The GEDCOM-L Mailing List Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by Marc Nozell v1.03 Copyright (c) 1996, Marc Nozell This is the GEDCOM-L Mailing List Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and should answer most of your questions about the ``GEDCOM-L@list- serv.nodak.edu'' mailing list. If you have additional questions that are not addressed, then please send me mail at nozell@rootsweb.com ______________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents: 1. What is the purpose of GEDCOM-L? 2. Subscriptions to the list 2.1. How much does it cost to join the list? 2.2. How do I subscribe? 2.3. How do I unsubscribe? 2.4. Can I subscribe in a Digest mode? 3. Who is the list owner? What does he get paid for this position? 4. Using the GEDCOM-L mailing list 4.1. How do I post to the list? 4.2. When should I reply to the entire mailing list and when should I reply to just the individual? 4.3. What can/should I send to the list? 4.4. How do I get the more recent version of the FAQ? 4.4.1. Via the Web 4.5. How do I search the email archives? (finish me) 5. Surfing the web 5.1. Where is the offical GEDCOM specification? (finish me) 5.2. Are there any other GEDCOM-related web pages? (finish me) 6. Are there other mailing lists I can join? ______________________________________________________________________ 1. What is the purpose of GEDCOM-L? GEDCOM-L GEnealogical Data Communications Specs Mailing List This list is for the discussion of most any info pertaining to the enhancement of the GEnealogical Data COMmunications (GEDCOM) data format. It is an unmoderated list for the discussion of ideas concerning how Genealogical Data is now stored in GEDCOM data files, and how GEDCOM may be changed or enhanced to help programmers take advantage of the many new ways to interface their paper files with a computer program which will handle all their information, and store it in a useful way. GEDCOM-L has been created to provide a forum for discussion between anyone who is interested. It provides a method for their comments to be seen, read, and stored for others to see in the future. Please note that this list is NOT sponsored or otherwise recognized by LDS, although the members of LDS or anyone are certainly welcome to subscribe and participate in this list. *** Warning: This list is not for the storage of GEDCOM files, so please do not send such to this list as a medium for that purpose. Please do not send single messages which are longer than 10,000 bytes. Please do not cross-post messages to ROOTS-L or LINES-L which you are posting to the GEDCOM-L List. Topics such as standardization in the future will be a main concern, and any reasonable suggestions are welcome. This list is open to anyone wishing to SUBSCRIBE and especially those who are developers of Genealogical Software. Discussion of topics specific to the problems of the current specifications, and why there are so many different 'so-called' standards at present, are encouraged. Topics on this list may include any aspects of the GEDCOM Data format and it's development for future users of Genealogical software. Such as: - Comments on GEDCOM standards - Rumors about GEDCOM specs - Research tool development - Tips on using GEDCOM file transfer - Design techniques - Techniques for processing GEDCOM - Development practices - Reviews of systems that use GEDCOM - Authoring techniques - General info on genealogical data - GEDCOM data format - General comments about GEDCOM - Suggested additions to GEDCOM - Software questions concerning GEDCOM 2. Subscriptions to the list This section covers how to join and leave the list and some background information. 2.1. How much does it cost to join the list? Like most mailing lists on the internet, joining and participating in GEDCOM-L is free. 2.2. How do I subscribe? This mailing list is managed by the LISTSERV software which is different than other mailing lists managed by Majordomo or SmartList. To subscribe, send mail to listserv@listserv.nodak.edu and put just the words SUBSCRIBE GEDCOM-L Your Full Name in the body of message. Every mail client is different, but your message should look something like this: ______________________________________________________________________ To: listserv@listserv.nodak.edu Subject: SUBSCRIBE GEDCOM-L Claudius Smith ______________________________________________________________________ 2.3. How do I unsubscribe? This mailing list is managed by the LISTSERV software which is different than other mailing lists managed by Majordomo or SmartList. To unsubscribe, send mail to listserv@listserv.nodak.edu and put just the words UNSUBSCRIBE GEDCOM-L in the body of message. Every mail client is different, but your message should look something like this: ______________________________________________________________________ To: listserv@listserv.nodak.edu Subject: UNSUBSCRIBE GEDCOM-L ______________________________________________________________________ 2.4. Can I subscribe in a Digest mode? First you have to be subscribed to GEDCOM-L (See above), then change to Digest mode. To change your subscription to digest mode send a message to listserv@listserv.nodak.edu and put just this in the body of message: SET GEDCOM-L DIGEST ______________________________________________________________________ To: listserv@listserv.nodak.edu Subject: SET GEDCOM-L DIGEST ______________________________________________________________________ 3. Who is the list owner? What does he get paid for this position? Marc Nozell is the list owner for GEDCOM-L. Send him mail if you have completely read this FAQ and still have problems. His preferred email address is: nozell@rootsweb.com, but nozell@wildcat.mv.com or nozell@zko.dec.com will also work. Do I get paid for this? Ha! Like most other mailing list owners, I support GEDCOM-L on my own time. 4. Using the GEDCOM-L mailing list 4.1. How do I post to the list? Mail sent to GEDCOM-L@listserv.nodak.edu is delivered to all the subscribers on the GEDCOM-L. 4.2. When should I reply to the entire mailing list and when should I reply to just the individual? There are no hard and fast rules, but generally speaking, if you think your reply would be of help to someone else on the list, then post it to the entire list. Otherwise, just send it to the original person. If you pose a question and get quite a lot of feedback, you may want to send a message to the list with a summary of the information. 4.3. What can/should I send to the list? See the purpose of the list for some topics of discussion. Here are some other guidelines. o Do not post GEDCOM files. o Don't post large messages. o Don't post binary files (ie: MS Word files, zip files, etc) o Don't post flames (please use person-to-person mail for personal attacks :-) o Don't post copy-written material unless you own the copyright or the copyright allows for redistribution. 4.4. How do I get the more recent version of the FAQ? 4.4.1. Via the Web Visit the URL: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nozell/gedcom-l/FAQ/GEDCOM-L.html This FAQ is also available in other formats. o Simple ASCII text -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~nozell/gedcom- l/FAQ/GEDCOM-L.txt o Postscript -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~nozell/gedcom-l/FAQ/GEDCOM- L.ps o RTF (suitable for importing into various word processors) -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~nozell/gedcom-l/FAQ/GEDCOM-L.rtf and http://www.rootsweb.com/~nozell/gedcom-l/FAQ/GEDCOM-L-0.rtf 4.5. How do I search the email archives? (finish me) something here. 5. Surfing the web 5.1. Where is the offical GEDCOM specification? (finish me) The URL for the web page is: 5.2. Are there any other GEDCOM-related web pages? (finish me) o Cliff Manis' GenServ project o Scott McGee's GEDCOM hosting service o RootsWeb GEDCOM hosting service o ??? GEDCOM hosting service o Stark(?) GED2HTML converter 6. Are there other mailing lists I can join? There are a number of mailing lists on the internet and a fair number of them are genealogy related. The best place to find other genealogy related lists is Vicki Lindsay's web page: http://www.eskimo.com/~chance/ The original genealogy mailing list, ROOTS-L, is also run on rootsweb.com. Take a look at the rootsweb web page for more information: http://www.rootsweb.com/