ECOLINT ONLINE

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

This page is under continuous construction; edits and additions can be submitted to: info@alumni.ecolint.net. See the Alumni Association FAQ for answers to questions about alumni membership and activities.

Online Directory

  1. Web Sites
  2. Registration
  3. Accessing the online directory
  4. Configuring your browser software
Ecolint Online
  1. Send a Message
  2. Reply to a Message
  3. How to Subscribe
  4. How to Unsubscribe
  5. Bounced Messages
  6. Digests
Netiquette
  1. General Guidelines
  2. Large Attachments
  3. Virus Alerts, Chain Letters, and Other Hoaxes
  4. Reporting Abuse
Software Downloads
  1. Web Browsers
  2. Email Software
  3. Online Email Services
  4. Real-time Chat Software
  5. Multimedia Software

Online Directory
  1. Web Site

    Two primary web sites serve the Ecolint Online community. The first was established in 1995 to provide a web site for alumni activities (http://www.florin.com/ecolint/) , while a second domain was added in 1999 to support the online email discussion group (http://alumni.ecolint.net). Both sites are linked together and are maintained by alumni.

  2. Registration

    Online registration is available by following the links to the Alumni World Network from our web site. Registration covers personal information including: years at the school, postal address, online coordinates, alumni participation, and a personal introduction.

    This information is used by the alumni association in Geneva to keep our records updated, and provides input for the online membership directory. Postal addresses and telephone numbers are used solely by the alumni office and are not displayed in the online directory.

    Your email address is the primary identification for accessing the online membership directory. When a new email address is encountered, a new registration record is created for you.

    All registrations are reviewed by the alumni office and Ecolint Online before being included in the membership database. Once your registration information has been verified, access to the Alumni World Network pages is enabled.

    In most cases access will be available by the following week day, though additional time may elapse due to holidays, vacations, and the availability of alumni volunteers.

  3. Accessing the online directory

    Your email address is key to accessing the Alumni World Network pages. Once your email address is matched to one used to register, a session password will be automatically sent to this same address.

    This password can be used only once. When this password is received in your email inbox, type it into the box indicated and then press the "Send password" button. The session password must be used within 15 minutes before it expires.

    In most cases, the password is sent immediately. There may be times however, when the message containing the session password does not reach your email service. There are many possible causes for this type of delay, most of which are beyond the control of our web servers. If the session password has not arrived in your email inbox within 15 minutes, please login again.

  4. Configuring your browser software

    The World Network pages and online directory have been tested with Netscape Navigator 4.7 and Internet Explorer 5.5 using 128 bit encryption. Some problems have been reported with Netscape Navigator 6.01.

    The Alumni World Network pages require both "cookies" and JavaScript to be enabled on your web browser. (The following instructions are for the English language versions of the browser software.)

    For Internet Explorer these features can be enabled as follows:
    - Under the "Tools" menu select Internet Options.
    - Select the tab labeled "Security".
    - Scroll down to the section headed: "cookies".
    - Click the "Enable" button for cookies to be stored on your computer.
    - Scroll down to the section headed: "Scripting".
    - Click the "Enable" button for "Active Scripting".

    For Netscape these features can be enabled as follows:
    - Under the "Edit" menu select Preferences.
    - Click on the heading labeled: "Advanced".
    - Click on the button to enable JavaScript.
    - Click on the button to enable "cookies" (that get sent back to the originating server).
    - Click the "OK" button at the bottom of the window.


Ecolint Online
  1. Send a Message

    Ecolint Online is an email discussion group that distributes messages to its subscribers. All subscribers to Ecolint Online can send messages to the discussion group by using one email address:
    ecolint-online@alumni.ecolint.net

  2. Reply to a Message

    The email address of the sender is displayed on each message. When replying to the original author of a message, use the "Reply" button of your email software. To reply to the entire discussion group, use "Reply to All".

  3. How to Subscribe

    To subscribe to the email discussion group, use the Alumni World Network section of our web site. Members can select to join Ecolint Online during the registration process, or by using the subscription management tool described as follows:

    - Select the tab labeled "Registration"
    - Click on "EOL Participation."
    - Follow the instructions displayed on this page.
    - Press the button labeled "Save Changes".

    Changes will normally take effect within 24 hours.

  4. How to Unsubscribe

    To unsubscribe from Ecolint Online, send an email message to: Majordomo@alumni.ecolint.net
    In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe ecolint-online
    For best results, send this message from your email address that is subscribed to Ecolint Online.

  5. Bounced Messages

    Messages sent to the Ecolint Online distribution list from a subscribed email address are normally distributed within a few hours. In some cases, these messages will filtered out, or "bounced".

    The primary reasons for a message to be bounced are:

    - The message was sent from an unrecognized email address.
    - The message or header exceeds a size limitation.
    - The message contains an attachment.
    - The message contains an administrative request.

    Bounced messages may be redirected to the full list at the sole discretion of the list moderator. Ecolint Online is a closed list that operates solely for the private benefit of its subscribers. Participation in the group is at the sole discretion of the list moderator.

  6. Digests

    No group message digests are available at this time due to the amount of time required for administering the service.


Netiquette
  1. General Guidelines

    Due to the world-wide nature of this group, there are a few guidelines in place to help ensure that members enjoy the maximum benefit from messages sent to the distribution list.

    Messages sent using unformatted plain text have the best chance of being available to all subscribers, due to the many different types of computer systems, networks, and email software being used by our membership. To the extent possible, please send only original material to the list, and review your message for spelling before hitting the send button.

    Ecolint Online operates around the globe in all time zones. It is intended solely for the private use of its membership. Please extend the same courtesy to other users that you would like to have extended to you.

  2. Large Attachments

    Please avoid sending attachments, such as word processing documents, photographic images, and multimedia files. A message size limit is in place to facilitate distribution to those areas of the world with basic internet services. This size limit may be changed from time to time as circumstances warrant.

    The alumni web site will host large attachments (within reason) when they are directly related to alumni and school activities. Please write to: info@alumni.ecolint.net if you would like to share a large file with the group.

    Then notify the discussion group of the large attachment by sending a message to to Ecolint Online with the web address where the related files can be downloaded at subscribers' convenience.

  3. Virus Alerts, Chain Letters, and Other Hoaxes

    Before sending a message of unknown origin to Ecolint Online, please verify its authenticity by checking the following web sites:

    Virus Alerts. The sites listed below offer information about both real viruses, and hoax virus warnings:

    Chain Letters and Online Petitions. Most of the e-mail chain letters in circulation are hoaxes. For more information on this topic, please see:

    Urban Legends and Other Hoaxes. Thank you for keeping our discussion group free from hoax clutter. Please see:

  4. Reporting Abuse

    While every effort is made to ensure that membership in Ecolint Online is limited to alumni, there may be instances where an unauthorized individual can send a message to the distribution list. This can occur when a member's computer is left unattended, or accessed through other means.

    If you believe that messages being received are inappropriate to generally accepted guidelines, please report any abuse to: info@alumni.ecolint.net


Software Downloads
  1. Web Browsers

    The latest versions of the most popular web browser software can be found at:
    Microsoft Internet Explorer - http://www.microsoft.com/download/ie/
    Netscape Navigator http://www.netscape.com/

  2. Email Software

    Eudora
    Pegasus
    Outlook

    For those struggling to work out how to do this, both Rootsweb and Gerry Boyd give instructions for a variety of e-mail packages:


    http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/help/html-off.html
    http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1236/nomime.html

  3. Online Email Services


    Yahoo
    Hotmail
    Mail.com
    EudoraMail

  4. Real-time Chat Software

    ICQ
    Yahoo Messenger
    Netscape Instant Messenger
    AOL Instant Messenger

  5. Multimedia Software

    Real Player Quicktime Media Player

  6. Computer Virus Protection

    The following sites have virus-checking software and services:
    http://www.mcafee.com/
    http://www.symantec.com/
    http://www.sophos.com/