Introductory User Guide

OBJECTIVE
 Promote the exchange of information relating to topics of interest to 
 researchers in the areas related but not limited to, animal genome mapping, 
 genetics, genomics, and bioinformaitcs.

LISTSERV
 The ANGENMAP is operated on Smartlist, a listserv daemon  that automates
 the most operations, including automated handling of subscription and
 unsubscriptions, verification of sender's email address before distribution
 of his/her posted massage to all subscribers, etc.

 The listserv also includes an archive server  for posted mails, which can
 be accessed via interactive email commands. The post archive can also
 available via web search (older mails) or browse (recent mails).

RULES OF USE
 In principal we enforce no rules for an open discussion forum. However
 with the development of internet and growth of the ANGENMAP group, we
 implemented a few technical regulative measures for a better operation.
 (1) Only subscribed users can post
 (2) The list is focused on scientific/research related topics only

REGISTRATION
 The best way to register is to use our on-line web form:

       http://www.animalgenome.org/community/joinform 

 Alternatively, you could send an e-mail message to the listserv,

       angenmap-request@animalgenome.org 

 and put in the "Subject:" line key words like: "subscribe", "sub", or
 "sign on". The listserv will handle your subscription automatically.

HOW TO USE
 The way this group will operate is, if you have a question or comment, 
 send a message to the list (you will be informed how to once subscribed).
 The message will be broadcast to everyone on the mailing list. There is
 no censoring - we intend to make the list a free open forum.

 When you receive a message and you want to contribute to the discussion, 
 you can reply and it will broadcast to the group. Or, you can send a 
 message to the originator if you think the group won't want to see what 
 you have to say. But please don't be afraid to reply with a broadcast, 
 even if you think what you have to say will not be interesting to all 
 members.

 The AnGenMap list requires that all mail posts must be in plain text only
 (see this guide for why this is necessary and how to). In addition, please
 consider these useful hints on how to write good emails since your mail
 is to be sent to over 1,700 members: (1) Good email conduct; (2) Mailing
 List Manner; (3) Effective Mailing List Email; (4) Good email style.

WHO WILL WANT TO USE THE DISCUSSION GROUP?
 Anyone with an interest in animal gene/trait mapping or molecular genetics,
 structural and functional genomics, and bioinformaitcs. You can participate
 either actively or passively.

DISCUSSION EXAMPLES
 A discussion group like this has many good uses. Generally, good 
 discussion can be started by statements like...

        "Has anyone out there ever tried...?"
        "What's the best technique for...?"
        "What did [substitute any name here] mean when he/she
            said...
                ... in his [talk, paper, message, etc.]...?"
        "We have the following position available.."
        "We are planning a meeting about...  Does anyone have any
             comments?
         etc., etc...

 There are a few good sample discussions in the past few years that worth 
 taking a look at.

OTHER ITEMS
 There's a strange feature about e-mail messages. Sometimes, things you
 say in jest or sarcasm can be taken wrong. A neat convention used on the
 internet is to put a smily ":-)" at the end of a sentence to indicate
 a smile when you use humor or sarcasm.

WEB INTERFACE
 We have developed a web interface for members to interactively use the
 AnGenMap list:

       http://www.animalgenome.org/community/angenmap 

 With this web interface, members can use a web form to post to the list,
 manage your subscription status, change your address, add multiple or
 alternative mail addresses, check current activities (read recent posts),
 search the mail archives, etc.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
 The last but not the least, this Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (FAQ)
 has more tips and guides not covered here.

A LITTLE HISTORY
 ANGENMAP was started in late 1993 as an internet discussion group within the
 U.S. Pig Genome community for gene mappers and interested individuals. It
 soon became a defacto discussion group among all animal genomics scientists
 world wide. The list name ANGENMAP was originally designated for "animal
 gene mappers". In 20+ years the animal genome research has evolved much
 beyond "mapping" and the AnGenMap has been serving the livestock animal
 genomics/genetics community as a public communication channel along. The list
 started with less than a hundred people and now it has more than two thousand
 subscribers from over 40 countries/regions following a steady growth  during
 which a number of improvements were made.

Original draft: October, 1993 (Max F Rothschild).
Revisions: January, 1998; March, 2004; January, 2007; October, 2009 July, 2015 (Zhiliang Hu)