List User Guide (Google Groups)
This guide was written to help you use the Civil Spotters list and to try to reduce the amount of unnecessary administration work for the list owners/moderators. At first glance our rules may appear a trifle pedantic but each has been compiled as a result of the owners’ past experiences during their ownership of the list.
Please read, digest and save this information for future use, (print it and pin it on your wall!).
Subscribing to the Civil Spotters list.
Firstly go to https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount and set up a Google account if you do not already have one. This will allow you to access the group via the web and change personal settings.
Then go to http://groups.google.co.uk/group/civil_spotters and follow the instructions.
You will be sent an email from the mail robot asking you to confirm that you wish to join the Civil Spotters list. Read the email and reply to the address where it states "please send an empty reply to this address:" [address will be shown here]. When you click on the address link the email program will start, just click on the send button like you did with the first email. The email that you have just sent goes to the admin team for acceptance, this may take a few days, please be patient.
When your subscription has been accepted you will receive an email entitled "WELCOME to the Civil Spotters List".
You are now subscribed to the Civil Spotters list and will start to receive email from the list.
You will also receive a welcome message from cae@aviationlists.com - this list is used by the moderating team to send out ORG messages. Only the moderating team can post to this list, and membership is mandatory as long as you remain a member of Civil Spotters. This is the only list where we can reach all members, and therefore changing your mail delivery options is not allowed, and requests to leave the list will only be accepted if you are no longer a member of Civil Spotters. We envisage that there will be one or two posts per year, so there is no need to try to change any options.
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Unsubscribing from the Civil
Spotters list.
You can use one of two methods: Using an email program, send a blank email to: civil_spotters-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
You can only unsubscribe from the Civil Spotters list from the account that you subscribed with or via the Google Groups website. Go to the Google Groups website http://groups.google.co.uk/group/CIVIL_SPOTTERS?hl=en
Contacting the list owners/administrators.
Should you ever need to contact the administrators of this list send your email to Civil_Spotters-owner@googlegroups.com or go to http://groups.google.co.uk/group/CIVIL_SPOTTERS/about?hl=en
and click on Send email to the owner Mail sent to any other address for support will be ignored.
General Information
The purpose of the list is to exchange, share and disseminate information relating to civil aviation at any facility worldwide. However, the management team has agreed that military transports may also be included. The list language is English. Please remember that, despite the majority of the list members being UK based, the list is international and members are distributed around all continents. Thus, clarity in your posting is paramount: it is emphasised that attention be paid to spelling, punctuation and the use of capital letters. Telephone text has no place on this list.
List Rules
The rules are simple and MUST be adhered to AT ALL Times. Please read & copy for further reference.
1) Your full (first/last) name MUST be displayed in your membership profile (the “nickname” field on your Google Account page).
2) Messages MUST be in plain text - No HTML. (see FAQ Q8)
3) Prefixes (see PREFIXES below) MUST be used in the message title.
4) Swearing, or abusive language will not be tolerated.
5) No "openly attacking" other members of the group on the list - LET'S KEEP THIS FRIENDLY!
6) Strictly no advertising, unless you are planning to use the TRADE header, for which the list owners would like to be advised in advance. Publicity for your website should only be contained within your signature, however, bear in mind Rule 9 below.
7) Test messages are not tolerated and may incur instant removal from the list. If you are experiencing mail delivery issues please explore all local avenues before approaching the management team.
8) Virus warnings will not be posted to the list. Should you have concerns in this area please contact the list management.
9) Please keep signatures down to the bare minimum.
IMPORTANT. Any breaches of the rules will result in the member being placed on moderation, with its consequent delay to your posting reaching the list.
PREFIXES (subject headers)
Similar to those used on other lists and are in place to give members a clue to the content of your posting. They also assist members to filter their incoming mail. Their use is mandatory and thus concocting your own is not an option.
All emails sent to you from the Civil Spotters list are prefixed on the subject line with [C-S] to further assist you filtering your incoming e-mail.
Strictly NO codes, IATA or ICAO, shall be used in the subject line, unless accompanied by the full name of the location. Codes may be used in the main body of the message, but keep in mind that not everybody among our international membership has access to the appropriate decode documents. Header/subject line should be brief and to the point - do NOT put your message on that line!
ACCOM: To be used whenever requesting or providing accommodation information.
INFO: General giving of information. Please do not use this in conjunction with REQ.
INTRO: You are encouraged to introduce yourself to the membership with your first posting.
LOG: A log of airfield residents, for example, not forgetting to include the location.
MOV: A listing of airfield movements, again not forgetting to include the location.
ORG: This one will be used by the moderation team only, for information pertaining to the running of the list. These postings should be retained for future reference.
OTT: This header is to be used to report or request overflight information - the precise location of which is, of course, paramount. Please limit the use of this header to those sightings that could be of interest to most list members.
REQ: This is the one you will use when you have
exhausted all other avenues!
RUM: A rumoured
aircraft movement, with a source if possible.
SBS: SBS-1 logs/reports/requests
WEB: To be used for any website references.
Please do not use the list as a billboard for your own website.
The administrators of the Civil Spotters list in no way seek to influence or control the submitted content of postings except when they do not conform with acceptable content or format requirements (see list rules). Only information readily available in the public domain may be posted and those found to be posting sensitive information from official sources leave themselves open to moderation or even removal from the list.
Views expressed on this list are those of the individuals concerned and not necessarily those of the administrators.
No guarantees are given or implied with regard to the accuracy of any information or data submitted to this list from any source, nor is there any undertaking to establish any intellectual ownership of such information.
Use of this list is taken as acceptance of these conditions. If you do not agree, please unsubscribe now!
Finally - REMEMBER THAT THIS IS PART OF OUR HOBBY AND NOT "A WAY OF LIFE". Please be civil to one another and bear in mind that everyone else has a different requirement to you, and tolerate that fact.
BICKERING ON THIS LIST WILL NOT BE TOLERATED - any culprits will be moderated in the first instance.
Frequently asked questions. (FAQ's)
Q1). How do I stop my email arriving while I am on holiday or away from my PC for prolonged periods?
You need to access your account on the website to change your settings. Go to: http://groups.google.co.uk/?hl=en and select “Manage my memberships”. Locate your Civil Spotters group from those listed and from the dropdown list choose “No Email” and click “Save group settings”. Obviously, to re-enable mail delivery after your return from holiday, choose your preferred mail delivery option.
Q2). What should I post to the list?
Any relevant information, in line with the purpose of the list that will be of interest to other subscribers.
Q3). What should I post to an individual and NOT to the list?
Messages of thanks for answers given. Messages to newcomers to the Civil Spotters list that may have made a mistake and require assistance with their email etc.
Q4). Why have I stopped receiving mail from the list?
You probably have an email problem with your gateway or service provider. Typical reasons are technical failure, your mailbox is full (if it has a limit) or your account is suspended. When email cannot be delivered to you it is returned to the list server. The list server then automatically stops sending you any more email but does not remove you from the list. You will be able to send a message to the list but you will not be sent a copy of it. For obvious reasons we are unable to tell you that messages are no longer being sent to your account! You may only contact admin at Civil_Spotters-owner@googlegroups.com
Q5). I object to someone's attitude in response to my own postings, what should I do?
First, contact the person direct to try and sort your differences. DO NOT post your personal comments to the list. Second, contact admin at Civil_Spotters-owner@googlegroups.com DO NOT start an e-mail war in public, and DO NOT try to police the list yourself.
Q6). Can I send copies of my pictures into the list as file attachments?
No. Send the URL of your website so that anyone interested can view the pictures there. Alternatively, join our sister list which is used for posting your photos. To join this list, send a blank mail to C-S_photos-subscribe@googlegroups.com and follow the links. If you send an email to the list that has a file attached your account will be unsubscribed. (also see Q8).
Q7). When I send my request to the list to subscribe, I do not see any email for several days. Why?
Accounts are added to the list when time is available. There is no schedule and this may take a few days – the moderating team also has jobs and families! You may have forgotten to reply to the questions asked; subscriptions are only approved when this is included as part of your request to join. When your subscription has been accepted you will be sent an email telling you that you are subscribed. Please be patient.
Q8). Can I send email in HTML format?
NO, all messages must be in plain text format. Not all email products can read HTML. If you send email into the list as HTML, you will be asked to stop using it. If you ignore the request to stop using HTML, your account will be unsubscribed. If you output your logs from your database, please convert them to plain text before sending to the list.
Q9). Can I send my email as text but in an attachment instead of writing the text in the body of the email?
No, please send email only with the text written in the body of the message not as an attachment. If you send any attachments to your email you will be removed from the list without further warnings. Most viruses are spread by attaching files to email.
Q10). I have sent email to admin but they have not helped me. Instead I got a reply from admin stating, "Read the FAQs".
You will probably find the answer to your problem in this FAQs (which you should have read before contacting admin).
Q11). Is there an archive facility for the list?
Yes there is a web based message archive, located at: http://groups.google.co.uk/group/civil_spotters/topics?hl=en but you cannot read the archive unless you are a member & registered with Google Groups.
Q12). Is there a digest facility for the list?
Yes there is an Email Digest (see Q13 on how to set to digest status)
Q13). How do I change my subscription status?
See the answer to question 1 above. Changing status from individual mails to digest and/or vice-versa is the same as suspending mail delivery when you go on holiday, for example.
Q14). How do I access the Google Groups web site?
Go to http://groups.Google.com
Q15). Can I see a membership list?
No. This facility is only available to the moderating team to respect privacy.
Q16). How do I reset my bouncing account?
Your email account has stopped accepting messages, because, for example, your inbox is full or your Internet Service Provider is returning messages addressed to you. As long as your status is Bouncing, you cannot send or receive messages. Bouncing status occurs after Google Groups has attempted and failed to deliver messages to your address for 3 consecutive days. Unless you reset your status, you will not receive new messages. You can reset Bouncing status via your account on the website. If you are not sure how to do this look at the help page:
http://groups.google.co.uk/support/?hl=en_GB
If you still have a problem contact us at: Civil_Spotters-owner@googlegroups.com as a last resort only.
Q17). What is the easiest way to change my address if I change my ISP?
Please remember to inform the moderators at (Civil_Spotters-owner@googlegroups.com) of any ISP/address change by detailing your old address, new address or if you are asking for an additional address then we can quickly approve the new address (remember e-mail addresses don't always give away their owners)
To change your subscription address, after sending an e-mail as described above you can use one of two methods
1. By e-mail
First unsubscribe your old address by sending an e-mail from it to:
CIVIL_SPOTTERS-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
Then subscribe your new address by sending an e-mail from it to
CIVIL_SPOTTERS-subscribe@googlegroups.com
2. Via the Google Groups website
https://www.google.com/accounts/ManageAccount?hl=en
Here you can change your e-mail or password.
Note: To verify your change of e-mail address, we will send a confirmation message to your new e-mail address. You must follow the instructions in that e-mail message to complete the change.
By becoming a member of the Civil Spotters mailing list you will have indicated that you have agreed to read, accept and abide by the rules of the group. Enjoy!