Email List
The Old Bus Owners' Discussion Group is an Email List, or Email
Discussion Group. Contributors send an email to a special address, from where
it is automatically distributed to everybody that has joined the List.
Although specifically intended for owners of older British buses to discuss issues of interest and share knowledge,
anybody with an interest in these vehicles is welcome to subscribe.
There is quite a lot of information on this page about the use of
this Email List - you may wish to print this page out for reference.
How do I join?
You join the List by submitting your details at the List's home page: http://lists.sftt.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oldbuses
You will be required to go though a confirmation process to identify yourself; this prevents malicious or accidental subscribing under somebody else's address.
How much does it cost to join?
Nothing - its free. The service is sponsored, advert-free, by
Studio433 Web Design and Hosting.
How do I send a message?
Simply address your email to oldbuses@sftt.co.uk and it
will be distributed to all. Your message will not be accepted unless you have
gone through the join process.
How many messages per day will I
receive?
In general, this is a quiet group. Some days there may be two or
three, on others there may be none. Occasionally, when an interesting subject comes up, there will be more.
Do I have to receive every message?
Yes, but you can choose to be sent a daily summary rather than
individual messages. You can choose this when you join the group or change your settings by logging in at: http://lists.sftt.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oldbuses.
How many people are there on the List?
Again, it varies, but there are usually around 100 to 150. A large proportion do not
participate in the chat but just read the messages, which is their choice
of course and is common on most such groups, forums etc.
What subjects can be discussed?
Absolutely anything relating to old buses. If you have other things to
share with specific members of the group, please do so by private email
- not everybody will want to read them.
It is prohibitied to use this service to advertise private or commercial activities, promote petitions or make political comments without the express permission of the Listmaster - John Hinson. Generally speaking, such permission will only be granted for items being sold that would benefit bus owners.
Can I send a message in HTML?
You can, if you wish, but plain text messages are generally
preferred on news groups and email lists.
HTML email is "styled" text, allowing italics, underlining and
other features.
In the early days of the Internet, the sending of email messages
in any form other than plain text was heavily frowned upon owing to the
additional on-line time consumed downloading the larger messages. However, times have changed, and with faster connection speeds the
difference in download time is rarely noticeable. Much modern software sends
HTML email by default too.
Nevertheless, you should bear in mind that some users' email
software is unable to read HTML mail. It is best to choose the option in your
software to "Send both plain and styled text" (or something similar) to ensure
all members can read your messages.
What if somebody insults me?
Please confine arguments and "flame wars" to private email.
Persistent offenders will be removed from the List.
Can I send pictures to the List?
No. Not everybody wants to receive them as they can occupy on-line
time and run up telephone bills - you may have a super-duper fast broadband connection but not everybody does. Several users collect their email through mobile phones when travelling, with download speeds much slower than conventional dial-up.
There is a maximum size limit of 40kb on the total message size to
prevent images being sent, but small ones can slip through. Please, though, abide by this directive and do not send images of any size.
If it is important to illustrate an item under discussion, please upload it to either your own web space or to a public image server such as Flickr (to give just one example) and provide a link to it from within your email message. This allows each recipient to choose whether to view the picture, and when.
Yes. You can browse old discussion by visiting http://lists.sftt.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oldbuses . The archives go back to January 2009 which is when the present software was introduced. Older messages are not available for viewing.
Can I join the list twice so I can receive
messages at home and at work?
Certainly. You can join under as many email addresses as you wish,
but if you try and join twice under the same address, you will receive a
response telling you so.
How do I leave the List?
Simply visit http://lists.sftt.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oldbuses and follow the instructions.
My messages keep being returned, with the
comment that I am not a member of the List
Either you have not joined the list, or you are sending them from
an email address different to the one you signed up with.
I have changed my email address
If you have changed email address you will need to leave the group
under your old address and rejoin under your new one. You can do this at: http://lists.sftt.co.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/oldbuses
I can't join/leave
If you have followed the instructions above, without success,
please contact John Hinson.
This is a fully automated service run using proprietary software
and as such should present no difficulties. No promises or guarantees can be
made about its reliability. However, experience so far suggests it is far
faster and more reliable than any of the the free advert-sponsored services available.
However, if you do have a problem, you may contact
John Hinson for help.
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