H-Net Help - Subscriber's Questions
Q: What is a discussion network?
A: H-Net's e-mail lists function as electronic networks, linking professors, teachers and students in an egalitarian exchange of ideas and materials. Every aspect of academic life--research, teaching, controversies new and old--is open for discussion; decorum is maintained by H-Net's dedicated editors. To see what subscribers are saying, visit the Discussion Logs Center. To find out more about a particular list, see the Discussion Networks Page.
Q: How do I subscribe to a list?
A: Visit the Subscription Center.
Q: How do I unsubscribe from my list?
A. Visit the List Management Center (requires login setup) and remove yourself from the list.
OR
B. Send an e-mail from the subscribed address to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with only the following text at the top of the body of your message (no subject needed):
signoff yourlistname
Example: signoff H-ALBION
Q: I subscribed to a list at the Subscription Center, but I never received a confirmation from H-Net's LISTSERV, why?
A: It is possible your mail server or your mailer's spam filter is moving this important confirm message (and possibly future LISTSERV messages) out of your site. You may want to check your junk mail or related folders for these misdirects or talk to your mail systems administrator. If your service provider is running anti-spam software on its network, it is possible that the confirmations are being trapped there. Contact help@mail.h-net.msu.edu if you suspect that is occurring; supply us with a contact address for your service provider’s network administrator or technical assistance desk.
It is also possible that our server is temporarily slow do to high traffic and it may take some time to receive a confirm message.
Q: How can I receive all of my messages in one e-mail?
A. Visit the List Management Center (requires login setup) and change your subscription settings to DIGEST.
OR
B. Send an e-mail to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with only the following text at the top of the body of your message (no subject needed):
set listname digest
Q: How to change my e-mail address?
A. Visit the List Management Center (requires login setup) and change your e-mail address.
OR
B. Send an e-mail from the new address to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with only the following text at the top of the body of your message (no subject needed):
change oldemailaddress newemailaddress
Listserv will respond to the old email address to obtain confirmation. If you do not have access to your old account contact help@mail.h-net.msu.edu.
Q: Listserv is saying that I am not subscribed to the list but I know that I am. How can I change my subscription settings?
A: The most common cause of this problem is that LISTSERV has an older version of your e-mail address recorded. Write to help@mail.h-net.msu.edu with your name, e-mail address, and the list(s) you are subscribed to. The help desk should be able to track down your subscription and update it accordingly.
Q: I am going on vacation; how do I temporarily suspend postings?
A. Visit the List Management Center (requires login setup) and temporarily disable mail delivery.
OR
B. Send an e-mail from the subscribed address to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with only the following text at the top of the body of your message (no subject needed):
set listname nomail
Example: set H-ALBION nomail
Q: My digest is not readable, what can I do to fix it?
A. Visit the List Management Center (requires login setup) and change your digest subscription settings to MIME.
OR
B. Send an e-mail to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with only the following text at the top of the body of your message (no subject needed):
set listname mime
Example: set H-ALBION mime
Q: How do I manage my subscription settings on the web?
A: Visit the List Management Center (requires login setup) and you can change the e-mail address at which you receive postings, change format and acknowledgement options, temporarily suspend postings, and unsubscribe.
Q: How can I receive all of my messages in one e-mail?
A. Visit the List Management Center (requires login setup) and change your subscription settings to DIGEST.
OR
B. Send an e-mail to listserv@h-net.msu.edu with only the following text at the top of the body of your message (no subject needed):
set listname digest
Q: How do I post a message to a list?
A: If you wish to post a message to a list you should subscribe to that list and follow the instructions in the welcome message. You can view the welcome message on the list's home page. See the list of list home pages.
Q: How can I look at the message logs without subscribing?
A: Visit the Discussion Logs Center.
Q: How do I configure my computer/mailer to use/see foreign characters?
A: See: http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/
Q: My posting is said to have character coding instead of actual text, what format should I send in?
A: Send mail in plain text/us-ascii format. This isn't the default in many mailers and must be manually set in the options/preferences.
Q: My posting was rejected because it was said to contain an attachment, what do I do?
A: This can happen when a mailer isn't configured properly. Set it to send mail in plain text/us-ascii format. This isn't the default in many mailers and must be manually set in the options/preferences.
Q: Why wasn't my message posted to the list?
A: All H-Net lists are edited, which means that every message posted is first approved by a list editor. If you do not hear from the list editor as to why your message has not appeared, please write to them for clarification at listname@h-net.msu.edu.
Q: Why am I getting duplicates of messages?
A: Generally, this is caused by anti-virus or anti-spam measures on your mail host (not your computer). Contact your ISP about it or for troubleshooting send both copies of such a message, with complete undamaged headers to help@mail.h-net.msu.edu.