OUR EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES FOR MEMBERS
You must be a WebWhispers member to participate.
See upper right corner.. How to Join.
WebWhispers moderated Email list
A private, confidential, email list of WebWhispers Members
The purpose of the WebWhispers [WebW] Email list is the sharing of knowledge and experiences among laryngectomees, caregivers, family, friends, and medical personnel. Your questions, answers, and comments should be relevant to laryngectomee rehabilitation, support and assistance. Subjects for discussions should relate to diagnosis and treatment of cancers, learning to live as a laryngectomee, methods of communication, WW administration notices or discussions of WW issues and activities. Our list is moderated and emails not appropriate will be rejected or discarded at the moderators discretion. See list guidelines below.
A letter from one of our members tells how he feels about it:
The vast majority of posts are written by Larys in a non-professional, non-medical format expressing their individual experiences, problems and solutions. It is this "informal" format that allows problems, specific to laryngectomees, to be addressed by those who have found solutions. Many times these have not been adequately addressed by the medical community. Most often, this is done in a "This is what works for me" approach as opposed to "This is THE answer to your problem" method. I believe this to be the essence of the way the site works and why it is so successful.
How our list works
List emails are sent to you through a "Digest", where you typically receive one email a day from the WebWhispers list emails of the previous day, collected and sent at Midnight Eastern time. (Subject is webwhispers Digest year/issue#). It contains an index of the emails and is easy to scroll down, pausing at the ones you wish to read. They are sent in plain text and separated by a dotted line.
An alternative to the "Digest" version is also available where subscribers will receive emails individually, as they come to us.
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You may read or search all messages sent via the WebWhispers list, from Dec 2005 to current date. The archives have search capabilities and are stored at: http://archive.mail-list.com/webwhispers/ protected with the same information as you use to enter the web site 'Members Area'.
Please remember that these lists contain private information and are not to be shared with others or to be used for personal profit or commercial reasons. All issues relating to subscribing, unsubscribing, rules, suggestions or complaints relating to the email list should be addressed to the List Managers at Listmgr@webwhispers.org
If there are any questions please feel free to contact us.
Enjoy,
~Michael Csapo
~VP Internet Activities
~WebWhispers, Inc.
WebWhispers (WebW) Guidelines
Members are expected to comply with the following guidelines:
ORIGINATING EMAILS:
Address to webwhispers@mail-list.com
Our list is plain text and will not accept attachments.
1. BASIC - Keep your message clearly stated, 'reasonably' brief and to the point but give enough information so we can understand the situation. When appropriate, use URLs (web site addresses) to direct members to other sites for information rather than copying masses of information that will go into everyone's computers.
2. SUBJECT - Your emails must have a subject that is descriptive of what you are sending. The computer returns those with a blank subject line or bounces those using the Digest # as a subject, and sends you a standard response regarding subject lines. We never see it.
3. NAME - We expect the courtesy of a signature from the person writing the message. Moderators will likely remind you with a note if you forget. Most members sign with name, year of surgery or where they live. This is permissible and appreciated. You may list your email address again if you wish. We will not allow your private addresses, telephone numbers or personal websites. Businesses (our vendor members) will be allowed their signature and website address. Volunteers with WW will be able to sign with their position and the WW email address, if needed.
4. COMMUNICATE CLEARLY - Use format of upper and lower case letters. A “spell-checker” is recommended and good grammar helps understanding. Please do not use all caps.
5. BE COURTEOUS AND POLITE - Treat others as you would want them to treat you. We are participating to learn, share, and have a constructive exchange of information.
6. PRIVATE MAIL - Send direct to the person you wish to reach with personal messages, holiday greetings, "thank you" notes, comments, or congratulations. Notices and letters of any kind which might copy your private mailing list to the entire WebWhispers list membership will be discarded. Remove our address from your group mailings.
REPLYING TO WW EMAILS:
Address to webwhispers@mail-list.com if it is for the entire list.
Address to the 'member only' if it is personal.
Address to both if you are replying to the person with information also useful to others
The original list message you are answering will now be truncated by the computer, if sent back with your reply to the list or if it doesn't truncate, it will be rejected and you may clean it off and send your new message again. Be sure to check what is attached to your message before sending. You might “copy and paste” a short excerpt from the original email.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS TO AVOID WHEN SENDING EMAILS
1. Our system accepts only plain text and will reject attachments of any kind. The decorated stationery and figures will not come through and if they are “attached” or “embedded” in your email, your message could be lost. Do not send files or photos.
2. Do not forward emails containing multiple addresses, headers, footers, unreadable junk emails, chain letters, virus warnings, letters, jokes or stories making the rounds, as they will be discarded.
3. Blatant "flames", insults, personal attacks, inflammatory, impolite, partisan political commentary, profanity, sexual innuendo, or uncivil behavior will not be tolerated on the list. Please do not use your frustration or anger to privately flame other members. Remember you obtained the address from our records and we have set rules on this.
4. Anti-spam "challenge and response" email systems are not compatible with our free exchange of email messages and those using them will be precluded from participating.
5. WebWhispers list will not be indirectly or directly involved in the sale/transfer of medical products between individuals. Any messages relating to these will be rejected. Messages on non-restricted products may be listed on the WW Message Board/Forum.
6. We do not allow topics in our email list related to smoking or anti-smoking, why the government and/or tobacco firms are evil, whether people have a right to smoke, what did/did not cause our cancers or who/what is to blame. We do allow those discussions in our WW Message Board/Forum
NOTICES OF CHANGES
1. Email distribution list changes: Note at the bottom of each email you receive through the distribution list, there is a special link for you to use to unsubscribe, switch to/from digest, get on/off vacation or change your email address.
2. Membership record and roster: All notices of changes to your membership record should be changed by filling in an Update. See the upper right of the home page of the website for "How to Join or Update", http://webwhispers.org/
3. Death notices sent in for WW member should not be sent to the list but should be sent directly to Listmgr@webwhispers.org so that records may be changed, a notice sent in our weekly report to the list, the family contacted and the member's name added to our memorial page.
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS
1. Some of our laryngectomee members also enjoy a "sales, consultant, or marketing relationship" with various laryngectomee-related vendors. Any member, who is in such an arrangement with a vendor, should disclose that connection when writing to the membership concerning that particular vendor's products or making comments about a competitor's products.
2. Advertising by vendors is not allowed with occasional exceptions for special or new products. Write to: Listmgr@webwhispers.org
3. Notices of Regional meetings shall be restricted to simple notices using URLs to refer to web sites for details. No selling of advertising for programs or reminders for our members to sign up for a local event will be allowed. We now have a Current Notices page for listing information, http://webwhispers.org/about/currentnotices.asp. Please send your information to webmaster@webwhispers.org for web postings.
4. No vendor, other club, or organization shall use WebWhispers email lists as their method of communication with our members. Since we are an IAL affiliated club, standard notices that normally go to the club officers of any IAL club should be sent to our WW officers for our distribution. Scheduling announcements relating to the Annual Meeting and Voice Institute will be allowed and it will also be found on our Current Notices page.
MODERATORS
Every message goes through a Moderator and may be rejected or discarded if the above guidelines are not followed. Our moderators will be in charge of what goes on the list and are instructed to ask the Moderating Committee if it is not absolutely clear what to do with a message.
REFERRNG TO MESSAGE BOARD/FORUM
1. If your topic is one that is clearly not related to the purpose of the group or calls for a lot of discussion and perhaps heated disagreement, put it on the Message Board/Forum, which is much less restrictive than the Email list. You may join the Forum under the Forum section in the Members Area of the WW website.
2. Our vendor/supplier members may list specials, advertise sales, or introduce new products on the Message Board section of the WW Forum.
3. To safeguard the membership, no solicitation of funds for any person or organization, except for bona fide WebWhispers projects, may be sent via our WebWhispers Email Lists but may be posted on the Message Board section of the WW Forum. Equipment requests must go through the VP Member Services and/or the Loan Closet. All such requests for funds or equipment sent to either of the Email Lists will be rejected or discarded by the moderator.
End of Basic Rules for Email List
WW DELPHI FORUM
OPEN 24/7
We've created a private online community with a bulletin board format and chat room called "The WebWhispers Forum" exclusively for our members, using the facilities of http://www.delphiforums.com/. Topics are generally open and, while the forum is unmoderated, it is managed and we do have a few rules to live by. We expect our members to use good judgment, good taste, and good manners with no offensive language so that this can be a comfortable clubhouse for all of our members.
This is the place where you may get better acquainted with other members, find out about their families, what sports teams they root for, or tell your favorite jokes. We also discuss the IAL Annual Meetings, WW Cruises, along with some laryngectomee problems. We prefer serious health problems be taken to the list where the membership is far greater and also includes professionals.
The Member's Area of our website has Forum IDs listed.
Joining the Delphi Forum
Use the address you use with WebWhispers. Our volunteers use your registered email address for everything, so any time you write to us in any department, please use your current WW address so we can find your records.
You can be a member of Delphi under a different address but we will automatically list your Forum ID in our database with the WW Email Address.
There are three levels of Delphi membership for you to choose from:
(1) Basic (free)
(2) Extra (a small monthly/annual fee)
(3) Plus (a larger monthly/annual fee).
If you wish to check them out:
http://www.delphiforums.com/compare.htm
The Basic (free) membership works just fine, although the fee-based memberships are advertising-free and give you several more membership options such as attaching large files (such as pictures and programs) directly to messages that you write. It's fast, easy, and efficient. Simply choose the one best suited to your needs and desires. You may upgrade later if you wish.
With this Forum's message boards you are able to view the subject matter of discussion folders quickly in the left-hand column and the list of message threads in that folder may be displayed.
Joining the Forum is a simple process.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/webwhispers/start
Fill in the application and select a Forum ID (your name that will be used in the WW Forum or any other part of Delphi) which should indicate who you are so other members will recognize you. This is not an anonymous forum and it makes it more difficult if people have to go back to the Forum Roster to find your name.
You will be asked for a code to get into our WW Forum. Just write Need Code and SIGN WITH YOUR FULL NAME. Delphi will send this to us to confirm your membership and our Rosters will be updated to include you and your ID. Our Forum Managers will send, usually the same day, an email with a one time code word which will allow you access. After that, you should go straight to the forum through the address above or from the Forum link at the bottom of the WW list emails.
We look forward to seeing you there. Let us know if we can help you.
Forum Managers, forummgr@webwhispers.org
AN ADDITIONAL DELPHI FORUM OF INTEREST
Club 200
This is the address of the entrance to the Club 200, a separate Delphi forum run by Jim Lauder. It is open and any Delphi member can go in. Jim eliminated the private forum code. You still need your Delphi ID and password.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/club200/start
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Please use the menu on left to navigate
As the time draws near for a particular activity, we will add the new information to the proper section for you to check regularly.
Our WW Cruise section contains the currently planned cruise as well as past ones with lists of cruisers and photos.
There is a lot to look at and enjoy in our past WW Dinners and we even left the menus in to stimulate your appetite!