[PHOTO/CAPTION: David Andrews]

[PHOTO/CAPTION: David Andrews]

The Braille Monitor

June,

2002

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You've

Got More Mail

by

David Andrews

David

Andrews

From

the Editor: David Andrews has served faithfully for many years now as the systems

operator for the NFB's bulletin board.

In

March of 1999 the Braille Monitor published an article called "You've

Got Mail." Since that time quite a number of Internet mailing lists have

been added to NFB Net, so this seems a good time to update this 1999 article.

While

the part of the Internet that gets the most attention is the World Wide Web

(www), the Internet service that people use the most is electronic mail or e-mail.

That is just as true for members of the National Federation of the Blind as

it is for our sighted friends. One use of e-mail which has exploded over the

past few years is Internet mailing lists, also called listservs.

A

listserv is a list of people who use electronic mail to discuss a topic of mutual

interest. In general, when you decide to join a mailing list, you send an e-mail

message to a special address, with some specified words either in the body of

the message or in the To: line or the Subject: line. Your name is then added

to the list of subscribers to that list, and you will automatically receive

in your electronic mailbox a copy of every message sent to that list.

This

kind of communication has a number of advantages and a few disadvantages. First,

when properly used, mailing lists allow for very focused topical and timely

discussion. You can get answers to specific questions quickly. You can also

read and answer mail at your convenience. Support and a real sense of community

can develop--something we know a lot about in the NFB. On the downside, message

threads sometimes wander, and lots of off-topic messages get posted. Also, because

of the impersonal nature of the medium, people say things that they wouldn't

say in face-to-face conversations--personal attacks, so-called flames.

Nevertheless,

inside and outside the NFB Internet mailing lists are an increasingly popular

mode of communication. In fact, hundreds of lists cater to blind and visually

impaired people, and tens of thousands of lists exist overall. We now have approximately

twenty-four lists on NFB Net, with more coming.

The

NFB and many of its divisions, as well as some state affiliates, now sponsor

mailing lists. The majority, but not all of them, are hosted by our computer

bulletin board/Web/FTP service, NFB Net. In fact, NFB Net is the grandfather

of all of our discussion lists, having started NFB Talk and Blind Talk back

in 1991.

To

subscribe to a list on NFB Net, send a message to <[email protected]>.

Leave the subject line blank, and write the word "subscribe" followed

by the name of the list to which you are subscribing in the body of the message.

Please

note that "listserv" has eight letters: listserv; there is no e on

the end. All the body of the message need contain is the word "subscribe"

plus the list name, which is a word up to eight characters in length. While

names here are shown preceded by the <and followed by>, these punctuation

marks are the conventional indication of the beginning and end of an address

and should not be included in what you type when subscribing. Also please note

that some of the list names contain hyphens, which must be used. Finally, each

list is available in two different formats, regular and digest. A regular list

means that you get a copy of each message as it is sent to the list, and digest

mode means that you get only one message every twenty-four hours. This message

contains all the individual messages for the past twenty-four-hour period. On

NFB Net digests are composed and sent each evening at 7:00 p.m. Central Time.

Below

is the information about each list added to NFB Net since early 1999 and the

list names needed to subscribe. These list descriptions are taken from the information

automatically sent to users when they subscribe to the list. If you have any

problems, please contact David Andrews by e-mail at either <[email protected]>

or <[email protected]>.

The

purpose of the blind parent list is to create a forum for blind parents to share

their experiences. Topics may include but are not limited to solving logistical

problems (such as how to manage a couple of wiggly toddlers at a shopping mall

when you need one hand for your cane and the other to carry packages), emotional

issues such as dealing with the public, and handling a child's embarrassment

about blindness. Parents are also encouraged to share resources, such as arranging

the exchange of print/Braille books. The list name is <blparent> and the

digest name is <parent-d>.

Musictlk

is the e-mail list of the National Association of Blind Musicians (NABM), the

music division of the National Federation of the Blind. Musictlk offers a forum

for the discussion of topics of particular interest and concern to blind persons

who work as full-time or part-time musicians and to blind individuals who are

preparing to enter the music profession. Such topics might include employment

opportunities, copyright law, availability of Braille music, new software, other

technology of particular importance to blind musicians, and resolutions and

policies of the National Federation of the Blind that may have an impact upon

blind musicians and the music profession. The list also serves as a vehicle

for the dissemination of information related to the programs, activities, and

administration of the National Association of Blind Musicians. Members of NABM

or anyone else with a serious involvement or interest in music is invited to

be a part of the list. The list name is <musictlk>, and the digest name

is <music-d>.

Welcome

to the National Association of Blind Office Professionals (NABOP) list. The

purpose of the National Association of Blind Office Professionals list is to

serve as a vehicle to exchange information between blind people in various office

jobs such as telephone operators, receptionists, secretaries, transcribers of

Braille transcription and medical transcription, customer service jobs, Braille

proofreaders, etc. With proper training and opportunity, blind persons can perform

these jobs by learning from others what alternative techniques are being used

today. The list name is <nabop>, and the digest name is <nabop-d>.

The

purpose of the deaf-blind mailing list is to serve as a vehicle in which deaf-blind

people can exchange information on all aspects of daily life, including adjustments

to deaf-blindness, sources in obtaining assistive devices designed for deaf-blind

persons, and any other NFB-related matters of interest to NFB-DB members. This

list is open to all interested parties, including professionals who work with

deaf-blind clients, teachers who work in special education for deaf-blind students,

parents of deaf-blind children, etc. The list name is <nfb-db>, and the

digest name is <nfb-db-d>.

The

National Organization of Blind Educators sponsors NOBE-L, a mailing list for

blind people working in or aspiring to work in the profession of education.

Subscribers to the list work in all levels of education. Some people teach blind

students, and some teach sighted students. NOBE-L provides a forum for all blind

educators to discuss strategies, techniques, and experiences related to the

profession of education. The list name is <nobe-l>, and the digest name

is <nobe-d>.

The

Rehab list is for interested individuals or workers in the field of rehabilitation

for the blind. This listserv is to promote positive attitudes concerning rehabilitation

for blind individuals. Discussions may be held in the areas of certification

for rehabilitation professionals, job search for customers, assistive technology

in the rehabilitation process, necessary alternative techniques, and laws that

govern the rehabilitation field. This will give those of us in the field the

opportunity to gain support and share ideas. The list name is <rehab>,

and the digest name is <rehab-d>.

The

purpose of Stylist is for writers to share resources and techniques of writing,

but it's also for the purpose of networking and promoting the ideals of NFB

and the Writers' Division. The list name is <stylist>, and the digest

name is <stylistd>.

The

Vendtalk list exists to promote communication to, between, and by blind vendors,

as well as others interested in the National Federation of the Blind Merchants

Division. Possible topics of discussion include, but are not limited to, the

operation of vending facilities, vending machine operation and repair, product

selection, other marketing and merchandising topics, laws affecting blind vendors,

and more. The list name is <vendtalk>, and the digest name is <vtalk-d>.

Three

state affiliates, Alabama, Illinois, and Washington, now have listservs. Members

have found this to be an efficient and effective way to communicate with each

other.

The

purpose of the 4alabama list is to engage in dialogue about issues that affect

the blind in this state. Membership on this list includes members of Alabama

state agencies serving the blind, teachers of the visually impaired, and consumers.

This list is sponsored and run by the National Federation of the Blind of Alabama,

and therefore discussions will be limited to issues, legislation, how-to questions,

and literature that affect the blind living in the state of Alabama. Issues

concerning how to get better services from the agencies and how to get schools

to serve your child better are very much welcomed. The list name is <4alabama>,

and the digest name is <4al-d>.

The

e-mail list of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois is il-talk.

The purpose of this listserv is twofold. First, it will provide information

to anyone interested in events and issues affecting blind people in Illinois.

Second, it will facilitate discussion on topics related to blindness. The list

name is <il-talk>, and the digest name is <iltalk-d>.

The

purpose of NFBWA Talk is to facilitate discussion among members of the NFB of

Washington and to present a means of disseminating announcements of interest

to NFB of WA members. There will also be occasional posts concerning issues

of major importance to the blind as well as announcements concerning activities

of the National Federation of the Blind. The list name is <nfbwatlk>,

and the digest name is <nfbwa-d>.

The

Art Education for the Blind mailing list exists to discuss the use and development

of tactile representations of artwork, especially those produced by Art Education

for the Blind (AEB). This group is mainly of interest to those working with

AEB materials. The list name is <aebteam>, and the digest name is <aebteamd>.

In

addition to these lists, NFB Net also hosts eleven other lists. For information

on all lists, send a message to [email protected]. Leave the subject blank,

and put the word "index" without the quotes on the first line in the

message.

You

can now also search or view messages posted on NFB Net via the World Wide Web

by using a browser such as Internet Explorer or IBM's Home Page Reader. Go to

the address http://www.nfbnet.org. From this page you can subscribe and unsubscribe

to mailing lists and view or search the message archives. All messages on listservs

hosted on NFB Net are also stored on the bulletin board system for reference

or later perusal. You can telnet to NFB Net by pointing your telnet client to

<nfbnet.org>. You can also dial in using a standard modem by calling (651)

688-6334. In addition, files stored on NFB Net are also available via the World

Wide Web and via FTP. You can go to <http://www.nfbnet.org> or <ftp://ftp.nfbnet.org>

to retrieve files, including past issues of the Braille Monitor, Future

Reflections, and more.

We

would also like to remind you that it is possible to get the Braille Monitor

electronically each month. The <brl-monitor> list provides the entire

text of the month's Braille Monitor directly to your electronic mailbox.

Well over 800 readers from around the world subscribe to this list. This is

an efficient, timely, and inexpensive way to receive the Monitor.

To

receive the Braille Monitor electronically, send a message to <[email protected]>.

Leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the message write "subscribe

brl-monitor" followed by your full name. For example, if I wanted to subscribe,

I would put the following in the body of the message: subscribe brl-monitor

David Andrews. I would then send the message to <[email protected]>.

If

your NFB state affiliate, division, or group wishes to start its own list, please

have the president or an authorized officer contact David Andrews by telephone

at (651) 688-6364 or by e-mail at [email protected] to make the arrangements.

See you online.

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