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This is the frequently asked questions (FAQ) document for the Hardlines
Digest. It's mailed out automatically once per quarter to all members of
the Hardlines Digest and was last modified on October 13, 2008. You can
request the most current version of the FAQ by sending a blank email
message to 'hardlines-FAQ@lists.cornells.com'.
1: What is a FAQ?
2: What is the Hardlines Digest?
3: How do I subscribe/unsubscribe?
4: Can my brother-in-law join even though he sells used cars?
5: Why do I see replies to messages that I only just received?
6: How many people subscribe the Hardlines Digest?
7: How much does it cost to subscribe?
8: What's the deal with sponsorship?
9: Who runs this thing and what does he do with the money?
10: Is there an archive of messages somewhere?
11: How did this list get started?
12: How come so many messages are about Activant/Triad?
13: Why are my beautifully formatted messages being rejected?
14: What topics can we discuss on the Hardlines Digest?
15: Are the messages edited before they are sent out?
16: Should I post computer virus warnings to the list?
17: Are there other rules about posting to the list?
18: How do I (your question here)?
1: What is a FAQ?
A FAQ is a list of frequently asked questions that is compiled in one place for
easy reference. It's a useful document for new readers of the list as well as a
nice reference for seasoned veterans.
2: What is the Hardlines Digest?
The Hardlines Digest is an Internet mailing list for members of the retail
hardware and home center industry. Subscribers can email questions,
comments, ideas, and occasional complaints to the digest and their message
then gets distributed to all the other subscribers.
3: How do I subscribe/unsubscribe?
There are instructions on unsubscribing at the bottom of each message you
receive from Hardlines Digest. You can subscribe and unsubscribe via the
web at www.hardlinesdigest.com/hardlines.htm.
4: Can my brother-in-law join even though he sells used cars?
If he makes me a nice deal on a used Toyota Rav 4, then by all means he
can subscribe. Seriously, anyone can subscribe to the Hardlines
Digest...retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, consumers, and clergy are
all welcome. Please be aware that the topics are generally of interest to
hardware industry members, so don't complain if you get bored by all the
talk about hammers and order points. Also, advertising on the list is
prohibited, so please don't join in order to send info about your new product to
hardware retailers. We're a friendly bunch until you try and sell us
something. :-)
5: Why do some messages that I just received already have replies?
You're probably setup to receive Hardlines as a Digest. You can receive
the Hardlines discussions in two ways...as a nightly collection
of all messages submitted (a Digest) or as individual email messages as
people submit them to the list. The default setting when you subscribe is
Digest-mode. Instructions for switching between Digest and immediate are
at the bottom of each Hardlines message you receive. The advantage of
immediate mode is that you get the message right away and can reply
immediately. The disadvantage is that you might receive ten or twenty
individual messages each day from the list which can become tough to
manage if you receive lots of other email messages.
6: How many people subscribe the Hardlines Digest?
As of October 13, 2008 there were 2007 members of the Hardlines Digest.
7: How much does it cost to subscribe?
The Hardlines Digest is free, making it one of the best values on the
Internet (or anywhere!). A few years ago, Sam Costa (Costa's Hardware)
posted a suggestion that people voluntarily contribute $10 to $20 if they
found the list valuable to their business. There are some costs associated with running the list
(software, hardware, maintenance), so if you're feeling benevolent (or guilty) and want to
contribute you can send your check to Cornell's Hardware, 310 White Plains
Rd, Eastchester, NY 10709 (mark Hardlines Digest somewhere on the check or
envelope). Thankfully, we've received a lot of sponsorship support from
manufacturers and suppliers in recent years so the need for donations is not as
great as in the past. The best contribution you can make is sharing your
knowledge with your fellow list members. If you're a manufacturer, refer to question 8.
8: What's the deal with sponsorship?
Your company can be a co-sponsor of the Hardlines Digest. The annual cost
is $400 and gets you a rotating banner ad on the Hardlines web site as well as a
one line message in the Hardlines email messages. Sponsorship does not entitle
you to spam the list members, and sponsors are fair game for comments,
complaints, and compliments from users. For more info, visit our
sponsorship page.
9: Who runs this thing anyway and what does he do with the money?
The list is administered and maintained by
John Fix 3rd
(john3@cornells.com) of Cornell's True Value in
Eastchester NY. John keeps the PC running, does occasional maintenance,
and sometimes posts messages to the list. The money received from sponsors and
donors is used to pay part of the cost of running the list. Our T1 line,
Lyris support, server upkeep, and list maintenance add up to several thousand
dollars each year, so this is not a profit-making venture.
10: Is there an archive of messages somewhere?
Yes, there is a searchable archive of messages at
http://lists.cornells.com/read/?forum=hardlines. You can search back issues (up to one year) using any keyword(s). You need a password to sign in via the web interface. If you
forgot (or never received) your password you can click the button to
receive it via email. Some additional back issues and articles can be
found at http://www.hardlinesdigest.com/archive.htm.
11: How did this list get started?
Back in the fall of 1991, John Fix put together printed newsletter called
Hardgoods Confidential. Bill Round, Bob Whelan, and Gary Miller provide
articles and John provided some gossip. That first issue was mailed out
free to the 1000 True Value stores that owned a Triad system. Three more
issues were published and mailed to stores that subscribed, but the time
between issues grew as the size of the newsletter also grew. At the same
time, the Internet and email lists had opened up a new and more efficient
way for dealers to exchange information and ideas. We did a final one
page mailing with info on how to subscribe to the Hardlines Digest email
list, launched the mailing list in 1996 and the rest is history.
12: How come so many messages are about Activant?
Most of the initial subscribers to the Hardlines Digest were originally
subscribers to the printed Hardgoods Confidential, and 99% of those folks
were True Value owners who had a Activant/Triad system. The list has grown
tremendously since then, but the core group still tends to be stores with
Activant systems.
13: Why are my beautifully formatted messages being rejected?
When Internet mailing lists started, the email programs (like Outlook,
Eudora, etc.) sent everything as plain text. In the past five years these
programs have added options to format message with colored fonts, bold
letters, pretty backgrounds, and even sound and video files. These are
cool when you send them to your friends, but not cool when sent to a large
group of people using many, many different programs to read their email.
Rather than take a chance that your cool looking message winds up showing
as gibberish on another subscribers screen, we've set up the Hardlines
Digest to only allow message in "plain text". If you try and send a
message to the list with HTML or other formatting, you'll receive a
rejection note that includes suggestions on how to change your settings.
Plain text might look a bit boring, but it transmits faster and can be
read by everyone...don't you want everyone to read your message?
14: What topics can we discuss on the Hardlines Digest?
Any topic that relates to hardware and home center retailing is fair game
for Hardlines. Discussions in the past have ranged from different
year-end bonus methods to ways to keep the owner's dog from soiling the
front sidewalk of the store.
15: Are the messages edited or approved before they are sent out?
No, all messages are sent to the list immediately as they are received.
Subscribers with the Digest option will get all the messages as one digest
sometime after midnight, but everyone else receives postings within a few
minutes of when it arrives at the Hardlines listserver. The only
exception to this is new subscribers who must wait for the administrator to
approve their first two postings. This was implemented to prevent people
from spamming the list using a hotmail.com (or other free account) with a
one-time posting.
Because this is an uncensored forum you should carefully read
and re-read your message before posting to the list. Once sent, your
message cannot be retracted. Unlike online forums where messages can be
deleted once they are posted, email lists go out immediately and can't be
"recalled". More than once I've had subscribers email me to tell me they
meant to reply to one person and sent to the whole list instead. Make sure
you want all 1200 list members to get your post before hitting the SEND button.
16: Should I post computer virus warnings to the list?
That depends....if you receive a message that says "Pass this along to
everyone you know!" then you should probably NOT send it to Hardlines.
There are a number of hoax warnings that arrive as email messages, so
before you post to Hardlines you should verify the warning from an
authoritative source. For viruses, check first at
www.mcaffee.com or
www.symantec.com. Both sites have security/virus areas where you can
search for real virus information as well as info about
Internet hoaxes.
Once you verify that the virus is legitimate, go ahead and post a concise
message and include a link to the website with further info (how to remove
the virus, how to detect it, etc.).
17: Are there other rules about posting to the list?
For a humorous discussion about etiquette for posting to the net (called
"netiquette"), refer to the
Emily Post guide.
Another informative resource is Eric Raymond's
How To Ask a Question
page.
18: How do I (your question here)?
Don't be shy...post your question to the list! There are over one thousand fellow hardware industry members out there waiting to help you, but you've
got to post your question first.
Please address corrections, deletions, additions, comments, complaints and
compliments about the Hardlines Digest FAQ to
john3@cornells.com. Thanks!
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