If you write a reply to a list message, most email programs will direct the reply to the original author -- not to the list. This is to help prevent replies that were intended to be private from being sent to the list.

To reply back to the list, and not to the individual author, start your reply then change the address for your message to the list address, guatemala-adopt@listserv.icors.org.

If you are using digest mode (see below), be sure to paste in the original Subject when replying to avoid using "Guatemala-Adopt DIGEST ..." as the subject of your reply.

As little as possible. Excessive quoting makes your replies difficult to read, and is especially hard for digest subscribers, who often must read each message repeatedly as it is quoted by various people responding.

If you do quote a previous message in your response, quote ONLY those portions needed for the reader to understand what you are writing, and intersperse your responses with the quotes. Remember that most list members have already seen and read the original message.

Do not quote the entire message to which you are replying (even if that is the normal behavior of your email program), and do not quote message headers ("From:", "To:", etc.) or signatures.

Pictures and other attachments are not allowed as they can be very large and difficult to view on other computers; also attachments can be used to transmit viruses. If you have a relevant word processing or other similar document to post, convert it to plain text before posting (and be sure you have permission to post it if you are not the author).

In a word, no. Like most mailing lists, we expect messages to be sent in plain text; any other format is often difficult for others to read. Most mail programs let you select plain text mode easily, either for an individual message or as the default for all messages. If you aren't sure how to do so, check the help for your software. If you're still stuck, ask the list managers and we'll see if we can help.

You also need to use plain text when communicating with the list server (e.g. to set digest mode, or turn off list mail while on vacation). The server does not understand HTML or other message formats.

Here are some notes for several popular email programs. You can also consult your program's help for instructions.

Microsoft Outlook Express:

When composing the message select Plain Text on the Format menu. To send all messages in plain text, go to Tools / Options / Send and select "Plain Text" as the Mail Sending Format. To send email to a specific entry in your address book as plain text, go to that entry, click the Properties button then select the Name tab, and check the "Send E-Mail using plain text only" box.

Eudora:

On the Tools menu select Options then Styled Text, and choose "Send plain text only".

Pegasus:

When composing the message uncheck the Rich Text checkbox above the composition window. To send all messages in plain text, go to Tools / Options / Message Formatting and select "Disable all text styling options".

Netscape Communicator:

First go to Edit / Preferences / Mail & Newsgroups / Formatting. On this page either choose "Use the plain text editor to compose messages" to force all messages to be sent in plain text, or choose "Use the HTML editor ..." and then either "Ask me what to do ..." or "Convert the message into plain text". If you choose the HTML editor and "Ask me ..." then select Plain Text when asked how to send your message, or when composing the message click Options and select "Plain Text only" under "Format". To send email to a specific entry in your address book as plain text, go to that entry, click the Properties button then select the Name tab, and uncheck the "Prefers to receive rich test (HTML) mail" box.

Yahoo:

When composing your message, select "plain text" rather than "html tags allowed" using the selections below the composition window.

Hotmail:

When composing your message click Tools and look for the Rich Text Editor selection. When that is ON the mail is sent as HTML. When it is OFF plain text is sent. Note that the menu is confusing -- when it says Rich Text Editor ON that means that it is currently OFF, and if you select the menu item it will be turned ON (this is how you want it to look to send plain text). It does not mean that it is currently on!