Civil Spotters Mailing List Rules And FAQs (Formerly Civil Aviation Enthusiasts)
CIVIL SPOTTERS MAILING LIST USER GUIDE (Google Groups)
General Information
The purpose of the list is to exchange, share and disseminate information relating to civil aviation at any facility worldwide. However, management has agreed that military transports i.e transport aircraft which are to be seen in both a military and civil environment, 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 and might not be familiar with locations that you mention. 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.
This guide was written to help you use the Civil Spotters mailing list and to try to reduce the amount of unnecessary administration work for the list owners/moderators. At first glance the rules may appear a trifle pedantic but each has been compiled as a result of the owners' past experiences during a lengthy period of ownership of the list.
Please read, digest and keep the following information to hand for future use.
Subscribing to the Civil Spotters mailing 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.
In addition to the main list a FaceBook group (titled Civil Aviation Enthusiasts) is maintained to allow members to post photographs and to conduct on/off topic conversations. A link to the page is to be found at the foot of all mails to the main list.
Unsubscribing from the Civil Spotters list.
You can unsubscribe from the list from within your personal settings page
Contacting the list owners/administrators.
Should you ever need to contact the list administrators send an email to civil-spotters+owners@googlegroups.com Alternatively you may use pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk
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) names MUST be displayed in your personal settings in the box marked 'my display name'. If you are not prepared to submit those names your membership will be refused!
2) Messages MUST be in plain text - No HTML. (see FAQ Q8)
3) Prefixes (see PREFIXES below) MUST be used in your mail's subject line.
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) Advertising will not generally be accepted on the list. However, if approached, list management may give approval if the advertising is considered to be of benefit to the list membership and if the advertiser is prepared to give equal publicity to C-S. Each request received will be considered on a case by case basis. If accepted the header TRADE should be used.
Publicity for your personal 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 list management.
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.
10) The nature of our hobby demands that the accuracy of information posted to the list is of prime concern. The posting of false, or guessed, information will not be tolerated and will render the relevant member liable to removal. Should you feel the need to post unconfirmed information it is essential that you make clear to the membership that it is unconfirmed.
11) When you feel the need to offer thanks to a fellow member please send a private mail and do not go via the list.
IMPORTANT. Any breaches of the rules will result in the member being placed on moderation, or even removed. Moderation will invariably result in a delay to a post reaching the list.
STRICTLY NO LOCATION CODES, IATA or ICAO, shall be used in the subject line unless accompanied by the full name of the location. Any other abbreviation used should be made distinctly clear to the membership. Codes may be used in the main body of the message but remember, the easier your message is to read the greater is the chance of our international membership responding to it and assisting you. Header/subject line should be brief and to the point - do NOT put your message on that line!
PREFIXES (subject headers)
Every time you respond to a list post you will notice that 're' precedes the header when it appears on the list. Please DO NOT add 're' yourself as it will change the thread title and your message will not attach to the original post when it goes into the archive!
The C-S List headers are similar to those used on other lists and are in place to give members a clue to the content of your posting via a standardised format. They also assist members to filter their incoming mail. Their use is mandatory and thus concocting your own is not an option.
All emails that you receive from the Civil Spotters list are appended on the subject line with [C-S] to further assist you filtering your incoming e-mail.
You are obliged to use one of the following headers for your posts to the list and it will be the FIRST item in the subject line.
STAY: 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. In order to assist members tie up their sightings it is essential to include as much information as possible e.g. type and operator. Remember, registrations consist of capital letters!
MOV: A listing of airfield movements, again not forgetting to include the location. In order to assist members tie up their sightings it is essential to include as much information as possible e.g. type and operator. Remember, registrations consist of capital letters!
ORG: This one will be used by the administrators, only, to distribute information pertaining to the running of the list. Such postings should be retained for future reference.
If you have set yourself to 'no mail' it will be your responsibilty to check periodically for ORG messages - we will not be sending personal mails!
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! Do not expect the membership to do the dirty work for you!
DUE: An anticipated aircraft movement, with a source if possible.
TRADE: This header shall be used only after approval from the list administrators..
WEB: To be used for any website references. Please do not use the list as a billboard for your own website, unless a specific request has been approved by the list owners.
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 contact admin at civil-spotters+owners@googlegroups.com or at pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk
Q5). I object to someone's attitude in response to my own postings, what should I do?
Firstly, contact the person directly to try and settle your differences. DO NOT post your personal comments to the list. Secondly, contact the administrator at pauljay@home.nl DO NOT start an e-mail war in public, and DO NOT try to police the list yourself.
Remember, use of the list is part of our hobby and is 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.
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. If you send an email to the list that has a file attached your account will be unsubscribed. (also see Q9). Alternatively, post your photos on the FaceBook group.
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 administrator also has a life! 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 within the FAQs (which you should have read before contacting admin).
Q11). Does the list have an archive facility?
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). Does the list have a digest facility?
Yes there is an Email Digest (see Q13 on how to set to digest status)
Q13). How do I change my subscription status?
This can be done within your personal settings
Q14). How do I access the Google Groups web site?
Go to http://groups.Google.com
Q15). Can I see the membership list?
No. This facility is only available to the list administrators 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 the list owners at: pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk as a last resort only.
Q17). What is the easiest way to change my address if I change my ISP?
Advise the list owners at (pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk) of any ISP/address change by detailing your old address and the new address that you wish to use in future.
You can then go into 'My Settings' and click on 'Leave This Group' to unsubscribe your old address. Using the new address you should then send a blank mail to Civil-Aviation-Enthusiasts+subscribe@googlegroups.com in order to re-subscribe.
Disclaimer:
The owners of the Civil Spotters list in no way seek to influence or control the submitted content of postings except when it does not conform with acceptable content or format requirements (see list rules). The list owners decline to acknowledge responsibility for posted information that is not readily available in the public domain and any member found to be posting sensitive information from official sources leaves himself open to moderation or even removal from the list.
Views expressed on this list are those of the individuals concerned and do not necessarily reflect those of the list 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 (See Rule 10 above). However, as has been previously stated, members posting information known to be inaccurate will be dealt with appropriately by the list owner.
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. Welcome aboard!
Paul J. Hooper/Jan Broe
General Information
The purpose of the list is to exchange, share and disseminate information relating to civil aviation at any facility worldwide. However, management has agreed that military transports i.e transport aircraft which are to be seen in both a military and civil environment, 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 and might not be familiar with locations that you mention. 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.
This guide was written to help you use the Civil Spotters mailing list and to try to reduce the amount of unnecessary administration work for the list owners/moderators. At first glance the rules may appear a trifle pedantic but each has been compiled as a result of the owners' past experiences during a lengthy period of ownership of the list.
Please read, digest and keep the following information to hand for future use.
Subscribing to the Civil Spotters mailing 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.
In addition to the main list a FaceBook group (titled Civil Aviation Enthusiasts) is maintained to allow members to post photographs and to conduct on/off topic conversations. A link to the page is to be found at the foot of all mails to the main list.
Unsubscribing from the Civil Spotters list.
You can unsubscribe from the list from within your personal settings page
Contacting the list owners/administrators.
Should you ever need to contact the list administrators send an email to civil-spotters+owners@googlegroups.com Alternatively you may use pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk
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) names MUST be displayed in your personal settings in the box marked 'my display name'. If you are not prepared to submit those names your membership will be refused!
2) Messages MUST be in plain text - No HTML. (see FAQ Q8)
3) Prefixes (see PREFIXES below) MUST be used in your mail's subject line.
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) Advertising will not generally be accepted on the list. However, if approached, list management may give approval if the advertising is considered to be of benefit to the list membership and if the advertiser is prepared to give equal publicity to C-S. Each request received will be considered on a case by case basis. If accepted the header TRADE should be used.
Publicity for your personal 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 list management.
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.
10) The nature of our hobby demands that the accuracy of information posted to the list is of prime concern. The posting of false, or guessed, information will not be tolerated and will render the relevant member liable to removal. Should you feel the need to post unconfirmed information it is essential that you make clear to the membership that it is unconfirmed.
11) When you feel the need to offer thanks to a fellow member please send a private mail and do not go via the list.
IMPORTANT. Any breaches of the rules will result in the member being placed on moderation, or even removed. Moderation will invariably result in a delay to a post reaching the list.
STRICTLY NO LOCATION CODES, IATA or ICAO, shall be used in the subject line unless accompanied by the full name of the location. Any other abbreviation used should be made distinctly clear to the membership. Codes may be used in the main body of the message but remember, the easier your message is to read the greater is the chance of our international membership responding to it and assisting you. Header/subject line should be brief and to the point - do NOT put your message on that line!
PREFIXES (subject headers)
Every time you respond to a list post you will notice that 're' precedes the header when it appears on the list. Please DO NOT add 're' yourself as it will change the thread title and your message will not attach to the original post when it goes into the archive!
The C-S List headers are similar to those used on other lists and are in place to give members a clue to the content of your posting via a standardised format. They also assist members to filter their incoming mail. Their use is mandatory and thus concocting your own is not an option.
All emails that you receive from the Civil Spotters list are appended on the subject line with [C-S] to further assist you filtering your incoming e-mail.
You are obliged to use one of the following headers for your posts to the list and it will be the FIRST item in the subject line.
STAY: 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. In order to assist members tie up their sightings it is essential to include as much information as possible e.g. type and operator. Remember, registrations consist of capital letters!
MOV: A listing of airfield movements, again not forgetting to include the location. In order to assist members tie up their sightings it is essential to include as much information as possible e.g. type and operator. Remember, registrations consist of capital letters!
ORG: This one will be used by the administrators, only, to distribute information pertaining to the running of the list. Such postings should be retained for future reference.
If you have set yourself to 'no mail' it will be your responsibilty to check periodically for ORG messages - we will not be sending personal mails!
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! Do not expect the membership to do the dirty work for you!
DUE: An anticipated aircraft movement, with a source if possible.
TRADE: This header shall be used only after approval from the list administrators..
WEB: To be used for any website references. Please do not use the list as a billboard for your own website, unless a specific request has been approved by the list owners.
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 contact admin at civil-spotters+owners@googlegroups.com or at pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk
Q5). I object to someone's attitude in response to my own postings, what should I do?
Firstly, contact the person directly to try and settle your differences. DO NOT post your personal comments to the list. Secondly, contact the administrator at pauljay@home.nl DO NOT start an e-mail war in public, and DO NOT try to police the list yourself.
Remember, use of the list is part of our hobby and is 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.
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. If you send an email to the list that has a file attached your account will be unsubscribed. (also see Q9). Alternatively, post your photos on the FaceBook group.
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 administrator also has a life! 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 within the FAQs (which you should have read before contacting admin).
Q11). Does the list have an archive facility?
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). Does the list have a digest facility?
Yes there is an Email Digest (see Q13 on how to set to digest status)
Q13). How do I change my subscription status?
This can be done within your personal settings
Q14). How do I access the Google Groups web site?
Go to http://groups.Google.com
Q15). Can I see the membership list?
No. This facility is only available to the list administrators 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 the list owners at: pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk as a last resort only.
Q17). What is the easiest way to change my address if I change my ISP?
Advise the list owners at (pauljay@home.nl or jan@janbroe.dk) of any ISP/address change by detailing your old address and the new address that you wish to use in future.
You can then go into 'My Settings' and click on 'Leave This Group' to unsubscribe your old address. Using the new address you should then send a blank mail to Civil-Aviation-Enthusiasts+subscribe@googlegroups.com in order to re-subscribe.
Disclaimer:
The owners of the Civil Spotters list in no way seek to influence or control the submitted content of postings except when it does not conform with acceptable content or format requirements (see list rules). The list owners decline to acknowledge responsibility for posted information that is not readily available in the public domain and any member found to be posting sensitive information from official sources leaves himself open to moderation or even removal from the list.
Views expressed on this list are those of the individuals concerned and do not necessarily reflect those of the list 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 (See Rule 10 above). However, as has been previously stated, members posting information known to be inaccurate will be dealt with appropriately by the list owner.
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. Welcome aboard!
Paul J. Hooper/Jan Broe
