Subscription Information and Help

Subscribing:

Go here and follow the instructions in the SUBSCRIBE section.

Suggestions:

• Use an email account that you check often.

• Consider a dedicated account just for the list.

• Don't use the mailname "lists" (for example, lists@bogusmail.net). It triggers a bug in the list software.

• Don't use an Earthlink address unless you plan to lurk forever. Our server doesn't reject Earthlink mail, the mail just never arrives at the server. Earthlink says it's not their fault. Whatever. Use another email service.

Once I've approved your subscription, which usually takes between 8 and 36 hours, you'll receive a welcome message. If you don't, check your spam folder.

The welcome message will have a password. You'll need it to tweak your subscription (set/unset digest mode, suspend/resume mail, other fun stuff). You probably won't save it. No worries; you can get a password reminder at your Configuration Page.

• By request: Contact me, and I'll unsubscribe you manually.

• On the web:
  1. Visit the Subscription Page.

  2. In the UNSUBSCRIBE section, enter the email address you use for the list and click Unsubscribe.

  3. Ignore the Member Options page which appears next.

  4. Check your email for a confirmation message. The confirmation keeps other people from unsubscribing you without your permission. If you don't receive it within 10-15 minutes, check your spam folder. You can then:
     • Reply to the message, leaving the subject line unchanged. You should soon receive a message confirming that you've been unsubscribed. OR,

     • Visit the link in the confirmation message with your web browser. Depending on how your email works, the link may be split over 2 lines, in which case you'll have to copy and paste it together in your browser's URL bar. You'll then see a page with Unsubscribe and Cancel and Discard. You'll know what to do.

• By email:
  1. Compose a message to the list processor address :
     ev-request@lists.evdl.org

     Either the subject or the body of the message should say :
     unsubscribe

     Warning #1: The unsubscribe email command won't work if it's sent to the list posting address. Use ev-request@lists.evdl.org.

     Warning #2: Make sure you send your unsubscribe email command from the same email address that you used when you subscribed to the list.

  2. Check your email for a confirmation message. If you don't receive it within 10-15 minutes, check your spam folder. You can then:
     1. Reply to the message, leaving the subject line unchanged. You should soon receive a message confirming that you've been unsubscribed. OR,

     2. Visit the link in the confirmation message with your web browser. Depending on how your email works, the link may be split over 2 lines, in which case you'll have to copy and paste it together in your browser's URL bar. You'll then see a page with Unsubscribe and Cancel and Discard. Go for it.

Posting:

To post a message to the list, email it to:

Stopping list mail temporarily:

You'll want to do this when you go on vacation, especially if you set an automatic responder. That way you won't return to find your mailbox clogged with list messages, and the rest of us won't have to watch your responder replying to itself.

Browse to your Configuration Page.

If you've lost your password, enter the email address you use for the list and leave the password blank. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Remind. You'll get your password by email in a few minutes. Copy and paste it into the form and click Log In.

On the next page, scroll down to the grey area and find Mail Delivery (first item). Click the radio button for Disabled. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click Submit My Changes.

Restarting list mail:

Follow the above instructions, but click the Enabled radio button instead of the Disabled radio button.

Setting Digest Mode:

If you ask for digests instead of single messages, the listserver will treasure up messages for a while, and then send them to you bunched in a single message.

Browse to your Configuration Page.

If you've lost your password (most people do), enter the email address you use for the list and leave the password blank. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Remind. You'll get your password by email in a few minutes. Copy and paste it into the form and click Log In.

On the next page, scroll down to the grey area and find Set Digest Mode (second item). Click the radio button for Enabled or Disabled. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click Submit My Changes.

Warning #1: Digests can be large! If your email system tacks the message you're replying to onto the end of your new one (most do), by replying to a digest you can accidentally create a huge message. It may be so bloated that the listserver will refuse to distribute it. To prevent this, please delete everything that you're not replying to before you send your post.

Warning #2: Digests have unhelpful subjects. When you reply, please change it to something relevant.

This may be a good place to suggest that you read about netiquette.

Settings:

You can adjust your subscription at your Configuration Page.

If you've lost your password, enter the email address you use for the list and leave the password blank. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Remind. You'll get your password by email in a few minutes. Copy and paste it into the form and click Log In.

After changing any of the settings below, scroll to the very bottom of the page and click Submit My Changes, or nothing you've done will take effect.

• Unsubscribe.
• Change your Email Address.
• Change your password.
• Have your current password emailed to you.
• Disable mail delivery temporarily. See above.
• Set Digest mode. See above.
• Request Plain text digests or MIME digests. This has no effect if you're not in digest mode. You may like MIME digests better. Try them and see. Some mail systems don't handle MIME digests well, so you may not have a choice after all.
• Unset Echo mode. Echo mode determines whether you receive copies of your own messages. The default is on. I don't know why anyone would turn this off, but there it is if you want it. Gmail and some other email systems seem to recognize your own posts and refuse to display them, regardless of how you set Echo mode.
• Set Acknowledge mode. If you turn this on, every time you post a message, the listserver will send you a message telling you that your message has been distributed. I guess this is in case you decide to turn off Echo mode, and then wonder whether anyone's listening. The default is off.
• Set Password Reminder. The listserver can send you mildly annoying monthly reminders of your password and how to make changes. The default is off.
• Unset Avoid Duplicates. If this option is set, the list will try to avoid sending you extra copies of emails where your own address is included in the TO and/or CC field. The default is on.

List conventions:

1. Post in plain text. No html, please.

2. No binary attachments. Post photos and such on a website that doesn't require a login and send the list a link.

3. No spam. Personal ads for used and owned-never-installed EV items are fine, just don't overdo it.

4. Don't post anything you don't have legal rights to.

5. Stay on topic. Specifically:

   • No partisan politics or religion.

   • No hydrogen or fuel cells. The list voted on this decades ago.

   • No overunity devices, magnetic motors, free energy, perpetual motion machines, or other laws-of-physics violators.

   • No ICEVs or non-plug hybrids.

6. Don't post racist, xenophobic, homophobic, or sexist comments.

7. Don't promote crime, hatred, or violence.

8. Thou shalt not be too annoying. Thou shalt not be too easily annoyed.

9. Don't be a troll. You may find yourself chained under the nearest bridge.

Moderation: I like a free exchange of ideas, so this list is usually unmoderated. However, I also like civility. Flame wars drive off reasonable users.

I don't moderate people or threads because I disagree with them. However, when someone routinely ignores the list conventions, or when things get a little overheated, a light tap of the moderation truncheon is sometimes appropriate.

Moderation isn't censorship. That's something that desperate governments do. I'm not a government, and I hope I'm not too desperate. But you can call it whatever you want. It won't change anything.

Not convinced? Fine. It's a big internet out there. There's lots of room for more EV discussion lists and forums. If you don't like the EVDL's policies, try somewhere else, or start your own.

What to do when something goes wrong.

• Q: I can't subscribe. I get a message that says, "List EV is closed; no more subscriptions are accepted unless sent directly by the subscription manager."

  A: You're using an obsolete subscription address and instructions. That was two servers and at least 15 years ago, but the old address is still floating round the web. Go here and follow the instructions in the SUBSCRIBE section.

• Q: I posted, but I didn't see my message.

  A: Possible causes and suggestions:

  1. Is your post in the archive? If so, you probably just have a hyperactive spam filter. Whitelist the list address.

  2. Make sure you're using the correct address for posting:

  3. We share the listserver with other lists. It might be overworked. Give it a few hours.

  4. Are you getting list mail from others? If not, the listserver might be down. If it's not back up in 24 hours, contact me.

  5. Are you sure that you're really subscribed? If you can't log into your configuration page, you probably aren't. Try re-subscribing.

  6. Are you sure you're sending from the email address that you subscribed with? Mail services have been known to change sending addresses behind your back. Quick fix: re-subscribe.

  7. Maybe you accidentally turned off your Receive Your Own Posts option. Check your configuration page.

  8. Maybe you put too many addresses in the TO or CC fields. Put in TO, and everything else in BCC.

  9. Maybe you put the list posting address in the CC or BCC field. It only works in the TO field.

  10. Your message is too long. Possible causes:

      1. You replied to a digest but left the whole digest on the end of your message. Please don't do that.

      2. You replied to a long thread and left all the previous posts on the end of yours. Please don't do that.

      3. You pasted something long into your message. Please don't do that. Send a link instead.

  11. You attached a binary file to your message. Please don't do that. Post it somewhere on the web that doesn't require a login, and send the list a link.

  12. Your email system uses a weird format that our server doesn't understand. The symptom is getting a rejection notice that says something like "The message's content type was not explicitly allowed." To fix this, make sure that your mail system is sending plain ASCII text, no HTML, no rich text, no fancy formatting.

• Q: I asked a question, and it showed up on the list, but nobody answered.

  A: It's possible that nobody knows the answer. It happens. Or maybe you just need to be a little clearer.

  1. Don't use a generic subject such as "EV Problem," say something specific -- for example, "Charger won't shut off."

  2. Give us some background. What vehicle? If it's a conversion, what motor, controller, batteries? What charger? Where are you located? What happened just before the problem started?

• Q: I see replies to messages I don't remember reading. It looks like I'm missing some list messages. What should I do?

  A: Some email providers just don't get on well with email discussion lists. Some have hyperactive spam filters. If you're missing our mail, there's a good chance that you're missing other mail too. You might try a different email service.

  Here are some that usually work with the EVDL. I'll start with a couple of privacy-oriented services. The first is free, and the second is cheap. Either can be used as webmail, or with an IMAP or POP email client program on your computer or handheld gadget.

  1. Disroot is a volunteer-run open source project based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, founded in 2015. Their servers run on renewable energy. You also get 2gb of encrypted cloud storage with your free account. Disroot signup isn't instantaneous - a human volunteer looks over every application. It usually takes a couple of days.

  2. Posteo has been around since 2009. Their servers are located in Germany, where they're covered by the EU's comprehensive privacy laws. They don't even ask for your name when you sign up. Basic email service costs €1 (about US$1.20) per month. You pay in advance (12-month minimum) by credit card, Paypal, or bank transfer. You can even mail them cash. They say they don't associate your payment method with your email address. Somehow they charge your credit card without your name, which is a little unsettling.

  Now the usual ad-supported ("free") services - Gmail, Yahoo, and MS. These are in order of popularity with EVDLers.
  1. Gmail doesn't charge you money for email service. You pay for it with your privacy instead. Their ads are occasionally entertaining. A Gmail quirk: it filters out the list's return of the messages you send. However, Gmail does deliver our mail reliably. Thirty-two percent of our members use it.

  2. Yahoo is a distant second and falling. About 12% of our subscribers still use it, even though it's blocked list mail for various periods at times. Yahoo's mailservers also handle AOL, AIM, and Verizon mail, so our mail to them has also been blocked. Last I heard, Yahoo was still reading your email to tailor the ads they show you.
  3. As I write this, Microsoft mail services (Hotmail, Outlook, Live, MSN) are working for the list, though we've had past problems with them. Their spam filters tend to be twitchy and have blocked our mail on occasion. Ten percent of our members use these services. They're not exactly great for your privacy, but they seem to snarf up less data than Google.

  If none of the above sounds good, maybe you can find something you like on Wikipedia's webmail list.

• Q: I thought I unsubscribed, but I'm still getting mail.

  A: Contact me. I'll fix it.

• Q: I need to shut off my EVDL mail while I'm on vacation, but the EVDL's Configuration Page wants a password. What password?

  A: Your password was in your welcome message when you subscribed, which you probably didn't save. No worries; the listserver will send you a password reminder.

  1. Browse to your Configuration Page.

  2. At the top of the page, enter the email address you use for the list. Leave the password blank for now.

  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click Remind. A new page will open. At the very top it will say, "A reminder of your password has been emailed to you." Leave this page open in your browser.

  4. Check your email. Within a few minutes you should receive a message from the server containing your password. Highlight and copy the password.

  5. Back in your browser, paste or type the password into the Password blank on the web page. Click Log In. You'll be taken to your configuration page where you can suspend or resume your list mail, and change various other settings.

  6. IMPORTANT: When you're done making the changes you want, scroll all the way to the bottom of your configuration page and click Submit My Changes. If you don't, none of your changes will actually take effect.

• Q: I got my password reminder from the listserver, but it doesn't work. What am I doing wrong?

  A: Make sure you're actually using your Configuration Page.

• Q: I received an email that says "Your membership in the mailing list EV has been disabled due to excessive bounces." What's up?

  A: Your mail system has been bouncing list mail back to the listserver. It can't handle all the bounces, so it's temporarily stopped trying to send you mail.

  Three common reasons:

  1. Your mailbox is full. Delete some messages.

  2. Your ISP has decided that our mail is spam. Contact them and tell them that it isn't. If they can't or won't help, try a different email service.

  3. Your ISP's mail server is overloaded. Contact them. You might need a different email service.

  If you reply to the message that says your mail has been disabled, leaving the subject unchanged, the listserver will restart your list mail. You can also restart your mail from your configuration page. Make sure that whatever problem caused your mail to clog up in the first place has been fixed, or the same thing will just happen again in a few weeks or less.

Getting support: To request help or report problems with the EVDL, please contact me at