10. APPENDIX A - Using the AOL Mail Program

The mail program in AOL doesn't have all the bells and whistles that some other mail programs, like Pegasus, have, but it is still possible to use AOL for mail list administration.

AOL offers two ways of quoting text in a "reply", which are mentioned below. The user is forced to use one of these two options, and each one adds angle brackets to the quoted text. There is no option to "turn off" the quotes in a reply.

• AOL style quoting:

<<This is an example of AOL style quoting.>>

• Internet style quoting:

> This is an 
> example of internet 
> style quoting.

To select between these two options, go to "my AOL", select "Preferences", click on the "mail" icon, and choose the style you want at the bottom of the list. You will probably want to use AOL style quoting for replying to a subscription request, but responding to a profile submission is a different matter. This is explained in the next two sections.

10.1 Approving a Subscription Request

You can use the "reply" feature to respond to a subscription request as follows:

1. Set your mail preferences to "AOL style" quoting.
2. Highlight the sample approval message in the request from majordomo and click the reply button.

   

3. Delete the part of the message which says "In a message dated (date), majordomo said" etc.
4. Delete the blank line, the two "<<" brackets, and the resulting space.
5. Replace the word "PASSWORD" with the real password.
6. Add the "end" command on the next line.
   

   The subscription approval is now ready.

7. Click on "send".

Back to the Subscription Approval Instructions

10.2 Approving a New Member Profile

While using the "Reply" feature works OK for subscription requests, using it for profile approvals is a hassle. Using the "Forward" feature isn't a good choice either, because AOL will not display the forwarded message on the screen when you select "forward". It is easier to use the COPY and PASTE functions and it produces reliable results.

1. Highlight the entire body of the "BOUNCE" message from insulin-pumpers-profile. This includes the headers and the text of the profile itself. Don't highlight the headers which AOL adds at the bottom of the message.
2. Click on "File" (at the top of the screen) and then on "Copy".
   

3. Click on the "write mail" icon to bring up a blank email form.
4. Put your cursor in the main message area and click on "File" and "Paste". This should result in placing a copy of the original message into your email form so that you can edit it.
5. Before the first headder, add the line

   approved: PASSWORD

6. Delete the extraneous header information as described earlier in this HowTo.
7. Check to see that the "Subject" line is in the proper format as are all the other headers. Make sure there is a blank line between the headers and the message part of the profile.
8. Check for correct spelling and manually enter carriage returns to avoid line wrapping if necessary.
9. Address the message to "insulin-pumpers-profile@bzs.org" (or the appropriate address for the list being subscribed to). Adding this address to your address book will make life much easier for you!
10. Type any old thing in the subject line. AOL requires that the subject line be filled in or else it won't send the email.
11. Click on "send".

Please read the main Profile instructions completely, they contain much more detailed information than is covered in this brief appendix.

Back to the New Member Profiles Instructions