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This is the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for the
USAFA2012parents
mailing list (abbreviated [a12p]), a yahoogroups
mailing list for parents of cadets who
are in the class of 2012 at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
This document is
online at
"http://arneberg.com/org/usafa2012/faq".
Table of contents
To learn more about these email lists, click on a question below
(if you're reading this in a web browser), and it will take you
to the corresponding answer further down in this document:
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What is "USAFA2012parents" ("[a12p]")? Basically, this is an email list
(also known as a group).
This simply means that if you send an email message to the list,
it automatically gets distributed to everyone on the list
(depending on each person's account settings). As of
August 10, 2008, there are 543
people on the list.
The list/group is a free service of Yahoo.
In addition to the email distribution function of the list, there are
several other features of the group, such as allowing members to
upload photos, calendars, database, text files, etc. You can
access these other features of the group if you create a Yahoo
account and then go to the group web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents
There are two "sister" lists to this main list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents-lite
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents-chat
The "lite" version is for only occasional updates; the goal is
roughly one to three emails per week. On the other end of the
spectrum, the "chat" version is totally unmoderated, so you can
post about whatever you want. Also, on that list, all replies go
back to everyone, to keep everyone in the loop. With three
different versions of lists, everyone can choose the style that
best suits them.
Here is a little summary table for you:
-
These lists are open to any parent of a cadet who is in the
Class of 2012 at the
U.S. Air Force Academy. We sometimes allow
other parental-type figures in, such as a grandparent or guardian
who has done a lot to raise the cadet.
However, we do NOT allow siblings,
girlfriend/boyfriends, or cadets into this list. We want a list
where parents can discuss things openly and honestly.
-
There are two ways to subscribe to the list and manage your
account: email commands or the web interface.
The simplest way to subscribe is to send a blank email to one or
more of these addresses:
To:
usafa2012parents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
-or-
To:
usafa2012parents-lite-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
(if you want the "Lite" version)
-or-
To:
usafa2012parents-chat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
(if you want the "chat" version)
You can also sign up with the web interface:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents/join?
-or-
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents-lite/join?
-or-
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents-chat/join?
With either method of requesting a subscription,
you will receive a confirmation email asking for information for
our
database.
Your subscription request will not be approved until we receive
that subsequent database information.
-
[a12p] encourages every member to ask or answer questions or
share concerns. To better support the needs of our members,
please adhere to a few rules and guidelines. Members who don't
abide by these may get set to "moderated" status,
which entails a delay in the posting
and/or possible editing of their messages by a
moderator.
We believe that information yearns to be free. If you know of
another email list that is related to cadets at the Air Force
Academy, please feel free to advertise that list here! There are
already dozens of such lists, and I'm sure there will be more.
Whether it's a group for your cadet's squadron, or for families
from your state, or for cadets looking to share rides, or for
players on the ping pong team, other lists
are welcome to solicit members here.
We need to strike a balance in these areas. We don't want to stifle anyone's
speech, especially if they say something like "please pray for my
cadet" or if they are asking about a church or a Bible study.
Likewise, you could certainly discuss what a candidate is
proposing regarding the Air Force.
On the other hand, we don't want this list to degenerate into
political arguments or lengthy religious debates. We'll play it by
ear for now and hope that common sense and good manners prevail.
This issue is delicate. Imagine if every member started hawking
his life insurance, used cars, or multi-level marketing schemes!
This is a list to discuss our cadets at the Academy.
However, if you have a product that is directly related, then it
might be okay. For example, one mom sent email to the list
advertising her services in making and delivering "care packages"
to cadets. This is a perfectly fine topic for this list! It really
shouldn't matter if someone is making a profit or not, as long as
the announcement of the product or service is beneficial to
parents. (BTW, you should be up front about whether you're making a
profit, so people can better decide.)
-
There are
guidelines we use to try to keep this email list useful.
Still, some people just cannot handle the traffic, especially if
they only check their email once or twice a week. Here are several
different suggestions for how to handle this much email:
You can change your subscription to "digest" mode
via the
web interface or
by sending a blank email to this address:
To:
usafa2012parents-digest@yahoogroups.com
Digest mode subscribers do not get inundated with individual messages.
Rather, they get up to 25 messages all put together into one file,
sent in one email. This allows you to skim through all that day's
messages without clogging up your inbox with all those messages
individually.
You can set your account to "nomail" mode
via the
web interface or
by sending a blank email
to this address:
To:
usafa2012parents-nomail@yahoogroups.com
Nomail mode subscribers do not get ANY messages from the list.
This might be useful if you're going on vacation. It is MUCH
better to go "nomail" then to unsubscribe, to avoid having to go
through the subscription approval process again later.
When you get back, to restore
your subscription to digest or normal mode, just send a
blank email to one of these addresses:
To:
usafa2012parents-digest@yahoogroups.com
To:
usafa2012parents-normal@yahoogroups.com
Regardless of your account settings (normal, digest, nomail),
you can always view messages on the group web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents/messages
You might need to create a Yahoo account before you can get to the
group's web page, but you'll want to do that to access its many
features. Viewing messages on the web is particularly useful if
you are set to NoMail, or if you want to search through old
messages to avoid repeating a question.
Some people solve the dilemma of too much email by simply getting
another email account dedicated to Air Force Academy email. Anyone
can get a free email account in a couple minutes at Yahoo, Google
(gmail), or other providers. Then subscribe to the
USAFA2012parents list from your new account.
If you really don't want to mess with the digest version, or
viewing messages on the web, or getting another email account,
then you should join the "lite" version of this list.
The lite version is designed to carry much less traffic -- maybe a
few messages per week. It's mostly important messages that get
forwarded from the main group.
NOTE: If you sign up for the lite version, you should ALSO sign up
for the main list (set to nomail), so that you will have access to
the other features
such as the
database and
other files,
and so that you can send email to the main
list if you need to. To sign up for the lite and to go nomail on
the main list,
use the web interface for the
main group and the
"lite" version ,
or
send blank emails to these addresses:
To:
usafa2012parents-lite-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To:
usafa2012parents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To:
usafa2012parents-nomail@yahoogroups.com
The "chat" version of this list (a sister list) is specifically
for those people who don't like the restrictions of
the main list. These guidelines and rules are set up to make the
main list higher quality, so that more parents will join and want
to stay in the loop.
But if you want a wild and free version, sign up for "chat"! Unlike
the main list, the "chat" version is totally unmoderated, so there
is no waiting for any posts to get through. Also, all replies go
back to everyone, to keep each other in the loop at all times.
Note that if you sign up for "chat", you must also sign
up for the main list, to make sure you don't miss anything there
(and so that you can get entered in the database).
Here's how to do both these with email commands:
To:
usafa2012parents-chat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To:
usafa2012parents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
(You must reply to the message asking for more info before
your subscription request is approved.)
Email distribution of a large mailing list can be unpredictable.
If you sent a message but have not received it yet, please do NOT
send another copy. (Especially if you use gmail -- gmail is a
great email program, except that it does not give you copies of
mail you send to Yahoogroups.)
If you are not sure whether your message went to the list, the
best way to check is to look at the online message archives:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents/messages
-
-
We value our members' privacy highly. To protect out members'
privacy, we do not share information with third parties in any way.
We make available a valuable resource, the
[a12p] database. With it, members can find information about
other parents and their cadets.
You can
search for someone's name or state or their cadet's squadron, or
you can click on any column header to sort by that column. If
you're not in the database yet, please click "Add Record" in the
upper right part of the page. Note that this info is available
ONLY to subscribers of this list (i.e., other parents), not to the
general public.
To access the database, just see the group's
home
page and click "Database" in the left column and then click on
"Contact List", or go directly
to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents/database?method=reportRows&tbl=1
Here are a few guidelines when entering your info, to allow users
to sort the database correctly:
- Parents' Name(s) -- enter last name, comma, first
name(s). Use "&" for a couple (e.g., "Arneberg, Tom & Beth")
- BCT Squadron -- enter squadron
(space) dash (space) letter
(e.g., "Barbarians - A")
- Birthday -- do NOT include the year, and pad them
with leading zeros (e.g., "06/25") (birthday is OPTIONAL)
- State -- use two-letter abbreviation (e.g., "WI",
not "Wisc")
- C4C Squadron -- enter squadron number (space) dash
(space) letter (e.g., "6 - Raging Bull Six")
For a more detailed explanation of how to work with the database
(add, edit, delete, sort records), please see the database help
file:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usafa2012parents/files/database_help.htm
NOTE: If you don't want to create a Yahoo ID, you can email the
above info to
a12pdatabase@yahoo.com
and a group moderator will
add it for you. Please use the following format, all on one line
with a semicolon between each field:
Parents' name(s); Parents' email; Cadet's name; BCT Squadron;
Permanent squadron (unknown yet; leave blank);
C4C Squadron; Hometown City; Hometown State; Cadet PO Box; Cadet birthday (MM/DD)
Example:
Arneberg, Tom & Beth; toma@cray.com; Benjamin Arneberg;
Barbarians - A; ; 05; Chippewa Falls; WI; 2684; 03/18
NOTE: Starting July 24, 2008, info has been added to the list every time a
new parent joins the list. If you would rather NOT have your data
available to other parents, you can go in and delete what you
want. But we encourage you to leave it there if possible, to allow
others to look you up. (The database is NEVER available to the
general public, only to other Academy parents.)
Also, many thoughtful parents send birthday cards to other cadets.
If you'd rather NOT have your cadet receive any such cards, you
can delete his or her birthday from the database.
-
This list is not managed or endorsed by the Air Force Academy. It
is run by 100% volunteers -- namely, fellow parents. Tom Arneberg
started the list in March 2008, and several other parents
volunteered to help moderate when it started getting busy in late
June.
We are
an independent, informal online community to support the parents
of the cadets of the class of 2012. Feel free to offer advice or
constructive criticism, but keep in mind that we are just doing
this in our spare time as a public service. (I.e., "Satisfaction
guaranteed or double your money back!") ;-)
Here are the moderators of this list:
| Name | Email | Specialty | Hometown | Cadet
| | Tom Arneberg
| tom@ar...
| Owner/FAQ | Chippewa Falls, WI
| Benjamin Arneberg
| | Walter Howard
| walter...
| Experienced | Phoenix, AZ
| Samantha Howard (2011)
| | Sonia Ottusch
| sonia...
| Membership | Malibu, CA
| John Ottusch
| | Marsha Casey
| marsha...
| | Phoenix, AZ
| Shauna Casey
| | Michelle Oravec
| a2012us@...
| | Brunswick Hills, OH
| Kyle Nunez
| | Greg Ernandes
| vikings@...
| Database
| Efland, NC
| Nickolas Ernandes
|
You can reach all of the moderators at once by sending email to
this address:
To:
usafa2012parents-owner@yahoogroups.com
Whoever is available first will reply to you and deal with your
question or suggestion.
If you have any questions not covered here, please
send me email.
- Tom A.
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;-) I'd rather be ____ Thomas R. Arneberg | Favorite CAD tools:
:-) singing in a |____| tom@arneberg.com | vi, perl, sed, tcl,
:-) Barbershop _| _| Cray Supercomputers| mutt, grep, undoc
:-) Quartet! (_) (_) Chippewa Falls, WI | http://arneberg.com
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Related links:
USAFA |
WebGuy |
AOG |
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