The VTRS and the VTRS Life Membership and Alumni Association operate an electronic mailing list known as a "listserv" as a means of communications for members. Anyone who is an active, life member or alumni member of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad may join this VTRS-LMA-L list server. The list owners may also approve subscriptions for University advisors or other personnel providing service to the VTRS.

• Subscribe to the Listserv
• More Information on the Listserv and Guidelines
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Listserv
• Listserv Commands Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I send a message to the list?
To send a message to all the people currently subscribed to the list, just send mail to VTRS-LMA-L@LISTSERV.VT.EDU. This is called "sending mail to the list", because you send mail to a single address and LISTSERV makes copies for all the people who have subscribed. This address (VTRS-LMA-L@LISTSERV.VT.EDU) is also called the "list address". You must never try to send any command to that address, as it would be distributed to all the people who have subscribed.

How do I send a command to the listserv server?
All commands must be sent to the "LISTSERV address", LISTSERV@LISTSERV.VT.EDU. It is very important to understand the difference between the two, but fortunately it is not complicated. The LISTSERV address is like a FAX number that connects you to a machine, whereas the list address is like a normal voice line connecting you to a person. If you make a mistake and dial the FAX number when you wanted to talk to someone on the phone, you will quickly realize that you used the wrong number and call again. No harm will have been done. If on the other hand you accidentally make your FAX call someone's voice line, the person receiving the call will be inconvenienced, especially if your FAX then re-dials every 5 minutes. The fact that most people will eventually connect the FAX machine to the voice line to allow the FAX to go through and make the calls stop does not mean that you should continue to send FAXes to the voice number. People would just get mad at you. It works pretty much the same way with mailing lists, with the difference that you are calling hundreds or thousands of people at the same time, and consequently you can expect a lot of people to get upset if you consistently send commands to the list address.

How do I unsubscribe from the list?
You may leave the list at any time by sending a "SIGNOFF VTRS-LMA-L" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.VT.EDU.

I get too many messages, but I don't want to unsubscribe. What can I do?
This list is available in digest form. For those who are listeners with a lot of other messages in the course of your work or activities, an option is available where you can receive only one message a day with all the posted messages included in that message. This results in less clutter on your incoming mail screen, but results in delay of mail receipt for those of us who savor the next bit of news as soon as it's available. For some of you, it may be a good option, however. Here's the info on that option:

There are multiple ways to have LISTSERV deliver mail to subscribers. The standard method is the default: messages are sent individually, as they are received and processed by LISTSERV.
A second way LISTSERV delivers mail is called "digest mode" or simply "digest". A digest is a compilation of all postings to the list in one large message, typically sent at midnight at the end of the digest period (which is typically daily). Digests are good for people who don't want to clutter up their mailbox with lots of single postings, and who want to read the day's postings in one sitting.

To turn on digest mode, a subscriber sends a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.VT.EDU with the command:
SET VTRS-LMA-L DIGEST
(The command goes on the first line of the text block where you normally begin a message. No "subject" is required.)

If a subscriber wants to turn off the digest mode, they send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.VT.EDU with the command:
SET VTRS-LMA-L NODIGEST
to turn off digest mode and return to individual postings.

How do I see who is subscribed to the list?
You may obtain a list of subscriber addresses at any time by sending a "REVIEW VTRS-LMA-L" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.VT.EDU. Subscriber directories are also occasionally sent to you by the list owners.

Is there a way to get in contact with someone without sending an email to the whole list?
Yes, see the answer to the previous question. Also, use this website to see what information the user has provided in their profile to contact them.

Why are replies being sent to the list?
This is a discussion list and discussion would not occur unless all the conversation was held for people to participate in. If you click "Reply" in your email program, it will automatically send it back to the list. If instead you would like to send it to only the sender, you will need to enter their email address in yourself. You can find that address in the header of the original message or in the signature block of the message.

Signature block? What signature block?
Because of the nature of the List, some users may not be able to determine who the sender of the message was because their email program has stripped that information from the header of the email. When you are sending email to the discussion list, it is wise to include your name and your email address at the end of your message.

When should I reply to the list versus the sender?
If your comments will be of interest to multiple subscribers that you cannot address individually or to most subscribers as a matter of information, comment, or interest, then reply or send to the ListServ address (standard reply). If only the sender needs your answer or if you only want to comment directly to the sender, then reply directly to the sender's address.
Announcements of general events and meetings generally should not need a reply; if a reply is requested, it would generally be sent directly to the sender's address.
Making the correct choice will minimize unnecessary traffic not needed by all subscribers. (If everyone replied to a given message using the ListServ reply address, everyone's e-mail inbox would be packed with some 150 plus reply messages per day.)

Listserv Administrators

Scott Chandler: schandler@esva911.org

Stephen Marquette: stephen.marquette@gmail.com