Detailed Instructions

List membership is free to all paid-up members of MLFHS. You MUST be a member of the list to receive list messages from and to post messages to the list. It is, however, possible for the list administrator to forward a message to the list from a non-member if this is considered appropriate (e.g. some FFHS announcements).

This page provides detailed instructions on the use of the list and the tools available to you to manage your list membership.

Contents

Subscribing to the E-mail List

To join the list:

First ensure that you have cookies ENABLED. The system will not operate correctly if they are disabled.

Click the link Click here to join the list or to change your list details to access the sign-up page and scroll down to the section headed 'Subscribing to MLFHS'.

• Type your e-mail address into the box provided. Please do remember that the e-mail address you use when you join the list is the ONLY one which will be "recognised" by the system. If you try to send messages to the list from a different address it will be rejected.
• Type your first name and surname followed by your membership number in the box provided e.g. 'John Smith 12345'. Applications to join the list which do not include a full name and member number will not be accepted.
• Type your preferred password in the box provided and then re-type it in the second box (this is to ensure you have not mis-typed it). Alternatively, you can leave blank and the system will allocate a random password for you.
• The system will by default send you each list message individually. If you would prefer to receive a smaller number of mailings each containing several messages, click the 'Yes' option alongside 'Would you like to receive list mail batched as a daily digest? '
• Click the button labelled 'Subscribe'

Your application will be sent to the list moderator for approval. When it is approved, you will receive an e-mail from the system. This contains a link to the system. Click this link. Your browser will open with a confirmation message. You are now a member of the list. Please note that you MUST do this within three days of the message arriving.

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The Member Interface

The member interface to the e-mail list system allows registered members to unsubscribe, to get a password reminder,  to change e-mail address and password,  to suspend mail delivery during a holiday and to change between delivery of individual messages or 'digests'. All of these changes can be made without the need to involve the system administrator. Some functions require you to log into the user interface using your password.

 Accessing the member interface

To access the member interface:

• Click the link Click here to join the list or to change your list details and scroll down to the section headed 'MLFHS Subscribers'.
• Enter your e-mail address in the box alongside the button labelled 'Unsubscribe or Edit Options'
• Click the button labelled 'Unsubscribe or Edit Options'

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The following functions do not require you to log in

Unsubscribing
You should ONLY unsubscribe if you wish to leave the list permanently. If you wish to stop list messages arriving for a short period, for example when you are on holiday, you should suspend mail delivery as described below.

To unsubscribe:

• Access the member interface as described above
• Click the button labelled 'Unsubscribe'

An e-mail will be sent to your registered address. This contains a link to the system. Click this link. Your browser will open with a confirmation message. You are now no longer a member of the list. Please note that you MUST do this within three days of the message arriving.

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Password Reminder
If you are having difficulty logging into the member interface, please note that the password is case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as it was originally specified when you joined the list or last changed your password. If you still have difficulty, you can get a password reminder mailed to your registered e-mail address.

To obtain a password reminder:

• Access the member interface as described above
• Click the button labelled 'Remind'

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Logging into the Member Interface

To log into the member interface:

• Access the member interface as described above
• Enter your password in the box provided (note it is case-sensitive)
• Click the button labelled 'Log In'

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The following functions require you to log in using your password

Changing your e-mail address
If you change your Internet Service Provider (ISP) it is likely your e-mail address will also change. Until you change the address registered with the system to your NEW address, list messages will continue to be mailed to your OLD address and messages sent from your new address will be rejected.

To change your e-mail address:

• Log into the member interface
• Scroll to the section headed 'Changing your MLFHS membership information'
• Enter your new e-mail address in each of the two boxes provided
• You may also amend your name and member number at this time if required - otherwise do not change the entry
• Click the button labelled 'Change my address and name'

An e-mail will be sent to your registered address. This contains a link to the system. Click this link. Your browser will open with a confirmation message. Your address has now been changed and your old address is no longer valid. Please note that you MUST do this within three days of the message arriving.

If you wish temporarily to have both old and new addresses registered on the system, see 'Registering two addresses' below. This can sometimes be useful if you are having teething troubles with a new ISP.

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Changing your password
You may occasionally wish to change your password either for security reasons or to replace the password with something more memorable.

To change your password:

• Log into the member interface
• Scroll to the section headed 'Your MLFHS Password'
• Enter your new password in each of the two boxes provided
• Click the button labelled 'Change my Password'

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Disable/Enable mail delivery
You may occasionally wish to stop list messages arriving, for example while you are away on holiday. The following method retains your membership of the list. If you wish to stop messages PERMANENTLY then Unsubscribe as described above.

To enable or disable mail delivery:

• Log into the member interface
• Scroll to the section headed 'Your MLFHS Subscription Options'
• Scroll to the (first) item 'Mail Delivery'
• Click on the radio button labelled 'Enabled' or 'Disabled' as required
• Scroll to the bottom of the page
• Click the button labelled 'Submit my Changes'

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Selecting single or digest mailings
You have the option of receiving each message posted to the list separately or receiving 'digest' messages which contain several individual messages in a single e-mail. By default delivery is set to individual messages.

To select digest mail delivery:

• Log into the member interface
• Scroll to the section headed 'Your MLFHS Subscription Options'
• Scroll to the (second) item 'Set Digest Mode'
• Click on the radio button labelled 'On'
• Scroll to the bottom of the page
• Click the button labelled 'Submit my Changes'

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Registering Multiple Addresses

Although most members will find registering a single address adequate, it may sometimes be desirable to register two or more addresses. For example:

• You may wish to post messages to the list from both your home or office addresses
• You may wish to maintain an old address while a new one is being set up
• You may wish to divert your mail to an alternative address when your ISP has a problem
• Your provider may use two address formats such as gmail.com and googlemail.com

To register an additional address:

• Register the new address as described in 'Subscribing to the e-mail list' above
• Confirm the registration by clicking on the link in the e-mail received after the subscription is approved

You will now be able to send mail from either address and you will also receive copies of each list message to BOTH addresses.

If you wish to only receive one copy of each list message:

• Log in to the member interface using the address which you wish not to receive mailings
• Disable mail delivery as described above

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Sending Messages to the List

Messages to the list should be addressed to mlfhs@genuki.org.uk

You are advised to format your messages as TEXT and NOT as HTML. All messages will be delivered in TEXT format regardless of how they were sent

Do not attach any files to your messages. These will be removed by the system.

Why don't my messages appear on the list?

Messages posted to the list address should be delivered to list members, including a copy to the sender) within a matter of minutes. If you post a message and you do not receive a copy (and you are receiving list messages from other members) there may be several possible causes:

• Wrong system address - You are sending your messages to the wrong address. See Sending messages to the list above
• Unregistered address - The address from which you sent the message is not your registered address. Such messages are trapped by the system and will usually be bounced back by the list administrator. This may take several days. See Changing your e-mail address or Registering multiple addresses above as appropriate.
• Message too big - The system will not forward any message larger than about 64kB in size. This should be adequate for a very long text message but an HTML format message with large (and particularly animated) graphic content may fall foul of this limit. Some free mail services load extra advertising content onto user messages. Use TEXT format or change mail provider if it is not possible to reduce message size.
• Messages being moderated - Your address has been made subject to moderation and messages will only be forwarded to the list after the list administrator has examined them. It would generally only be used in the event of a member posting unacceptable content. Any member in this situation will have been informed. Contact the system administrator if you believe this to be the case.

Alternatively, you may not be receiving ANY messages from the list, in which case possible causes are:

• Mail delivery disabled - You may have disabled your mail for a holiday and forgotten to enable it on your return. Alternatively, if the system detects that messages to your address are being continually 'bounced' (possibly due to a full mailbox or ISP fault) then your mail will be suspended automatically. Follow the instructions under Disable/Enable mail delivery above to check whether delivery is suspended and to enable delivery if necessary.
• Spam filtering - it is possible that you have inadvertently set up a spam filter to divert MLFHS messages to a spam folder (or to delete them completely). Check your spam filters and folders.
• ISP spam filtering - Occasionally the list address can be incorrectly identified as the source of spam and messages from the system deleted by the ISP. This usually lasts no longer than 24 hours.
• System faults - if the mail system server fails, delivery may cease until it is restored. Messages sent to the list will usually be stored in the mail network for several days before being bounced back to the sender if the problem persists.

Can I get a virus from a list message?

The simple and unequivocal answer is NO! Viruses are mailed as files attached to e-mail messages and the list system removes any attachments before distributing messages to members.

However, there are two circumstances in which you may be exposed to risk:

• Infected links - If a message is generated by a virus infection and uses a sender address which is registered with the system (this may not be the address of the infected PC), it will be delivered to list members. Such a message will not carry a virus but it may contain a link to a web site at which an infection may be contracted. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINK IN A LIST MESSAGE UNLESS YOU ARE SURE IT IS SAFE. Any list message which consists of only a link or which promotes a product or which exhorts you to click on the link is almost certainly spam and should be deleted
• Carbon Copies - If a list member answers a message by clicking 'Reply All' this will produce a reply to the list address and a carbon copy to the original sender. If the respondent has a virus infection on their PC then both messages may be infected. The reply via the list will have the virus attachment removed by the list system, but the direct reply will will deliver the virus file.

You should NEVER participate in e-mail unless you have anti-virus software installed on your PC and keep this up to date with regular virus signature updates. This will ensure that you are kept safe from virus infections from incoming messages and that you do not pass infections on to other people.