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Welcome to Seascout-Net! |
Welcome to Seascout-Net! Seascout-Net provides opportunities for members of Sea Scouting units worldwide to interact, compare notes on their programs, discuss organizational problems and concerns, and communicate with members all over the world!
While the discussion may be heavily weighted towards the Sea Scouting in the United States, we do include discussion of Sea Scouting worldwide.
This is a rather long file to read, but the time taken will be well spent. Hopefully many of your initial questions will be answered here. The guidelines set forth will help make for a more enjoyable Seascout-Net for all. You are strongly encouraged to keep a copy of this file. It contains a lot of reference information that you will need in the future.
Seascout-Net is an open discussion group for members of Sea Scout Ships and Troops worldwide (and open as well to any other interested persons or groups).
We talk about a wide variety of issues and topics, from the silliness of nautical poetry to the seriousness of Coast Guard regulations. While we don't profess to have the answer to every issue or question, we do spend a great deal of time answering as many as we can. In most cases, we not only answer the "where it can be found in the literature" question, but also give some practical applications of why it is or is not so.
We tell stories of how our Ships or groups are doing, to inspire and to just share with others our anxieties, our fears and our joys. We get personal occasionally, because we have grown to be more than merely people discussing youth programs ... we've become friends. We care when our fellow members are in the hospital, or when their new son or daughter is born, or when we attended our first training session or when we decide that perhaps our service is needed elsewhere.
And we are listened to, comforted, and encouraged to move forward by the others here. We get lots of useful answers and suggestions and we joke around with each other from time to time. Then, we move on to another topic and the process starts over again.
As you can imagine, not everyone here is in total agreement every day with all issues and resolutions of issues. We do argue, we express ourselves with deep personal emotion, but we also remember that we are in the company of fellow Sea Scouts and Scouters ... people who understand that disagreements are a part of being human; that the disagreement is with the other point of view, and not the other person. Therefore, you will not find here the outlandish language and ongoing discussions about topics that have no real answer to them. We don't have time for such nonsense ... we're too busy discussing issues that CAN be resolved.
We try as hard as we can not to censure or ignore anyone's point of view or thought on any topic, but we have "driven some topics deeply into the ground." Please check the archives before bringing up a sensitive topic that we have talked about before. Also, please think before replying to a issue which "may set off firerockets." If you have any concerns, please let the listowner know or send him a copy of your proposed posting before you post it to the list.
We would also appreciate it greatly if you sign your name somewhere in the posting so that replies can be "personalized" to you rather than a pseudonym. This makes it nicer for you to be recognized as an individual.
Finally, the list quality has been maintained by the number of questions that we've answered over the years. In many cases, the questions we've asked have also been raised by others who are not on the list, only to be ignored or discarded. Some of our questions --and our collective answers-- have resulted in program or policy changes by the BSA or other organizations.
This is your chance to ask questions that you felt "stupid" asking local officials; to get the real answer to that policy that someone told you was "in the book and that's the way it is"; to resolve just where do you wear that new award that your son or daughter or you received. We are more than willing to answer all questions, concerns, or problems that you may be having with your unit or organization.
You are free (and encouraged) to extract and download the information shared and share it with those that you work with in your youth agency or group. In this way, you are not letting the information die! Many Sea Scout "wardrooms" use the information from this list!
So now that you know what happens here on this list every day, here's some common information that you need to be aware of:
The act of SUBSCRIBING to the Seascout-Net list is to place your name on the list which will allow you to receive all postings to the Seascout-Net list as well as to be able to post messages to Seascout-Net. To subscribe you should send a 1 line email message to LISTSERV@SEASCOUT.ORG without any extra headings or signature lines. This message should be as follows:
You should use your real name in place of "your name". Handles are not accepted on Seascout-Net. Your email address is taken from the "FROM" line of your email heading.
The Server ("Listserv") is a computer that accepts commands or inquiries. There is nobody physically at the server address!
Take some time to learn how to use and interact with the server. This will save you a lot of time and headaches when you want to search for some past topic, retrieve files, or change some of your options. Remember there are 2 email ids that you use:
The commands to LISTSERV are contained in the body of your email message. A good command to start with is "HELP". Other useful commands to LISTSERV are:
It is possible to stop receiving messages from Seascout-Net without subscribing if you are going to be away from your computer for awhile.
To set this option, send email to LISTSERV@SEASCOUT.ORG with the following message:
For those of you who read Seascout-Net only once-per-day, have trouble keeping up with the volume of email postings, or those who are only reading Seascout-Net and don't intend to post, the Digest feature may be what you need. Once set, you will receive only one posting per day that contains all postings consolidated into a neat package.
To set this option, send email to LISTSERV@SEASCOUT.ORG with the following message:
A lot of Seascout-Net users will lose their computer accounts at the end of a semester. Please, please, please remember to "unsubscribe" from Seascout-Net before you lose your account. In case you don't understand, every bounced piece of Seascout-Net mail ends up being sent to me. This is very frustrating on a busy day when I receive about 5-10 bounced postings for every note that goes out to Seascout-Net ... and we have had some pretty busy days!
To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@SEASCOUT.ORG with the following message:
When first subscribing to Seascout-Net, please feel free to post a brief message (about a screen's worth) about yourself to introduce yourself to the list. Make sure you tell everyone what your position is in Sea Scouting, what your Ship/unit/group is, and where you do your Sea Scouting.
When responding to someone's introduction, please do not use the reply function of your mailer as your reply will then also be distributed to the entire list. Use private Email. Seascout-Net makes a concerted effort to keep network traffic and "junk mail" to a minimum, since there are many subscribers receiving Seascout-Net through their place of work.
First, a reminder to everyone about network "etiquette". The so called "flaming" (insults) do not belong on the Seascout-Net list and will not be put up with. Personal vendettas will not be tolerated. The Scout Oath, Law, and Sea Promise are the best guidelines in these matters. Please remember this! Flaming will result in action by the listowner.
Discussions will naturally bring disagreement, however, rebuttals should always be made in a rational, logical and mature manner in public. What has made Seascout-Net such a success is the manner in which most subscribers handle their postings and how they address a topic. Let's keep it up!
The Seascout-Net list continues to grow and now has over 200 direct subscribers (I have no idea how many scouters get our list through other means). Many users access Seascout-Net via their work place or through some commercial services (i.e. they are paying to get our messages) and some even use 2400 baud modems to get their email -- this is why it is very important that we follow some rules in our postings.
These rules are sometimes known as "NETIQUETTE".
Thank you for adhering to these guidelines. While Seascout-Net may be one of the more active mailing lists, following these guidelines will ensure that the majority of subscribers can and will stay involved.
What is archived on Seascout-Net? Anything that you, the subscriber of Seascout-Net deems important enough to share with the world!
The archives of Seascout-Net continue to grow and are one of the list's more valuable resources.
To access the archives, point your web browser at http://www.seascout.org/archives/seascout-net.html.
Thanks for subscribing and once again, Welcome to Seascout-Net!Table of Contents
Welcome to Seascout-Net
What do we talk about on Seascout-Net?
How to Subscribe
subscribe seascout-net your name
What is the Server
SUBSCRIBE seascout-net your name Can be used to change your name
UNSUB seascout-net Signoff your id from Seascout-Net
SET seascout-net NOmail Turn OFF receipt of mail without unsubscribing (this is useful when you are away temporarily)
SET seascout-net Mail Turn ON receipt of mail
SET seascout-net mail DIGest Turn ON the digest feature
SET seascout-net mail NODIGest Turn OFF the digest feature
HELP seascout-net Get information about Seascout-Net
How do I stop my mail while I'm away from my computer?
SET seascout-net nomail
to revert back to normal receipt of messages:
SET seascout-net mail
Using Digest Mode
SET seascout-net mail digest
to revert back to normal receipt of individual messages:
SET seascout-net mail nodigest
A special note to those who reply to a digested Seascout-Net is to change the subject line to something appropriate.How to Unsubscribe
UNSUB seascout-net
Sending an Introduction of Yourself
Policy of Flaming
Basic Netiquette when Posting to Seascout-Net
Bruce Johnson
Skipper, Ship 361
S.S.S. Columbia Ranger
Columbia, Maryland USA
commodore@seascout.org
Accessing the Seascout-Net Archives
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