Since 1994, VIP-L has been the leading online source of announcements and information exchange for blind and vision impaired people in Australasia.
Please note that, despite the list name, vip-l is open to anyone with an interest in blindness, vision impairment or disability!
The scope of vip-l is quite broad, but the volume of messages sent to the list should be relatively low. This list has a diverse readership, so information sent to it should be of interest to more than just a few readers.
As a general guide, the information sent to the list should be of greater interest to people who are blind or vision impaired, than it is likely to be for the general population.
The following examples of appropriate and inappropriate posts to the list only serve as general guidelines, not as absolute rulings. List members are expected to use common-sense and reasonable judgement in deciding what to send to the list, and when interpreting list guidelines such as these.
Messages sent to the list might include:
Messages not Suitable for VIP-L might include:
Although announcements about new products and services are definitely welcomed, use of vip-l for direct marketing and sales is strongly discouraged.
If you are in doubt as to the suitability of a message you are considering
sending to vip-l, please email the list administrator at
tim@timnoonan.com.au
for guidance.
People posting inappropriate or off-topic messages will initially be privately advised by the administrator, and repeat off-topic messages will result in all subsdequent messages from that user being held for approval by the list owner, before they are sent to the list membership.
If you aren't already a member of vip-l then you can join the list by sending a blank email message to the following address:
You can leave the list by sending a blank email message to the following address:
Note that you need to send these messages from the email address from which you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe.
All list members will automatically receive messages that are sent to the vip-l list by list members.
You can mail messages to all members of the list by sending mail to the following address:
Messages sent by a list member to this address will automatically be sent to all list members.
**Subject Lines**
please always check the subject of any messages you send or forward to vip-l. Many people select messages for reading or deleting based on the subject, so it needs to be 'to the point' and relevant to the message content.
**Commenting on previously posted messages**
If you wish to make a comment on a message which has been sent to the list, please bear in mind the following recommendations:
Insert your comments *before* and not after the message text to which you are replying. This allows people to find your views quickly, and, if they know what your comment is about, they can skip immediately to the next message. If, on the other hand, they aren't sure to what your comments relate, then they can read on to find the text to which you are responding.
Alternatively, you may prefer to paraphrase the message to which you are replying and then make your comments e.g.
In response to John's comments about what companies produce braille signs,
I'd like to mention another company ...
In addition to sending messages to the vip-l@softspeak.com.au email address for list members, it is possible to send commands to the list server software to perform administrative actions. For example, you can change your message settings to have messages sent to you once a day in digest form rather than immediately.
In June 2007, the VIP-L list was moved from using the Majordomo list software over to more modern software called Mailman. In addition to an email interface for issuing commands and adjusting user settings, Mailman also allows users to adjust their settings, subscribe and unsubscribe via a webpage interface.
the VIP-L info and settings web page is at
https://lists.pacific.net.au/mailman/listinfo/vip-l
For security reasons, Mailman has a password for each list member for changing settings etc. Each month you will receive a reminder email that tells you your password, and you can also have it emailed to you at any time from the Web Interface.
Generally, most users will find the web interface more informative than the email interface, other than for basic subscribe and unsubscribe activities.
If you wish to adjust your vip-l settings via the list server software, rather than via the webpage, such messages need to be sent to the following address:
vip-l-request@softspeak.com.au
When Mailman (the list server software) receives your message, it will be processed and a response will automatically be returned to you.
If you wish to be sent a help message about the Mailman list server commands, send the word
help
in the subject: or body of your message to
vip-l-request@softspeak.com.au
Unlike many mailing lists, replying to a vip-l mail message will not result in all list members seeing your reply! therefore your standard message reply will only go to the original sender by default.
If you would also like your reply to go to all of the vip-l membership, then either edit the TO field, or the CC field to contain
vip-l@softspeak.com.au
Using your mail program's Reply-to-All feature (usually ctrl-shift-r), should also get your reply to the list and to the original sender of the message to whom you are replying.
You should only send your reply to the entire list if you believe that your message will be of interest to a significant number of list members. Also keep in mind that VIP-L is focused on information exchange, not discussion and debate, which will also influence whether you reply to the list, or just to the sender.
It is always a good idea to check the TO, CC and BCC fields of all email messages you send, as this reply behaviour varies from list to list.
vip-l is hosted and administered by Tim Noonan. Tim founded vip-l in April 1994 and has been involved in the blindness and disability technology field for over two decades.
If you have any questions about vip-l please email Tim Noonan at
tim@timnoonan.com.au
VIP-L is a free community service provided by Tim Noonan Consulting Pty Ltd www.timnoonan.com.au While reasonable efforts are taken by the administrator to ensure that messages are accurate and appropriate to the list's scope, he is unable to take any responsibility for the actual content of member's posts or for the actions of list members.