The Bluebird-L Reference Guide

Bluebird-L FAQ's

What is Bluebird-L, and who runs it?

How do I subscribe to Bluebird-L?

How do I post to Bluebird-L? What information should I include in my message?

What is appropriate, and what is not appropriate, on Bluebird-L?

Why shouldn't I send Styled Text, or HTML, to Bluebird-L?

How do I send Plain Text instead of Styled Text?

Why a reference web site about bluebirds?

How do I receive Bluebird-L in a digest format?

How do I temporarily unsubscribe from Bluebird-L?

What is Bluebird-L?
Bluebird-L is an e-mail list providing a forum to share knowledge concerning bluebirds and other cavity-nesting species. Discussions on topics related to these subjects are invited. Exchanges should be informative and respectful. Members are encouraged to feel a sense of community in which they can post without risking humiliation or personal attacks.

Bluebird-L is owned by Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Birdhouse Network (formerly
the Cornell Nest Box Network). The Birdhouse Network (TBN) jointly manages Bluebird-L with the North American Bluebird Society (NABS).

It is the intention of the List owners and managers to maintain Bluebird-L as an open forum. Messages are not moderated. Instead, it is up to every member of the list to monitor his/her own behavior on the list. Should violations of the Guidelines occur, Bluebird-L owners and managers will use their discretion to remedy the violations.

Should you need to contact someone directly for any reason regarding Bluebird-L e-mail the Listowner.

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How do I subscribe to Bluebird-L?
In the TO field of your e-mail, type the following: lyris@cornell.edu

Leave the SUBJECT line blank.

In the BODY of the message type the following:

join bluebird-L firstname lastname

Example: join Bluebird-L Dickey Bird

Hit send.

After a while you will receive the Bluebird-L Welcome Message. Read it carefully. Save it. It contains valuable information, especially about unsubscribing.

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How do I post to Bluebird-L? What should I include in my message?
To post to Bluebird-L, simply address and send an e-mail to: bluebirdl@cornell.edu.
Note that Bluebird-L is a closed list: you must be subscribed to Bluebird-L to post to it.

Include a SUBJECT HEADING that provides information about the subject you are actually discussing. For example, if you want to discuss how to ID a Black-capped Chickadee nest, type that in the SUBJECT field. You might choose to write, "Is my nest
a Black-capped Chickadee?" Don't just write Black-capped Chickadee in the subject
line. Also, don't write about meal worms in that Black-capped Chickadee message; the meal worm discussion is apt to get lost. Send another message with the specific topic, such as, "Feeding meal worms to bluebirds."

Be consistent. When replying to a message, keep the same subject line as the original message; that way, readers can go right back to the original message and others' comments on the same subject.

Remember to stay on topic. When you hit REPLY, make sure that you are replying to the topic that is in the subject field. For example, if you are replying to the topic "Gilbertson Nest Boxes" stay on that topic. Don't drop in a comment about "Dead Tree Swallows" or, write the entire message about dead Tree Swallows. Your Tree Swallow info is bound to get lost. Send a separate message that refers to "Dead Tree Swallows" in the subject line.

Be sure to include a SIGNATURE. Where are you from? Other Bluebird-L participants want to know. Begin your message or sign off with at least your first name, city, and state or province. This can be critical when you are discussing bird species. For example, when you mention "bluebirds," you are probably not referring to Eastern Bluebirds if you are from California.

An easy option is to set up an automatic signature. Check to see if your mail program has an automatic signature option. Eudora, Outlook 98, and Netscape Messenger provide this. By using this option, you won't have to type your name and place each time.

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What topics are appropriate to post to Bluebird-L?
Although the list is called "Bluebird-L," questions or discussions about all cavity-nesting birds are welcome. Many experienced nest box monitors share tips and tricks they have learned over the years, and many new nest box monitors ask questions about recent observations in or around their nest boxes. Some post bluebird related poems. As long as the discussions are civil and posts are respectful, they are appropriate for this list.

Posts that nit-pick, belittle, or attack other members of Bluebird-L will not be tolerated. Members that post such messages will be immediately and permanently removed from the list.

Off-topic posts are generally not allowed. But when nest box activity slows, some members submit posts regarding feeder birds or other non-cavity nesting birds. While a couple of occasional posts along these lines are tolerated, keep in mind there are many
other lists devoted to those topics. The American Birding Association maintains a list of Newsgroups/Mailing Lists. Region-oriented lists cover virtually everywhere in North America and the rest of the world, and subject-oriented lists include topics as varied as hawk migration, hummingbirds, seabirds, eagles, bird-safe coffee production, bird banding, and much more.

Blatantly off-topic posts, meaning those not relating to birds in any way, are not allowed on Bluebird-L.

Please do not forward virus warnings, chain letters, or other warnings to the list. While we realize your intentions are good, in almost all cases these e-mails are simply a hoax and the "virus" is spreading the e-mail to all corners of the Internet. When you receive
any e-mail warning, check if it has been reported already at one of the following sites:

HoaxKill
About Urban Legends and Folklore

Individual back-and-forth discussions should be sent between individuals, not to the entire list. It is great to learn that there is rapport between individual Bluebird-L. However, these discussions can get tedious, timely, and costly for others to read. We have heard from several people that they have become downright bothersome, to the point that some folks, whose time is very limited, are considering unsubscribing.

Please send personal messages to the recipient directly. When you select REPLY in your e-mail viewer the message will be sent only to the person who wrote the message. To reply to the entire Bluebird-L list, simply hit REPLY-TO-ALL, a feature found in most
e-mail viewers. But make sure the message you are sending is for general readership and not a personal message.

Avoid "me too" messages. If all you want to do is agree with something someone has said, but you don't really have anything new to add, think about sending personal e-mail. Or, as one TBN staff member suggested, maybe just shout "YESSS!" really loudly to make yourself feel better.

Attachments (nest box plans, photographs, text documents, etc.) can be hard or even impossible to download. More importantly, attachments can carry computer viruses. If you have an attachment in which you believe others would be interested, send a note to
the list and have people contact you directly. You can then send your attachment on an individual basis.

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Why shouldn't I send Styled Text, or HTML, to Bluebird-L?
Many e-mail users send "Styled Text," meaning text with special fonts, characters, varying colors, hyperlinks, and many other options. To do so, your e-mail viewer is reading HTML code to decipher these special features. Unfortunately, due to the possibility of spreading a virus through HTML code (e.g., the Kak Worm virus), we cannot allow posts containing "Styled Text" on Bluebird-L.

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How do I send Plain Text instead of Styled Text?
Below are instructions on how to turn off "Text With Styles" in Outlook Express, Eudora, and AOL. If you use a different e-mail program, or have information about turning off Styled Text in e-mail viewers not listed here, please e-mail <birdhouse@cornell.edu>.

A. Using Microsoft Outlook Express 5 in Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT
1. Open Outlook Express 5.
2. The very top toolbar lists "TOOLS," click on it.
3. At the very bottom of the sub-menu is "OPTIONS," click on it.
4. A screen will appear with 10 tabs across the top. Choose "SEND," click on it.
5. Three-quarters down the page find "MAIL SENDING FORMAT." Note that a bullet
has been placed beside HTML.
6. Directly below that, place a bullet beside "PLAIN TEXT" and click "OK."
7. Click "X" in the upper right-hand corner to leave the program.

To send Plain Text to Bluebird-L but HTML to all others
1. Open Outlook Express 5.
2. Call up your ADDRESS BOOK
3. Highlight "BLUEBIRD-L" by clicking one time on it.
4. On the second toolbar from the top, click on PROPERTIES. A screen will appear
with eight tabs across the top, choose NAME, click on it.
5. In the lower left-hand corner you will see a box with the words "Send E-mail using Plain Text only." Place a check mark in that box by clicking on it. Click OK.
6. This will insure that all messages sent to BLUEBIRD-L will be in TEXT format only and all other messages will be sent in HTML format.

Information about Outlook Express 5 submitted by Fread J. Loane and Fawzi P. Emad.
If you have any problems in Windows 95 or Windows 98, e-mail Fread at <firefrost2@earthlink.net>.
If you have any problems in Windows NT, e-mail Fawzi at <femad@erols.com>.

B. Using Eudora in Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT
1. Open Eudora.
2. The very top tool bar lists "TOOLS," click on it.
3. At the very bottom of the list is "OPTIONS," click on it. A smaller window will open up.
4. Use the scroll bar to scroll down the options on the left-hand side of the screen until you see "Styled Text." Click on it.
5. Several choices appear on the right-hand side of the window. Click on the button aligned with "Send Plain Text Only."
6. If the box preceding "Send the Signature with Styles" is checked, click on it to uncheck it.
7. Click on "OK" when you are finished.

C. Using Eudora in OS 8.6 (Macintosh)
1. Open Eudora.
2. The very top tool bar lists "SPECIAL," click on it.
3. Midway down the list is "SETTINGS," click on it. A smaller window will open up.
4. Use the scroll bar to scroll down the options on the left-hand side of the screen until you see "Styled Text." Click on it.
5. Several choices appear on the right-hand side of the window. Click on the button aligned with "Discard Style Information."
6. Click on "OK" when you are finished.

D. Using America Online (AOL)
1. Open AOL.
2. The AOL tool bar lists "MY AOL," click on it.
3. The second choice in the drop-down menu is "PREFERENCES," click on it. A smaller window will open up with many icons.
4. Click on the "MAIL" icon. Another window will open.
5. There is an option to "Show Addresses as Hyperlinks," make sure it is NOT selected. If it is selected, click on it to remove the "x."
6. Click "OK" at the bottom of the screen when you are finished.
7. When that window closes, click on the "x" in the upper right-hand corner to close the box with all the icons.

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Why a reference guide web site about bluebirds?
We encourage all new subscribers to Bluebird-L to spend some time surfing through the vast amount of information available in the Bluebird Reference Guide. In addition to bluebird information (primarily collected from discussions on Bluebird-L), there are links
to various sites focusing on predator and competitor control around nest boxes, bluebird recordings, pictures and sound files, feeding bluebirds, companies selling nest boxes, and much, much more.

Much of this information is also available at another excellent bluebird-oriented web site, The Bluebird Box.

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How do I receive Bluebird-L in a digest format?
Bluebird-L generates plenty of messages. Understatement! The Digest Option allows
you to receive Bluebird-L messages in digest format, that is all at once, one time a day. An advantage is that you can receive a compilation of messages as one message and are not interrupted during the day with a stream of messages. The disadvantage of course is that you miss out on "real-time" conversation. Choosing the Digest Option for Bluebird-L is easy to do:

In the TO field of your e-mail, type the following: lyris@cornell.edu

Leave the SUBJECT line blank.

In the body of the message type the following:
set Bluebird-L mail

Hit send. That's all you have to do!

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How do I temporarily unsubscribe from Bluebird-L?
If you are going to be away from e-mail for a while, let's say you are going to Hawaii for two weeks, but you want to remain subscribed to the list, simply go through the following steps:

In the TO field of your e-mail, type the following: lyris@cornell.edu

Leave the SUBJECT line blank.

In the body of the message type the following:
set Bluebird-L nomail

Hit send.

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Contact us at:

The Birdhouse Network (TBN)
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
http://birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/
1-800-843-BIRD

The North American Bluebird Society (NABS
The Wilderness Center
P.O. Box 244
Wilmot, OH 44689-0244
http://nabluebirdsociety.org
330-359-5511