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:

       https://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:

       https://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 AnGenMap Frequently Asked Questions and Answers  (FAQ) serves as an 
 extension of this User Guide.  It covers more tips and norms user should 
 observe using this listserv.  Many listserv policies are also embeded in 
 this document.

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. 
 As the animal genomics research quickly expanded in the following years, 
 the listserv 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 its 3 decades of developments,
 animal genome research has evolved much beyond the original goal of gene
 "mapping".  The AnGenMap came along to have effectively served the 
 international community of livestock animal genomics/genetics research as
 a public communication and information sharing channel. The list started 
 with less than a hundred people and now it has more than three thousands
 subscribers from over 60 countries/regions following a steady growth,
 during which quite a number of list function developments and improvements
 were also made.

Original draft: October, 1993 (Max F Rothschild).
Revisions: January, 1998; March, 2004; January, 2007; October, 2009 July, 2015 September, 2017 August, 2019 (Zhiliang Hu)