Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our FAQ page! The place to get answers and handy tips on subscribing to Chinwag's discussion email lists and newsletters - posting, delivery options, list etiquette, and much more...
1. What are the Chinwag mailing lists?
2. What’s the difference between a discussion and an announcement list?
3. Asking for recommendations “off-list”
4. How do I subscribe to a mailing list and what’s the difference between digest and individual modes?
5. How do I post to the list?
6. What do the list owner and the moderator do?
7. Why didn't my post show up?
8. How do I switch between individual and digest modes on a mailing list?
9. Can I post freelance or permanent roles on the discussion lists?
10. Etiquette – good practice and the mailing list vibe
11. Can I reply / email people directly from the list?
12. Can I post html emails or attachments to the Chinwag lists?
13. What if I change my email address?
14. Not receiving email – get your address whitelisted
15. How do I unsubscribe from a mailing list?
16. Where is the web archive of the mailing lists at Chinwag?
17. Sponsorship of the lists
18. Other questions...
1. What are the Chinwag mailing lists?
Sign-up for any of our mailing lists and each time anyone on the mailing list posts to the list, you will receive it as an individual email. You can post to the list at any time at this address. You can also reply to other people’s posts on the discussion lists (with the exception of Viral Monitor, which is an announcement-only list). You can monitor the topics and discussions via the email subject lines, and participate whenever you want to! If you prefer to get a daily round-up of discussions, subscribe to the Digest version of the list.
2. What’s the difference between a discussion and an announcement list?
A discussion list is intended to allow members of the list to discuss a particular subject area via email. Email that is sent to the list will then be distributed to everyone else on that list via a moderator. For a large list, this may mean a single message being re-distributed to several thousand people, so it’s worth thinking about what you put in your message and only including as much of the message you’re replying to, if necessary.
Discussion lists:
uk-netmarketing
uk-wirelessmarketing
uk-design
uk-flasher
uk-usability
uk-ecommerce
uk-webtv
An announcement list is a one-way affair, as the name suggests. They are used for Chinwag-related breaking news, announcements and special offers, and, with Viralmonitor, the first release of viral campaigns out to a community of peers and marketing practitioners
Announcement lists:
Newsletters:
Useful newsletters produced by Chinwag with news, updates and speacial offers relating to their particular digital media industry area. They vary in frequency but are currently delivered no more than once a week each.
chinwag-events
chinwag-announce
chinwag-reports (coming soon
chinwag-training (coming soon)
3. Asking for recommendations “off-list”
People can post to the list asking for recommendations "off-list" for particular products or services relating to their projects - as we do not allow pitching and self-recommendation on our discussion lists. When replying to these queries, please do not simply “reply” to the email from the person that was sent to the list! Instead, please compose a fresh email to them and email them that way. If you reply to the email that was distributed via the list, Chinwag will not publish your reply as the person has asked for “off-list” recommendations.
4. How do I subscribe to a mailing list and what’s the difference between digest and individual modes?
There is a subscription form on each list page, which you can use to subscribe to the mailing list in question. You get to these pages by using the Mailing Lists menu area on the left-hand side of this page. Many lists have two modes: individual and digest.
Individual Mode
Each message posted to the mailing list is relayed to you individually. On a high traffic mailing list, they may mean a great number of single emails. If you currently get the digest mode and want to switch to individual email mode, you can login and change it on your profile or request the change by sending an email (from your subscribed address, or it won’t work!) to the relevant email address below:
mail-uk-netmarketing(AT)lists.chinwag.com
mail-uk-wirelessmarketing(AT)lists.chinwag.com
mail-uk-usability(AT)lists.chinwag.com
mail-uk-design(AT)lists.chinwag.com
mail-uk-ecommerce(AT)lists.chinwag.com
mail-uk-webtv(AT)lists.chinwag.com
mail-flasher(AT)lists.chinwag.com
Digest Mode
Instead of receiving individual messages, they are grouped together and mailed to you (along with a handy list of the subject lines) at a specified interval. This is recommended for mailing lists which have a high volume of traffic. To switch to digest mode, login and change it on your profile or request the change by sending an email (from your subscribed address, or it won’t work!) to the relevant email address below:
digest-uk-netmarketing(AT)lists.chinwag.com
digest-uk-wirelessmarketing(AT)lists.chinwag.com
digest-uk-usability(AT)lists.chinwag.com
digest-uk-design(AT)lists.chinwag.com
digest-uk-ecommerce(AT)lists.chinwag.com
digest-uk-webtv(AT)lists.chinwag.com
digest-flasher(AT)lists.chinwag.com
If you have any problems subscribing or with changing mode, you should contact help(AT)chinwag(DOT)com.
5. How do I post to the list?
It's easy to post to the list. Once you’ve registered (see 4. above) just write an email with a subject-line and your comment/question and send it to the relevant email list from this selection:
uk-netmarketing(AT)lists.chinwag.com
uk-wirelessmarketing(AT)lists.chinwag.com
uk-usability(AT)lists.chinwag.com
uk-design(AT)lists.chinwag.com
uk-ecommerce(AT)lists.chinwag.com
uk-webtv(AT)lists.chinwag.com
viralmonitor(AT)lists.chinwag.com
flasher(AT)chinwag.com
6. What do the list owner and the moderator do?
The list owner (Chinwag) is responsible for the day-to-day running of the mailing lists, and should be your first port of call if you’re experiencing any problems. The list owner’s email address is listed on each mailing list’s page: help(AT)chinwag.com List owners will be able to help you subscribe, unsubscribe or change from digest to individual (or vice-versa) if you’re having problems.
The moderator’s role varies from list-to-list, but broadly speaking their role is to keep conversation on track. Moderators will see each email before it’s posted out to the mailing list.
7. Why didn't my post show up?
There are several reasons why this may happen. Firstly, the server may be very busy or indulging in a crash - in which case, we're sorry and please be patient with us!
Another reason could be that you sent the mail to the wrong address - double check your 'sent mail' and make sure you've sent it to the right list address (see point 5.)
You may have sent the mail with an attachment or as html (see 12. below). Finally, we may have a query about your posting, in which case Chinwag will contact you to let you know why your posting didn't appear and to get the extra information.
8. How do I switch between individual and digest modes on a mailing list?
Basically, changing from one mode to another requires you to send an email to the correct address for each list requesting the required mode (see point 4. above)
9. Can I post freelance or permanent roles on the discussion lists?
Chinwag has discontinued the posting of permanent and freelance roles on the mailing lists since the launch of Chinwag Jobs in January 2006. Recommendations of companies will be allowed in certain circumstances, but direct advertising and pitching will not be catered for. To find or recruit for roles across the digital sector, check out the services of our successful sister site Chinwag Jobs http://jobs.chinwag.com
10. Etiquette – good practice and the discussion list vibe
Etiquette is constantly in flux, but there are some standard practices for discussion lists that are worth adhering to, or at least, bearing in mind. That way, we all get to have our say without law suits flying, the world ending, or some folks bursting into tears. Check out the following resources:
• Classic arch advice from Emily Postnews http://www.templetons.com/brad/emily.html
• Eric Raymond’s advice for geek talk http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
• Association of Yale Alumni (of course!) http://www.aya.yale.edu/lists/etiquette.htm
11. Can I reply / email people directly from the list?
Yes, but with two provisios. Be aware that people may not be expecting you to contact them unless they have explicitly asked for replies “off-list”. Secondly, remember to copy/save their email address and compose a fresh email to them as replies to posts from the list go back to the moderator for delivery to the entire list and not just the person you’re replying to!
12. Can I post html emails or attachments to the Chinwag lists?
Unfortunately you can't post html mails or attachments to the Chinwag lists (please use plain text). The reasons?
• it doubles (or more) the size of the messages sent to the list
• it means that subscribers who request the digest version of the list get goobledegook and makes it very hard to read
• insecurities in older email programs could allow viruses or worms to propagate using email or via attachments
13. What if I change my email address?
You should unsubscribe your old address and subscribe with the new address using the subscribe form on the specific list homepage. See the point 15. if you're not sure how to unsubscribe.
14. Not receiving email – get your address whitelisted!
Is Chinwag email getting stuck in your bulk or spam folder? Follow our handy instructions for getting Chinwag email and newsletters whitelisted in your address book. Check these whitelisting outlines for Gmail, Outlook 2003, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL and Mozilla Thinderbird users. Thanks! more info...
15. How do I unsubscribe from a mailing list?
On each list’s web page, which you can reach directly by going to the Mailing List homepage or using the menu on the left-hand side of the screen, there is a web-form that will help you to unsubscribe from a mailing list. Please remember, you must use exactly the same email address you originally used to subscribe to the list. Although your request will be processed immediately it may take up to 36 hours for the email to stop. This happens because outgoing email gets put into a queue, and particularly if it’s a high volume list, a certain amount of email will already be queued for you before your unsubscribe request is received.
16. Where is the web archive of the mailing lists at Chinwag?
The Archive will soon be found in the main left-hand navigation. You must be registered (for a Chinwag mailing list, Chinwag Live event or for the Chinwag website) to access it but registration is free and they can be searched via keyword search inside the archives.
17. Sponsorship of the lists
The Chinwag mailing lists are open to sponsors. It's a great opportunity to reach very specific and informed audiences. Interested? Send an email to sales(AT)chinwag.com for more information or call 0870 730 7313.
18. Other questions...
If you’ve got any other questions, suggestions, problems, things that should be added to this FAQ etc. then please feel free to send them to: help(AT)chinwag.com. Thanks!
