"Kumamoto International"

Hi! My name is Kirk Masden. I'm an associate professor at Kumamoto Gakuen University. I've lived in Kumamoto since 1991.

In October of 1999 I created an unmoderated mailing list to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas related to the Kumamoto area. Since then the list has grown steadily (click here to check the current number of subscribers). My impression is that about half of the subscribers are Japanese and half are foreign. Most live in the Kumamoto area but there are also many participants from outside of Kumamoto. If you subscribe you will receive information relevant to life in Kumamoto via e-mail. You will also be able to pose questions or send information to other subscribers.

To subscribe, just send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

kumamoto-i-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you have already subscribed to Kumamoto International, be sure to look at the Subscribers' Page for information on how to post, etc.

FAQ

• What kind of list is it?
• Who can join?
• What languages are used?
• Will my privacy be protected?
• Is there an archive?
• How much mail will I get?
• If I join, will it be hard to quit?
• OK. I'm convinced. How do I join?
• Should I tell my friends?

• What kind of list is it?

  The list is intended to facilitate the exchange of information related to events and issues in the Kumamoto area. I felt the need to create such a list through my involvement in several local volunteer efforts. I noticed that it was fairly easy to use the Internet to get information to the other side of the globe but that the Internet was not as useful as it might be for getting information about local events to people here in Kumamoto. The problem was that no appropriate local network had been established for such a purpose. I thought that setting up this mailing list would make the Internet more useful and relevant to the international community in Kumamoto.

  The mailing list is intended to provide the following:

  • a way to share information on events that might be of interest to foreign and/or Japanese residents of Kumamoto

  • a place where new residents (particularly foreign residents) of the community can make friends (friends that are actually close enough to meet!) and ask for advice about various aspects of life in Kumamoto

  • a venue for local foreigners and Japanese interested in international matters to get to exchange ideas

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• Who can join?

  Anyone interested in international life in Kumamoto can join. Persons of all nationalities (Japanese, of course, included) are welcome.

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• What languages are used?

  Posts may be made in English or Japanese. To date, most messages on the list have been in English but Japanese messages are welcome as well, particularly if accompanied by an English summary or translation.

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• Will my privacy be protected?

  Yes. I, as manager, am the only person who has access to the list of subscribers. Your e-mail address will only become known to others when (if) you choose to post a message to the list. If you wish to avoid allowing others to know your e-mail address then do not post. You are free to "lurk" (that is, read messages posted by others without posting yourself) as long as you like.

  If you would like to know more about the security safeguards on this list please look at the following page:

  http://www.yahoogroups.com/info/privacy.html

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• Is there an archive?

  Yes. Here is the address:

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kumamoto-i/messages

  Anyone can view these old messages at any time. Accordingly, it is not necessary to subscribe to the list in order to read the contents. One important advantage of subscribing, however, is that you are more likely to see timely messages (e.g. about an event to be held later that day) if you are receiving them via e-mail.

  Also, Japanese text appears in this archive as mojibake. Fortunately, however, it is possible to access Japanese text that has been included in messages through the archive. Once you find the message with Japanese text that you want to view on the archive click on "Forward" . Then, you can either read the Japanese text on the screen or send it to yourself as e-mail to read later. (Note: You must have a Yahoo! identify and be logged in on the Yahoo!Groups site to do this.)

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• How much mail will I get?

  Click here to view the "Message archive by month." Dividing the number of messages in recent months by 30 will give a rough idea of how many messages you are likely to receive per day. If you wish to cut down on the number of messages you receive you may either select the digest mode or choose to read messages on the archive instead of receiving them via e-mail. For more information on these options, click here.

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• If I join, will it be hard to quit?

  No. Quitting (unsubscribing) is easy. Just send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

  kumamoto-i-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

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• How do I join?

  To sign up for the group just send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

  kumamoto-i-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

  Then just follow the simple instructions that will be mailed to you.

  It is also possible to subscribe to the list through the following form. Just type your e-mail address, hit the "Join Now!" button, and then respond to the confirmation message you will receive by e-mail:

  Subscribe to kumamoto-i
  Powered by groups.yahoo.com

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• Should I tell my friends?

  Yes! If you like the list, please tell your friends about it. The larger the number of subscribers, the more useful the list will become. If you would like to have something on paper that can be copied and distributed or placed on a bulletin board, then click here and print out this pdf document. If you have any problem printing out the pdf file then click here and print out this gif image.

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