Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv
From: cfs-news@cais.cais.com (Roger Burns)
Newsgroups: alt.med.cfs,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: FAQ: CFS Network Help
Supersedes: <medicine/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/cfs-network-help_888928386@rtfm.mit.edu>
Followup-To: alt.med.cfs
Date: 10 Mar 1998 13:06:25 GMT
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Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU
Expires: 31 Mar 1998 13:05:39 GMT
Message-ID: <medicine/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/cfs-network-help_889535139@rtfm.mit.edu>
Reply-To: CFS-L-REQUEST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: penguin-lust.mit.edu
Summary: This posting describes where and how to find information resources
          about chronic fatigue syndrome which are available via Internet,
          Usenet and Listserv.
X-Last-Updated: 1998/01/22
Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.med.cfs:74868 alt.answers:32691 news.answers:125179

Archive-name: medicine/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/cfs-network-help
E-mail: send GET CFS NET-HELP to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Web: http://www.mcs.net/~dalton/net-help.htm
Posting-Frequency: weekly
Last-modified: 1998/01/22

                             CFS NET-HELP file

Version: 1998/01/22

   *  Section 1. Mailing Lists and LISTSERV
   *  Section 2. Usenet Newsgroups
   *  Section 3. File documents via email
   *  Section 4. World Wide Web
   *  Section 5. IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
   *  Section 6. Gopher
   *  Section 7. FTP
   *  Section 8. Telnet

   * Appendix A: Further info about health resources and LISTSERV
   * Appendix B: Other help documents about on-line CFS resources
   * Appendix C: Additional internet info
   * Appendix D: Where to get this document

This file was written for CFS networkers to be a help reference about
Internet, LISTSERV and Usenet. It can be used more easily by reading its
web version at http://www.mcs.net/~dalton/net-help.htm. For the most basic
help about LISTSERV, it may only be necessary to read section 1-B.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 1: Mailing Lists and LISTSERV

   * A. About LISTSERV
   * B. Common LISTSERV commands
        o i. Subscription   (SUB, SET options, Query)
        o ii. Information files   (REView, INDEX and GET)
        o iii. Other helpful commands   (LISTS and THANK)
   * C. Mailing Lists of interest
   * D. Searching old messages

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 1-A: About LISTSERV

LISTSERV software automates many administrative tasks necessary to maintain
lists. It relieves the list-owner from a great many time-consuming chores.
Messages to be posted to a list for all to read should be sent directly to
the list address, e.g., CFS-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU. However, requests for
administrative changes to your list subscription, or to retrieve files of
archived messages, etc., must be sent to the LISTSERV address (which in
this example would be LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU) in the form of
commands that LISTSERV understands. Sometimes people will accidentally send
a LISTSERV command to a list address where it may be distributed to all
subscribers, so please address your mail to LISTSERV carefully!

There are many sites that use LISTSERV software but most CFS resources are
based at LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU. Messages that are replies *and*
which quote an earlier message including the original mail headers will
usually be rejected by LISTSERV if they include a Sender: line which points
to the address of the list you are posting to. To ensure that your message
gets posted, be sure to delete Sender: lines in any quoted text in your
message. In any case it is a courtesy to readers to keep quoted material to
a minimum.

If the advice in this guide is not sufficient, you may wish to contact the
list-owners directly for help. They can be reached at standard email
address which takes the form of (listname)-REQUEST@(nodename). For example,
the list-owners' address for the CFS-L list would be
CFS-L-REQUEST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 1-B: Common LISTSERV commands

In the text below, commands that LISTSERV will accept are initially shown
with the minimum acceptable abbreviation in capital letters.

SUBSCRIPTION commands: SUBscribe; SET options; Query

To subscribe to a list, send a command in the following format to LISTSERV
in an e-mail message: SUBscribe (listname) (your_first_name)
(your_last_name). Example:

   SUB CFS-L John Doe

You may later unsubscribe by sending the command: UNSUBscribe (listname).
Example:

   UNSUB CFS-L

The SET command can set various options for your list subscription, and the
Query command can view the status of your current SET options. To use the
SET command, send a message by email to LISTSERV in the form of SET
(listname) (option). For example, send to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU:

   SET CFS-L DIGEST

Common SET options are as follows:

     NOMail -- Temporarily suspends list mail to you (including DIGest
     and INDex delivery); handy if you'll be out of town and don't
     want list messages piling up at your address. This is also the
     proper setting for being able to post to alt.med.cfs without
     getting any e-mail.
     e.g. SET CFS-L NOMAIL

     Mail -- Cancels a setting of NOMail, restores either individual
     piece-by-piece mail, DIGest, or INDex delivery. (Sending this
     command while you are currently receiving DIGest or INDex
     delivery will switch you to individual messages.)
     e.g. SET CFS-L MAIL

     DIGest -- Has all messages sent as one large message, once per
     digest cycle so that you won't get every message individually.
     For CFS-L the cycle is once per day, or when post volume reaches
     1000 lines, whichever comes first.
     e.g. SET CFS-L DIGEST.

     NODIGest -- Switches you from DIGest to individual messages.
     e.g. SET CFS-L NODIGEST

     INDex -- To get a list of messages but not the actual messages
     themselves; sent at the same time as the DIGest. The list of post
     descriptions includes the author, subject, and number of lines in
     the message. Messages that you select can be retrieved in full
     text by replying to the INDex and deleting the descriptions of
     posts you do not want to retrieve. Directions on using the INDex
     are included in each INDex.
     e.g. SET CFS-L INDEX

     NOINDex -- Switches you from INDex to individual messages.
     e.g. SET CFS-L NOINDEX

     TOPICS -- E-mail subscribers can adjust the topics they receive.
     To add topics use the format TOPICS +topic1 +topic2. To subtract
     topics use the format TOPICS -topic1 -topic2. To remove all
     topics except for the ones you specify, use TOPICS topic1 topic2.
     (Digest and Index subscribers must receive all topics.)
     e.g. SET CFS-L TOPICS +OTHER +CHAT  (adds OTHER and CHAT)
          SET CFS-L TOPICS -MED -ADMIN  (removes MED and ADMIN)
          SET CFS-L TOPICS MED RES  (removes all except MED and RES)

     REPro -- You will receive a copy of messages you post, provided
     you subscribe to the topic you are posting to and receive
     individual messages.
     e.g. SET CFS-L REPRO

     NOREPro -- Turns off REPro
     e.g. SET CFS-L NOREPRO

     ACK -- You will receive a short acknowledgment notice via e-mail
     when your messages are successfully distributed to the group.
     e.g. SET CFS-L ACK

     NOACK -- Turns off the ACK message.
     e.g. SET CFS-L NOACK

     FULL -- Full mail headers.
     e.g. SET CFS-L FULL

     SHORT -- Makes message mail-headers briefer, less extraneous
     information to page through.
     e.g. SET CFS-L SHORT

     SUBJ -- Inserts a tag (typically the list name) to the subject
     line. For example the subject line in each message from CFS-L
     would begin with "CFS-L". Makes it easier to sort list mail from
     personal mail. To turn this off, send the command SET CFS-L FULL
     (or any other mail header option).
     e.g. SET CFS-L SUBJ

     DUAL -- Adds some header information (i.e. author, subject, and
     list name) to the message body. For those whose mail program
     doesn't display that information from normal message headers.
     e.g. SET CFS-L DUAL

     MIME -- Turns MIME digests on (digest may be easier to read).
     This is only useful if your mail client supports MIME digests.
     e.g. SET CFS-L MIME

     NOMIME -- Turns MIME digests off, you will receive digests with
     normal formatting.
     e.g. SET CFS-L NOMIME

     CONCEAL -- Your address will not be displayed to others who use
     the REView command. Many lists, including CFS-L, keep the
     subscription list confidential so you don't need to conceal your
     subscription. The REView command is described below in the file
     commands section.
     e.g. SET CFS-L CONCEAL

Query: To check which options as described above you currently have in
place, send a command to LISTSERV in the form of Query (listname). Example:

   QUERY CFS-L

FILE commands

The REView, INDex and GET commands enable you to retrieve useful
information about a list, and any stored documents that relate to the
list's subject matter.

The command REView (listname) will retrieve descriptive information about a
list, including its definition, the identity and address of the list-owner,
and a list of current subscribers. Recent abuses on the Internet have
prompted many list-owners to keep their subscription lists confidential and
so REVIEW may not always retrieve such lists.

The command INDex (listname) will show all files at the LISTSERV relating
to the named list. Usually these will only be archives of the list's old
messages. Sometimes the list-owner will also have other documents there. A
few lists do not maintain an archive of previous messages.

The command GET (filename1) (filename2) will retrieve files saved on the
LISTSERV, either archives or special documents. Every file has a two-word
name. Most often, files of a list's archived messages will be grouped by
month (like CFS-NEWS) or by week (like CFS-L). A monthly archive will have
a filename in the form of (listname) LOG(2-digit-year)(2-digit-month) and a
weekly archive will have a letter added at the end (either A, B, C, D or E)
to identify a week. For example, the February 1997 archive for CFS-NEWS
would be retrieved by sending the command

   GET CFS-NEWS LOG9702

as an email message to address LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU. Or to get
the CFS-L archive for the 2nd week of April 1997 you would send the command

   GET CFS-L LOG9704B

To see what specific filenames are available, you can use the INDEX command
as described above. When GETting logs or other files you can have the file
split into a number of smaller files by adding a SPLIT= instruction to your
GET command. For example to GET the same CFS-L log as in our example above
but split into 50 kilobyte messages, send the command:

GET CFS-L LOG9704B SPLIT=50K

This is helpful for those whose provider limits the size of incoming mail
messages. You can adjust the size of the split to suit your needs. The
split command also works when GETting other files.
e.g. GET CFS FAQ SPLIT=50K

CFS information files are available from the St. John's LISTSERV at
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU, and from the Albany LISTSERV at
LISTSERV@HEALTH.STATE.NY.US. For a discussion of those file facilities and
some advanced LISTSERV file commands, see Section 3 below.

Other helpful commands

To get a selection of listnames on any LISTSERV where the name or
description contains a certain keyword, send a command in the form of LISTS
GLOBAL /keyword. Example:

   LISTS GLOBAL /CFS

The command THANKs will generate a message which says "YOU're welcome!".
This may be used to check whether all the network connections are in place
between you and the LISTSERV and to be sure that the LISTSERV is up and
operating.

A user's guide to LISTSERV 1.8c is available at
http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/userindex.html. A complete list of LISTSERV
commands can be found on the LISTSERV REFCARD and a detailed LISTSERV
manual can be found as the LISTSERV MEMO document. These documents, and how
to get them, are described in Appendix A below.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 1-C: Mailing lists of interest

Note the following net mailing lists that may be of interest. In each case,
the Internet node where the sponsoring LISTSERV is located is shown. Always
send subscription commands to the LISTSERV address. Study subsection B
above carefully before using the addresses below.

In the web version of this document, many of the group names below are
hot-linked to more detailed information about each group. Those who don't
have web access may get more information by sending the command GET CFS
LISTS as an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.

CFS-NEWS @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  CFS Electronic Newsletter.
                                  Gatewayed to bit.listserv.cfs.newsletter.
CFS-L    @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome general
                                  discussion.  Gatewayed to newsgroup
                                  alt.med.cfs.
CFS-WIRE @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  CFS Newswire service to exchange news
                                  articles between CFS support group
                                  newsletters.  Gatewayed to
                                  alt.med.cfs.info.
ME-NET   @ NIC.SURFNET.NL         Dutch language group for CFS/FMS/Lyme
CFS-MED  @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  CFS discussion for health professionals
CFS-DOC  @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  CFS discussion for doctors (private
                                  group; to subscribe contact
                                  CFS-DOC-REQUEST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU)
CFIDS-L  @ AMERICAN.EDU           CFS/CFIDS/ME political action discussion.
                                  Gatewayed to alt.health.cfids-action.
CFS-OPEN @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  Unmoderated, subject to heated discussion
                                  Gatewayed to alt.med.cfs.open.
CATHAR-M @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  Catharsis magazine of personal health,
                                  intellect and creativity for the CFS
                                  community.
CFS-FILE @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  Notices of additions and changes to CFS
                                  file base at St. John's.
CFS-D    @ HEALTH.STATE.NY.US     Notices of additions and changes to CFS
                                  file base at Albany, New York
CO-CURE  @ LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU     CFS/FM information exchange.
CFS-Y    @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  CFS discussion for youths
CFS-20s  (not on LISTSERV)        20-somethings CFS discussion. To sub
                                  send SUBSCRIBE CFS-20S to
                                  majordomo@tertius.net.au
CFS-Q    (not on LISTSERV)        Gay CFS/ME discussion. To sub send
                                  SUBSCRIBE CFS-Q to
                                  majordomo@tertius.net.au
OzME     (not on LISTSERV)        Australia and New Zealand CFS/ME
                                  discussion.  To sub send SUBSCRIBE OZME
                                  to majordomo@tertius.net.au
MECHAT    @ hugme.com             UK CFS/ME discussion.
CDN-ME-FM @ LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU    Canadian CFS/ME/FM discussion
PWC-INFO  @ HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM   Canadian CFS/ME discussion
C-ACT    (not on LISTSERV)        CAA's CFIDS activist program
                                  To join mail to c-act@cfids.org
WECAN    @ HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM    CFIDS/ME patient advocacy
SASYFRAS @ HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM    CFS/ME patient discussion
CFS-P    (not on LISTSERV)        Parents of young PWC's. To sub send
                                  SUBSCRIBE CFS-P to
                                  majordomo@tertius.net.au
CFS-CARE @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  Caregivers of PWC's.
FIBROM-L @ MITVMA.MIT.EDU         Fibromyalgia / Fibrositis discussion
                                  No longer gated to alt.med.fibromyalgia.
immune   (not on LISTSERV)        Immune system discussion. To sub
                                  send SUBSINGLE to
                                  immune-request@lists.best.com
MCS-IMMUNE-NEURO @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU    MCS/Chemical sensitivity
PNI      @ ccat.sas.upenn.edu     PNI professional discussion (psychoneuro-
                                  immunology; send SUBSCRIBE PNI to
                                  LSTSRV@ccat.sas.upenn.edu)
Gulf War Syndrome                 News on Gulf War syndrome. To join, send
                                  a request to grant@ides.com.
LymeNet-L                         Lyme Disease electronic newsletter
                                  available through a non-standard listserv
                                  send the command Subscribe Lymenet-l
                                  (your) (name) to listserv@lehigh.edu
YEAST-L  @ MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU  Yeast problems and yeast-free recipes.
WITSENDO @ LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU Endometriosis discussion
EPD      @ list.pitt.edu          Enzyme Potentiated Desensitization
                                  treatment discussion. (Send SUBSCRIBE EPD
                                  to Majordomo@list.pitt.edu.)
HOLISTIC @ SIU.EDU                Holistic discussion
HERB     @ VM3090.EGE.EDU.TR      Medicinal and Aromatic Plants discussion
VEGLIFE  @ VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU        Vegetarian discussion
AMALGAM  @ LISTSERV.GMD.DE        Dental AMALGAM and MERCURY Poisoning
HELP-NET @ VM.TEMPLE.EDU          Internet Help group

To search for other mailing lists of interest visit http://www.liszt.com or
see the LISTS command in section 1-B above.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 1-D: SEARCHing and selecting old messages

You can have LISTSERV send you only selected messages of your choosing
without having to retrieve whole files of monthly logs. Many LISTSERV lists
that have archived messages can have those messages searched and selected.
Consider the following example where we want to search the CFS-L archive
for all messages containing the character string "ampligen":

SEARCH AMPLIGEN IN CFS-L

If you send the text above to the LISTSERV where CFS-L is based (i.e.,
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU) you will get in return a listing of all
CFS-L messages that contain the word "ampligen" (regardless of whether any
of the letters are upper or lower case in the messages). Directions on how
to retrieve the complete articles will be sent with the index of article
hits. You can narrow your search further, some examples follow:

SEARCH DHEA IN CFS-L SINCE DEC 96

SEARCH FLORINEF IN CFS-L SINCE NOV 96 WHERE SENDER CONTAINS FEKLARA

The "SENDER CONTAINS" option can only search the sender's email address,
not the sender's name. If the search string is longer than one line you
must begin each line with a double forward slash followed by a space:

// SEARCH 'SIDE EFFECTS' IN CFS-L FROM 96/6/30 TO 96/11/15 ,
// WHERE SUBJECT CONTAINS FLORINEF

Note that a space followed by a comma at the end of the first line allows
the command to continue to the 2nd line.

You can also narrow your search by using the reserved word AND or broaden
it by using the reserved word OR. E.g., entering SEARCH AMPLIGEN AND
RESEARCH would yield only those messages which contained both of those
words. Please note that CFS-L logs are only retained for roughly six
months. To search further back you may want to use other archive services
such as http://www.dejanews.com

A full description of how to use the LISTSERV database utility can be
obtained by sending the command GET LISTDB MEMO to any LISTSERV.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 2: Usenet newsgroups

Many people prefer the convenience of reading Usenet newsgroups rather than
receiving many messages from an active mailing list. Some mailing lists and
newsgroups are linked, or "gatewayed". Some newsgroups such as alt.med.cfs
are moderated and your post will not appear in the group immediately. For a
more detailed discussion on the technical setup of alt.med.cfs see Appendix
C below.

If you don't have access to Usenet and would like to find a service that
enables you to reach there, read the "CFS/ME Electronic Resources" guide
which can be obtained by sending the command GET CFS-NET TXT as an e-mail
message to the address LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU. It is also possible
to access Usenet newsgroups via e-mail, see Appendix C below.

Newsgroups

 alt.med.cfs                    patient discussion, linked to CFS-L
 alt.med.fibromyalgia           patient discussion, see also FIBROM-L
 alt.med.cfs.info               CFS-NEWS, CFS-WIRE and other periodicals.
 sci.med.immunology             general discussion on immunology
 sci.med.diseases.lyme          Lyme disease
 misc.health.alternative        alternative health
 alt.health.cfids-action        CFS political action issues (CFIDS-L)
 bit.listserv.cfs.newsletter    CFS-NEWS electronic newsletter
 alt.med.cfs.open               Unmoderated, linked to CFS-OPEN
 news.announce.newusers         info for those new to Usenet
 news.newsusers.questions       Q&A about Usenet

Discussions on other health issues can be found in the hierarchies of
sci.med, misc.health, and alt.support. Discussions for biologists can be
found in the bionet hierarchy.

For more information on Usenet visit
http://sunsite.unc.edu/usenet-i/home.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 3: FILES -- documents via email

CFS information files are available from the CFS-FILE database on the St.
John's University LISTSERV, and the CFS-D database on the New York State
Department of Health LISTSERV in Albany, New York.

To use the St. John's LISTSERV, send commands to
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU. To get a list of current files available,
send the command GET CFS-FILE FILELIST to this LISTSERV address. To
retrieve specific files, note the filenames on the FILELIST and then send a
command in the form of GET (filename1) (filename2) to the LISTSERV address
(each file has a two-part name). Example: GET CFS FAQ
To be notified of newly added files in the future, join the notification
list by sending a command in the form of

   SUB CFS-FILE YourFirstName YourLastName

as an email message to the address LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.

To use the Albany LISTSERV, send commands by e-mail to
LISTSERV@HEALTH.STATE.NY.US and use commands similarly as above, i.e. send
GET CFS-D FILELIST to this LISTSERV address.

When GETting files you can have the file split into a number of smaller
files by adding a SPLIT= instruction, see the GET command instructions in
section 1B above.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 4: World Wide Web

World Wide Web, or "www", is the latest Internet tool which having a
revolutionary effect on computer technology. Web pages link many different
Internet resources together on any related topic. If your system doesn't
have www but does have telnet, you can use www by telnetting into any of
the following and logging in as 'www': ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu; telnet.w3.org;
or www.njit.edu. It is also possible to access web pages via e-mail, see
Appendix C below. For a FAQ on the www see http://www.boutell.com/faq

There are a great many CFS/ME resources that are reachable via the web, too
many to list here. The following web pages can lead you to these many
links:

   http://www.cais.net/cfs-news

   http://www.dds.nl/~me-net/meweb

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 5: IRC (Internet Relay Chat)

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) enables a real-time live conference. There is a
CFS channel on the "Undernet" portion of the IRC network which holds
regular meetings daily, and which has become so popular that there are
usually people on the channel at almost all hours of the day. For details
about how to reach the #CFS channel you can go to the web page at
http://www.cais.net/cfs-news/irc.htm. Or by email you can send the command

   GET CFS IRC

as a message to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.

For information about IRC generally, send the command

   send usenet/news.answers/irc/undernet-faq/part1

as an e-mail message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu. For information about the
IRC Undernet in particular (where the active CFS channel is located), send
the command

   send usenet/news.answers/irc/undernet-faq/part2

to that same address.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 6: Gopher

"Gopher" is a file-finding utility. The ME-NET mailing list based in the
Netherlands has much information and its archives can be found by gopher.
Go to HEARN.nic.SURFnet.nl and choose "LISTSERVs public archives on
HEARN.nic.SURFnet.NL", and then ME-NET.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 7: FTP

"FTP" stands for "file transfer protocol". It is a means of transferring
large files rapidly between different computer systems, and it is available
at many Internet providers. Note the following sites:

     alternatives.com (Alternatives BBS, British Columbia), directory
     hecfs (to see a helpful menu listing of the files there, web to
     http://www.alternatives.com/libs/hecfs.htm

     warp.icdi.wvu.edu (Project ENABLE BBS, West Virginia), directory
     CFS (to see a helpful menu listing of the files there, web to
     http://www.icdi.wvu.edu/files/file23.htm

     ftp.uci.edu (U. Calif. Irvine Science Library),
     ftp://ftp.uci.edu/med-ed/cfs

     rtfm.mit.edu (Usenet FAQ repository), directory
     pub/usenet/news.answers/medicine/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/

     ftp.cdc.gov (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),
     ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/infectious_diseases/cfs/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Section 8: Telnet

"Telnet" enables you login in to another system from your own. There are a
few computer systems that allow limited access by the general public to
selected resources.

The Project ENABLE BBS of West Virginia can be reached by telnet. The BBS
gives access to many disability related discussion groups on the Fidonet
BBS network, including the CFS "echo". People on Internet who are
accustomed to quick responses to messages may feel that the Fidonet echos
are slow (they can take a day or two to distribute messages). However,
Fidonet BBSs can be accessed at no charge and usually by a local telephone
call, so they can be reached by a great many people. Telnet to
enable.wvnet.edu and after completing the online registration you can from
the main menu use the Join command to go to the CFS echo at conference 101.
CFS files can be found in file area 23 and can be downloaded via ftp from
warp.icdi.wvu.edu directory CFS. (For information on how to find Fidonet
BBSs locally, get the "CFS/ME Electronic Resources" guide by sending the
command GET CFS-NET TXT as an email message to
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.)

The National Capital Free-net (Ottawa) has a CFS section with discussion
groups and info files. Telnet to freenet.carleton.ca. When you reach the
command prompt, enter the command "go cfseir" to get to the CFS section.
You may want to fill out and mail in the Freenet registration forms to get
wider access to that system.

The Alternatives BBS has a health forum including a files section on CFS
(which can be accessed directly by ftp, see Section 7 above). Telnet to
alternatives.com or 204.244.17.10.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Appendix A: Further info about health resources and LISTSERV.

A comprehensive guide to medical resources has been developed by Dr. Gary
Malet with Lee Hancock and it is available as a web page at

   http://www.medmatrix.org

A similar guide to general health resources can be found in the Health
Resources file maintained by Lee Hancock. The 1993 edition can be obtained
by sending the command GET CFS MED-RES as an e-mail message to
LISTSERV@HEALTH.STATE.NY.US. The current edition can be obtained by the
following means:

       web:  http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/cwis/units/medcntr/menu.html

       gopher:  ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu, login kufacts
                choose Departmental Information, and
                then Medical Center Resources

       ftp:  ftp.cc.ukans.edu, directory /pub/hmatrix
             with filenames in the form of medlst*

Further detailed information about LISTSERV can be obtained by sending the
command GET (filename1) (filename2) as email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.NET. See
the examples below.

   GET LISTSERV REFCARD   Commands reference card
   GET LISTSERV MEMO      Gen'l Introduction to LISTSERV
   GET LISTFILE MEMO      File-server functions
   GET LISTDB   MEMO      Database functions
   GET LISTFAQ  MEMO      Frequently Asked Questions
                          [could be subtitled How to Use
                          Database to Answer Your Own
                          Questions]

Also see the user's guide at http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/userindex.html.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Appendix B: Other help documents about on-line CFS resources

The "CFS/ME Electronic Resources" guide answers questions such as

     - How can I find Freenets, BBSs, and other low-cost alternatives
     to CFS online information?

     - Where can CFS information be found on the commercial services,
     like Prodigy, America Online, Compuserve, GEnie, and others?

     - How can I find a local full-service Internet provider?

To get a copy, send the command GET CFS-NET TXT as an email message to
LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.

The CFS INDEX file describes many basic online documents and how to obtain
them, including the CFS FAQ. The CFS INDEX is available on the web at
http://www.cais.net/cfs-news/cfs-indx.html and can be obtained via email by
sending GET CFS INDEX to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Appendix C: Additional internet info

You can access many internet resources via e-mail including the www, Usenet
news, FTP, and gopher. For more information send the command:

   send usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access-via-email

as a e-mail message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu.

One copyright FAQ is at http://www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.html
For information on spam visit http://spam.abuse.net

alt.med.cfs posting delays -- When posting to alt.med.cfs your article will
not appear in the group immediately. Posts to alt.med.cfs are forwarded to
the LISTSERV which verifies that you are registered for posting (they are
not viewed by anyone before distribution). It then sends the post to the
Usenet gateway (and to CFS-L). From the news gateway at American University
the article must make its way back to your news server.

News propagation tends to be slow and unreliable. It's not uncommon to see
posts appearing out of order. It's also probable that those following via
Usenet do not see every article posted to the group. The quality of news
feeds vary depending on your provider.

If you would like to be certain that your posts are reaching the group, you
can set your registration subscription to ACK. To do so, send a e-mail
message to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU that reads SET CFS-L ACK. (For
more information on LISTSERV and SET commands see Section 1 above.)
Thereafter, each time you post you will receive a short confirmation notice
via e-mail when your post is successfully distributed.

If getting timely and complete information is important to you, you may
want to consider following via the mailing list. E-mail is much faster and
more reliable than news propagation. The mailing list CFS-L and the
newsgroup alt.med.cfs mirror each other. To switch to the mailing list,
send a e-mail message to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU that reads SET
CFS-L MAIL.

If your posts do appear on the group immediately, it's likely your provider
doesn't have the group set as moderated at your site. In that case your
posts are not being distributed to the full group. You should ask your news
administrator to set the group as moderated. Another way around this
problem is to send your posts as an e-mail message to
CFS-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU. Everything sent to that address is
automatically distributed to the group, provided you are registered for
posting.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Appendix D: Where to get this document

A current edition of this document can be obtained in the following ways:

     Email: send GET CFS NET-HELP to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU

     Web: go to http://www.mcs.net/~dalton/net-help.htm

     Usenet: go to newsgroup alt.med.cfs and see the weekly FAQ
     article whose subject title is "FAQ: CFS Network Help"

     ftp: go to rtfm.mit.edu, directory
     pub/usenet/news.answers/medicine/chronic-fatigue-syndrome
     filename cfs-network-help

Comments regarding this document should be sent to
CFS-NEWS-REQUEST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU.

=============== From: CFS-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU ===============

-- end of document ------------------------------------------
