"Kumamoto International"
Subscribers' Page

Hi! My name's Kirk Masden and I put this page up to provide information regarding the use of the "Kumamoto International" mailing list to current subscribers. I plan to add information little by little over the coming months. Persons interested in this mailing list but not yet subscribed should refer to the "Introductory Page" linked above.

FAQ

• How do I post a message?
• Why are responses automatically addressed to the sender instead of the list?
• What kinds of messages are appropriate?
• What causes mojibake?
• Where is the archive?
• Can I receive messages in a daily digest?
• How can I introduce the group to my friends?
• How do I quit?

• How do I post a message?

  Simply send your message to the following address:

  kumamoto-i@yahoogroups.com

  Please understand that, if you choose to post a message to this mailing list, it will be automatically (and permanently) stored on the list's public archive. From that point on, anyone in the world will be able to read your message at any time. Your message may also be indexed by a search engine such as Google, so that a search on the Internet for your name, for example, might take the searcher to a message you posted to this mailing list.

  Also, note that when you respond to a message that has been sent to the list, your response is automatically addressed to the sender. If you wish to have your response sent to all of the subscribers to the list you will need manually change the address to: kumamoto-i@yahoogroups.com.

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• Why are responses automatically addressed to the sender instead of the list?

  This helps keep the traffic manageable and protects the privacy of those who wish to offer advice discretely. In February of 2001, subscribers to the list affirmed their support for this setting (click here to read about the results of an informal survey of Kumamoto-i participants regarding this matter). However, it has the disadvantage that valuable information is sometimes never shared. For this reason I would like to make two requests regarding inquiries:

  1. When you respond to an inquiry, send your response to the list if possible.
  2. When you send an inquiry to the list and receive information privately (not via the list), send a summary of the information received to the list.

  In writing this summary, be sure to protect the privacy of those who have sent you information. An outstanding example of such a summary may be viewed at the following address:

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kumamoto-i/message/3600

  If you're not sure what came to you through the list and what came to you privately, you can compare the messages you received with what is on the Kumamoto-i archive. If a message you received is not on the archive, then it was sent to you privately.

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• What kinds of messages are appropriate?
  • Topics

    Topics related to Kumamoto (events, places to enjoy the arts and cuisine, local issues and news, etc.) are clearly appropriate. Other topics, however, have been introduced and are welcome. When posting messages that are not related to Kumamoto, it is a good idea to append "(NKR)" (Non-Kumamoto Related) to the subject line. This will help persons only interested in Kumamoto-related messages to avoid reading unrelated messages.

    Click here to read a message I posted suggesting some guidelines regarding the posting of commercial messages and forwarded humor.

  • Language

    There has been some discussion about whether or not special care should be taken to make English messages easy for Japanese readers to understand. Click here, to find the beginning of that discussion in the archive. The discussion starts with messages #504, #505, and #511 then continues with those that contain the word "denominator" in the subject line.

    Ultimately, the final decision is left to each individual participant. This is, after all, an unmoderated list.

  • Netiquettte

    Criticism of the ideas of others is fine but personal attacks on the character of others should be avoided. In other words, criticize the ideas -- not the person.

    Also, please avoid profanity (so called "four-letter words").

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• What causes mojibake?

  English messages that use "English" characters from Japanese fonts look fine on a Japanese-capable computer but are not legible on computers without Japanese capability. To view examples of what can go wrong, click here. Mojibake on this list is usually caused by the use of zenkaku (full-size or wide) English characters from Japanese fonts. Accordingly, all of the examples are of what goes wrong when zenkaku letters are used. Please keep in mind, however, that hankaku (narrow) characters that are unique to Japanese fonts may also cause problems.

  Japanese Summary

  

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• Where is the archive?

  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.

  The archive is searchable. This allows it to function as a database of English-language information related to the Kumamoto area. Toward the upper right-hand corner of the page you should see a search dialogue box. If you remember reading something on the list that you thought was interesting or useful but have lost the specific information, you should be able to find it by searching the archive with a key word or two.

  Japanese text found on the archive should be legible if your computer software supports Japanese text and if you choose the proper character code on your browser (in some cases, this may involve some trial and error). If you have difficulty viewing the Japanese text or if it is only partially legible you may want to try clicking on "Forward" (toward the bottom of the screen). Here again, you may need to experiment with the chracter code setting on your browser. Then, you should be able to either read the Japanese text on the screen or send it to yourself as an e-mail to read later. (Note: You must have a Yahoo! identify and be logged in on the Yahoo!Groups site to use this "Forward" function.)

  Some information that first appeared on the list has since been organized in a set of links to English-language information on Kumamoto. The address of that set of links is:

  http://www.kumagaku.ac.jp/teacher/~masden/links.html

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• Can I receive messages in a daily digest?

  Yes. You can choose between three different ways of receiving messages: (1) individually (each message is delivered separately -- this is the default); (2) in digest form (all of the messages posted within a 24-hour period are delivered in one message); or (3) on the archive (no messages will be sent to you by e-mail).

  If you would like to change the way in which you receive messages please do the following:

  1. Go to

     http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups

     and sign-in or register. The WEB page tells you how to do this.

  2. Once you are signed in, you should find "kumamoto-i" listed as one of your groups. Click on "kumamoto-i."
  3. When you reach the "kumamoto-i" page you should see "Edit My Membership" on the right-hand side. From there you can chose the setting you prefer.

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• How can I introduce the group to my friends?

  The following page will provide your friends with all the information they need to sign up:

  http://www.kumagaku.ac.jp/teacher/~masden/kumamoto-i/index.html

  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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• How do I quit?

  To quit (or "unsubscribe") just send a blank e-mail message to the following address:

  kumamoto-i-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

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