Drive, PO Box 1004, Institute, WV, 25112-1004 Phone (304) 766-2680 Fax (304) 766-2689 TDD (304) 766-2697 Project Enable Bulletin Board (304) 766-2690 Inquiries by E-mail: freeman@rtc2.icdi.wvu.edu World Wide Web: http://www.icdi.wvu.edu This project is supported in part by grant number H133B30074 from the United States Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to the West Virginia Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. Copies of this manual are available in alternate formats. Written by Preston Richardson with contributions by Tom Freeman Cover Design by Robin Hammer July 15, 1997 Table of Contents * Purpose and Scope of This Document * I. Using E-mail to Communicate with Individuals * SUBJECT Line * Avoid Graphical Messages * Contact Information * II. Subscribing to a List for Focused * Example: Subscribing to the Autism list * The Listserv Will Respond to You * When the Subscription Process Varies from the Example * Sending Mail to the List * III. Controlling How You Receive A List * Digest * Mail, Nomail * Signoff, Unsubscribe * Query * Info Refcard * Help * IV. Searching List Archives * Getting a Summary of Search Commands. * The Quick (but Inexact) Method * The Complex (but Specific) Method. * Example 1. Finding All References to a Word in a List Archive * Example 2. Limiting a Search by Date and Time * Example 3. Limiting the Search by Adding Words * Example 4. Searching for a Text String * Example 5. Quoting Key Words and Symbols When Searching * V. Retrieving Documents from Lists * Index * Get * VI. Dealing with E-Mail Problems * Help. * Info list * Contact the listowner * Contact the postmaster * VII. Finding Lists of Lists * The DO-IT and the Internet Guide * Disability Sources on Project Enable * Lists and Lists Global * On-line Search #1 * On-line Search #2 * Bitnet Lists * VIII. Sample Lists * IX. Getting More E-Mail Training * X. Books about E-mail for Further Reading * Appendix A: Summary of Subscription Commands * Joining a List * Leaving a list Purpose and Scope of This Document "The most important application on the Net isn't the World Wide Web, and it never has been. It's e-mail--the application that makes the Net worthwhile by bringing people together," wrote Raphael Needleman, editor of CNET.COM (http://www.cnet.com) in an online article. E-mail (electronic mail) can help persons with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals find disability-related information on the Internet. Fast and affordable, e-mail offers a means to gather information from agencies, organizations, experts and lay people. An enormous amount of disability-related information can be gathered via Internet e-mail--if you know how to seek it. The purpose of this document is to help you research disability-related topics on the Internet via e-mail. It is primarily focused on getting information from e-mail lists (defined page 3) and list archives (defined page 6). Reading the text of web pages via e-mail is briefly covered also. NOTE: This booklet assumes you have a basic knowledge of sending and reading e-mail; it is not intended as a primer for persons just starting out. I. Using E-mail to Communicate with Individuals An e-mail message is a computer-based letter or memo; an e-mail editor allows you to create messages to send electronically. Here are several points to remember when sending e-mail to individuals: * SUBJECT Line. Always fill in the SUBJECT line of a message when sending mail to a person. This allows the person receiving the message to know the theme of your communication; busy readers might dismiss a message without a subject. Second, mail with a detailed subject is easier to find later. * Avoid "Graphical" Messages. For accessibility, avoid using characters as graphical elements in your message. For example, instead of a continuous line of 60 dashes, use several dashes to separate items. The line may look better, but it may present problems for speech output users. * Contact Information. Provide contact information, such as your phone, fax, postal mail address and e-mail address. Some e-mail editors allow you to put this information in a "signature" that appears at the bottom of your messages. II. Subscribing to a List for Focused Communication A "list" allows a group to exchange messages on a certain topic, such as vision impairment or diabetes. If you send a message to the list, every member gets a copy; you get a copy of messages others write. Example: Subscribing to the Autism list. To join a list, you "subscribe" to it by following several steps. This example shows how to subscribe to the Autism list at St. John's University. * Learn the exact name of the list and the computer that distributes it, which is usually called a "listserv" (some systems may use other names, such as "majordomo" or "maiser"). Listserv@sjuvm.stjohns.edu is the listserv address in the Autism example. * Leave the subject line of the message blank, unless specific subscription instructions tell you to enter text on this line. * Type subscribe [list] [first-name] [last-name] as your message. Alice Browning would type subscribe autism alice browning in our example. * Send the message. The Listserv Will Respond to You. The listserv computer will send several messages when you subscribe to a list. * For the Autism example, the listserv will ask you to confirm your subscription. (You will be asked to send "OK" with a code the listserv provides.) Not all listservs require this. * A "welcome" message will come next, which generally outlines the rules of the list. * If the second message does not do so, a third message will describe the essential commands needed to make the list fit your needs, including how to "unsubscribe" when necessary. SAVE THIS MESSAGE IN A SAFE PLACE. When the Subscription Process Varies from the Example. These steps are valid for most lists, but some lists have different subscription procedures. You must know the name of the list and the address of the computer that distributes it. To that address, send the word help as your message. The reply should include an outline of the subscription process or instructions on where to find more information. Note: Appendix A summarizes the subscription procedures of most lists. Sending Mail to the List. One of the initial messages from the Listserv will describe how to send mail to the list. In the Autism example, mail would be addressed to Autism@sjuvm.stjohns.edu. Be sure not to send mail to the Listserv address (Listserv@sjuvm.stjohns.edu): only commands that control the list or inquire about it should be sent there. Conversely, do not send listserv commands to the list (Autism@sjuvm. . .). According to James Milles in "Map 06 Lesson" of the training package Roadmap for the Information Superhighway ((c)1994, D. P. Crispen), it is easy to remember the distinction between the list address and the listserv address in terms of a newspaper: "the first address [the list] is somewhat analogous to sending a 'letter to the editor,' while the second [the listserv] is like sending a letter to the newspaper's subscription office." III. Controlling How You Receive A List Most lists allow you to customize the way you receive messages. This section describes the most common commands. All are sent to the listserv as a single-line message with a blank subject line. * Digest. Most lists send you a copy of each message as it is received; if fifty messages are posted by list members, you will receive fifty individual messages throughout the day. The digest feature combines all messages into a single bundle that is easier to manage. Send the message set [list] digest to the listserv (example: set autism digest). Not all lists offer a digest option. * Mail, Nomail. When you are away, you may want to halt your e-mail from the list so it does not pile up. This can be done by sending the message set [list] nomail (example: set autism nomail). To reverse the process, send set [list] mail to the listserv. * Signoff, Unsubscribe. The command summary for the list will also explain how to leave it (example: signoff autism). Many other lists use the term "unsubscribe." * Query. A number of other list settings can be controlled, such as whether you receive copies of the messages you send to the list. To review your current settings, send query [list] to the listserv (example: query autism). * Info Refcard. Many listservs offer a complete summary of commands called a "refcard." Send the message info refcard to retrieve the summary from the listserv. * Help. If all else fails, send help as your message. Nearly all systems will respond to a request for help with instructions on how to get it or a list of basic commands. IV. Searching List Archives Many lists keep archives of old messages in files which can be searched and retrieved. This section describes two methods for finding information within the stored messages of a list. Note that some lists restrict inquiries and searches to list members while others do not. We will use the Autism list as an example. Getting a Summary of Search Commands. Some commands related to searching should be included in the refcard summary available by sending the message info refcard to the listserv. More detailed information on searching can be retrieved by sending info database. The Quick (but Inexact) Method. The first method is fast but labor intensive. * Send index [list] to the listserv (example: index autism). The listserv will send back a summary of files associated with the list. Many--if not all--of the files will contain messages grouped in weekly or bi-weekly periods. An index of the Autism list contains these archived message files from the first and second week of July, 1992. AUTISM LOG9207A . . . 92/07/06 11:59:37 Started on Wed, 1 Jul 1992 . . . AUTISM LOG9207B . . . 92/07/14 19:41:36 Started on Wed, 8 Jul 1992 . . . * "Log..." identifies the message file. For example, "LOG9207A" is the name of a file for all the Autism messages written July 1-7, 1992. Using the format get [list] [file], you can retrieve the file and peruse it on your computer. Send the message get autism log9207a to the listserv and the file will arrive as e-mail. * Because Autism is an active list, LOG9207 will be very large. Most often, the easiest way to review it is to save the message as an ASCII text file. Then use your word processor to read it. The "find" command in your word processor will help you locate key words within the file. The Complex (but Specific) Method. The second method is complex but more likely to find information. It involves using "search parameters" to specify the text to find and the dates on which to search. The following is a basic search format. It can be modified extensively to achieve many different results. As with all commands which control or inquire about a list, the following statements should be sent to the listserv (LISTSERV@SJUVM.stjohns.edu, in this case), with a blank SUBJECT line. //Scan JOB Echo=Yes DATABASE SEARCH DD=Data //Data DD * Search [text] in [list] [optional date and time limit] index print /* This message will search for [text] in a certain [list], and optionally limit the search to a certain date and time. It will compile a list of the messages found (index), and send a compilation of the search results to you (print). Each element of this message is described in the document retrieved by sending info database to the listserv. The examples will use the Autism list. Example 1. Finding All References to a Word in a List Archive. When sent to the listserv, this message would locate all messages in Autism that refer to Ritalin: //Scan JOB Echo=Yes DATABASE SEARCH DD=Data //Data DD * Search ritalin in Autism index print /* The archive for Autism goes back to 1992. The message above would find all messages, from 1992 to the present, that contain the word "ritalin." The word can be capitalized or part of another word (examples: RITALIN, Ritalin, ritalinesque). Note: Because Autism is an active list with many members, finding all references to a word will produce a compilation of messages that is extremely large--too big to realistically use. To search a list effectively, you must limit your search by several means. Example 2. Limiting a Search by Date and Time. You can add a date and time limit to your search statement. Date and time restrictions in searches can be formatted three ways. Times are optional, and the case of letters is ignored. SINCE date