This message is in response to Lanny Weddel but I am posting it to the list because I think it may be of some interest to other list-members. Comments - polite and constructive - are welcome. Ben Winter === === === === === Hello Lanny, You asked about "differences, hows and wherefores of 'posting personal mail' versus posting to the list". First, DIFFERENCES. Personal mail is e-mail addressed to one individual recipient; it will be received only by the designated recipient. It will _not_ be automatically sent to all members of this list - unlesss the recipient deliberately forwards it to the list. [Instead of _one_ recipient, there can be a small group of deliberately designated recipients]. On the other hand, a 'posting to the list' is e-mail addressed to the LIST ADDRESS, [log in to unmask] ; sometimes that address is 'hidden' behind the displayed label Parkinson's Information Exchange Network. Such mail will be received by _every_ member of the PARKINSN list. Next, HOW. The recipient of an e-mail message is determined by the address fields, To: and Cc: and Bcc: . The message will go to all recipients specified in those fields. If you want to send a message to all list members, put the LIST ADDRESS into the To: field [or into Cc or Bcc]. You can type [or in some other way insert] [log in to unmask] in the To: field. Or you can take a list-distributed message and use the Reply function; that will automatically put Parkinson's Information Exchange Network in the To: field. -- Caution: if you use Reply, be sure to adjust the content of the Subject: field, to ensure that it properly reflects the content of _your_ message. If you want to send a personal message that will _not_ be seen by list members, you type [or in some other way insert] the recipient's address in the To: field - and make sure that none of the three address fields contains the list address. For example, to send personal mail to me, make sure that the To: field contains [log in to unmask] and that none of the three address fields contains the list address. If you are starting with a message you received via the list, and are using the REPLY function, you'll see that the list address was automatically put in the To: field; for a personal message to me, you need to DELETE the list address and INSERT my address. And finally, the WHEREFORES. That's really quite simple. If you really think there are some list members - out there, unknown to you - who could find a particular message useful or interesting, then post it to the list. But if it is likely that only X [and Y and Z] would find the message useful or interesting, then send it as personal e-mail to X [and Y and Z]. I should add that, besides being potentially useful or interesting to list-members, a list-posted message should be _relevant_ to and _appropriate_ for the list. But the question of relevance and appropriateness is the subject of vigorous debate and remains, for the moment, unsettled. Ben