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Here is the mid-January mailing of the PSYCGRAD FAQ- everything you
wanted to know about PSYCGRAD, right at your fingertips!

This document is designed to address the most frequently-asked
questions and other little-known aspects of PSYCGRAD, and as such it
is neither static nor exhaustive, and changes as further questions rise.  Please
contribute.

If you have *any* questions, problems, comments, etc... about the
PSYCGRAD project, please e-mail the PSYCGRAD Director, Jason
Washburn, at: jwashbur@wppost.depaul.edu

List of FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

1.   What is PSYCGRAD?
2.   What is the purpose of PSYCGRAD?  What do you do with it?
3.   What is discussed on PSYCGRAD?
4.   Who is invited to participate in PSYCGRAD?
5.   I'm a pregraduate student in psychology, and I plan to go
      to graduate school.  Can I subscribe to PSYCGRAD?
6.   Who created PSYCGRAD and who is running it?
7.   What associations are affiliated with PSYCGRAD?
8.   How often should I send letters to PSYCGRAD?
9.   How does PSYCGRAD work?
10. My classmates have not heard about PSYCGRAD yet.  Do you
      have an brief announcement?
11. How do you spell PSYCGRAD?
12. Where can you find PSYCGRAD? Is there a Web Page?
13. How do I subscribe to PSYCGRAD?
14. How do I turn off the Digest format of PSYCGRAD?
15. How can I turn the mail off temporarily?
16. How do I unsubscribe from PSYCGRAD?
17. I tried to unsubscribe, but Listserv says that I am not subscribed,
      but I get letters anyway, what's the deal?  What do I do?
18. How do I send a letter to everyone on PSYCGRAD?
19. Why are my postings being rejected from Listserv?
20. How do I learn more about what Listserv can do?
21. I'm getting way too much email everyday, what can I do?  Do
      I have to unsubscribe? How do I turn on the Digest again?
22. I saw a letter last week on PSYCGRAD I want now.  How can
      I get a copy?
23. I don't see anything posted on PSYCGRAD that I am
      interested in.  Can we talk about...?
24. I just saw someone being very inappropriate on PSYCGRAD,
      what can I do about it?
25. I have some questions about PSYCGRAD.  Who should I write
      to?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FAQs and Answers

1. What is PSYCGRAD?

"The PSYCGRAD Project" is where graduate students studying in the
field of psychology are found on the internet.

Nowhere else in the world do psychology graduate students regularly
communicate on such a grand scale.  PSYCGRAD is the most widely
used standard of communication amoung all psychology graduate
students.  It happens daily, internationally, voluntarily, and in an
uncensored and unedited fashion.  Announcements concerning the
world of psychology are also regularly posted here (eg. conferences,
call for papers, job postings, workshops, etc.; Often, if an association
has an announcement to get out to graduate students, it will use
PSYCGRAD to get it out before even its own turtle-slow methods).
Communication is immediate and widespread.

PSYCGRAD's primary component is an email discussion group where
subscribers to the group post email letters to all of the other psychology
graduate students who are subscribed.  PSYCGRAD is an ongoing
discussion that covers any topic under the sun related to being a
psychology graduate student.  While it is estimated that more than 50%
of the participants are in the United States, it is an international
organization.
It is hard to determine the exact number of people who read PSYCGRAD.
Portions of the project are not able to monitor the number of people
accessing it, while others have reported over 1,000 participants from
more than 35 different countries.

The PSYCGRAD Project also encompases other Internet-based services.
The secondary mode of communication for PSYCGRAD is through the
World Wide Web (WWW). The PSYCGRAD Web page offers graduate
students information on employment opportunities, literature, graduate
life, and links to psychology related organizations, lists, and other
resources available on the Web.

The email discussion group can also be accessed through the
mirrored/gatewayed version of PSYCGRAD by using the
Usenet/Netnews newsgroup, bit.listserv.psycgrad.

See The PSYCGRAD Mission Statement for further information on the
project.

2.  What is the purpose of PSYCGRAD?  What do you do with it?

The purpose of PSYCGRAD is to provide a standard of communication
for psychology graduate students on the internet.

3.  What is discussed on PSYCGRAD?

Anything and everything related to being a psychology graduate student.

4.  Who is invited to participate in PSYCGRAD?

Students who have graduated with their BA or BSc and who are
studying psychology at the graduate level.

5.  I'm a pregraduate student in psychology, and I plan to go to graduate
school.  Can I subscribe to PSYCGRAD?

If you are a pregraduate student in psychology, you are invited to listen
in on the discussions on PSYCGRAD, but please don't post letters there.
Please understand that we all firmly believe that pregraduate student
have a wealth of knowledge about psychology and can contribute to our
discussions in any number of ways.  But we do have a right to have a
place on the Internet where only psychology graduate students
communicate.  PSYCGRAD is that place.

Pregraduate psychology students *are* invited to field their questions on
special email discussion groups designed especially for this population.
The following lists are available for undergraduate psychology students:
       - PSYCH-L: send command "sub PSYCH-L your name" to
         listserv@listserv.uoguelph.ca)
       - Undergrad PsychList (send command "subscribe" to
         UG-Psychlist-Request@psy.uq.oz.au)  >

6.  Who created PSYCGRAD and who is running it?

The PSYCGRAD Project was created around 1991 by Matthew
Simpson at the University of Ottawa. It primarily began as a email
discussion group list, where it later grew to include a daily digest, a
gopher site (complete with indexed and searchable archives of
discussions), a usenet newsgroup, an ftp site, a www page, and even
an editted journal.

Many people contributed to PSYCGRAD's growth and development.
Quite notably, Tor Neilands discided that PSYCGRAD needed a WWW
page, created one, and started to maintain and serve it up to the internet
via the University of Texas. In fact, most of the links to so many
interesting sites, Tor compiled. We all owe Tor a note of gratitude for his
contribution to this pioneering project.

Additionally, many editors provided hours and hours of their time making
PSYCGRAD a solid-looking internet resource in the early days. Before
Listserv (the email distribution program which operates the discussion
group) started to create daily digests automatically, a team of 7 editors
each took a weekly turn, one for each day, and created a daily digest or
the subscribers who wished to have the digest option. (If you are one of
the original editors of the digest, please contact Matthew Simpson. We
would like to put your name here).

As you may already know, the population of students who study
psychology at the graduate level is very transient by nature. As there
was an absense of a constant push to promote the Project, from about
December 1994 to February 1997, the number of subscribers and the
number of daily messages to PSYCGRAD dwindled.

Today, under the direction of Jason Washburn, the PSYCGRAD
discussion group is experiencing a resergence of interrest. Daily
subscriptions are pouring in once again. Matthew is still maintaining his
responsibilities as owner and founder of the project, editing these Web
pages, and providing consultations to Jason. But Jason is really handling
most of the front-end interraction with the discussion group and by
developing promotions.

7.  What associations are affiliated with PSYCGRAD?

None!  Yahoo!  We are completely on our own!  This is a place where we
are free to do and say whatever we want...Internationally!  Nowhere
else in the world do psychology graduate students communicate more
regularly on such a grand scale.  We are not politically offiliated in any
way, and therefore, are not restrained by any other agenda or political
position.  We are not affiliated with APA, APS, CPA, or any of "P"
association.

8.  How often should I send letters to PSYCGRAD?

Send letters often.  The activity of the group is fueled by the letters that
are sent.

It is always good to start by Introducing yourself to the group. Ask
questions.  Be stimulating.  Create discussions, arguments, and debates.
Most of all, Have fun!

9.  How does PSYCGRAD work?

Basically, you subscribe to the list and then start to receive each of the
letters that are sent through the list.

When you have a thought you would like to share, just send in an email
letter to:
              psycgrad@listserv.uottawa.ca.
That letter is then electronically duplicated and mailed to each of the other
subscribers to the list.  Each of them will receive the letter, read it, think
deeply about what you have written, and then choose whether to reply
or not.  When they reply, everyone gets their reply.  In this way, a
discussion thread is formed in which everyone can participate.

10.  My classmates have not heard about PSYCGRAD yet.  Do you have
an brief announcement?

Yes.  Send an e-mail to Jason Washburn at:  jwashbur@wppost.depaul.edu,
and ask for a copy of the flyer.  Please
print out some copies and take it with you to class and pass it out
amoung your peers.  We try to post the flyer twice per month for this
purpose, but feel free to ask for a copy.

Also, feel free to check out http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~simpson/psycgrad
A copy of the flyer is there.

11.  How do you spell PSYCGRAD?

"PSYCGRAD" not Psychgrad or Psych-Grad.  Okay, Okay, I admit it.  No
one really asks this question.  But the word is mispelled often.

12.  Where can you find PSYCGRAD?

Via EMAIL: Letters are distributed through
psycgrad@listserv.uottawa.ca.  Subscription requests are processed
through listserv@listserv.uottawa.ca

Via Usenet: Read and post through bit.listserv.psycgrad.
But, seriously consider subscribing via email.  It tends to keep you in
touch more.

And yes, we have a beautiful Web Page:

Via WWW: http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~simpson/psycgrad.html

The PSYCGRAD Web pages have recently been revised and are getting
better every day!

13.  How do I subscribe to PSYCGRAD?

Send  the message:

          subscribe psycgrad Yourfirstname Yourlastname

to:

          listserv@listserv.uottawa.ca

14.  How do I turn off the Digest format of PSYCGRAD?

Currently, all members of the list automatically receive the PSYCGRAD
Digest as a default. While the Digest format has its advantages, we
strongly suggest that members turn off the digest option and experience
the one-on-one, letter-for-letter type of interaction.  We suggest that you
give  it a try.  The forum tends to become more intense that way.
      If you wish to receive individual messages immediately after they are
sent to the list, rather than in the Digest format, please send the following
command:

                        SET PSYCGRAD NODIGEST

to:                    listserv@listserv.uottawa.ca

This command will let the listserv know that you prefer to receive your
mail in individual messages, rather than in the Digest format.

15.  How can I turn the mail off temporarily?

Send the message:

           set psycgrad nomail

to:

           listserv@.listserv.uottawa.ca.

16.  How do I unsubscribe from PSYCGRAD?

Send the message:

           signoff psycgrad

to:

           listserv@listserv.uottawa.ca.   >
17.  I tried to unsubscribe, but Listserv says that I am not subscribed, but
I get letters anyway, what's the deal?  What do I do?

This happens when you subscribed first via one email address, and  then
later, the postmasters and system adminstrators at your site changed your
address in some way.

They set it up in such a way that you cannot send mail out from the old
address, but the old address will continue to send mail to your new
address.  So, listserv does not recognize your new address because
you are not subscribed via that address.  But you continue to receive
PSYCGRAD via your old address. (Did you get all of that?)

What can you do?  Ask your postmaster to unsubscribe you from
PSYCGRAD via your old address.  The postmaster created the problem
in the first place when she or he failed to send out a "signoff netwide"
command to Listserv before changing your address.  This command is
designed just for that purpose.  It unsubscribes you from all
Listserv-based discussion groups in the world.  If all else fails, get in
touch with Jason Washburn at: jwashbur@wppost.depaul.edu. In your
letter, tell him the situation.  Include your old address and your new
address.

I don't recommend sending such a request to psycgrad@listserv.uottawa.ca.
They make you look like a total newbie, are posted to everyone on the list,
take up space, are annoying, are rude, and are completely ignored.

The catch-22 is (chuckle, chuckle) that if you are reading this, you are
not the kind of person to post public requests like that; and those who
send the public requests to unsubscribe haven't yet tuned into this.

18.  How do I send a letter to everyone on PSYCGRAD?

You must first be subscribed.  After you are subscribed, send your mail
letter to psycgrad@listserv.uottawa.ca.  Alternatively, you could post
your letter on bit.listserv.psycgrad.

19.  Why are my postings being rejected from Listserv?

This happens when your email address has changed since you have
subscribed to PSYCGRAD and you have not yet subscribed via your
new address.  You need to unsubscribe your old address and then
subscribe your new address.  See FAQ # 17, "I tried to unsubscribe, but
Listserv says that I am not subscribed, but I get letters anyway, what's
the deal?  What do I do?"

20.  How do I learn more about what Listserv can do?

Listserv can do quite a lot, including a search of the archives of past
discussions.
Send the message:

             help
             info ?
             info genintro
             info refcard

to:
            listserv@listserv.uottawa.ca.

21.  I'm getting way too much email everyday, what can I do?  Do
I have to unsubscribe? How do I turn on the Digest again?

PSYCGRAD is currently set up so everyone automatically receives the
The PSYCGRAD Digest as a default.  PSYCGRAD is currently set up so
everyone automatically receives the PSYCGRAD Digest as a default.
However, you may have turned off the digest and found that you would
rather, instead of receiving each item of mail, receive a daily digest once
again.  If you would like to receive PSYCGRAD in digest form once
again...

Send the message:

           set psycgrad digest

to:

           listserv@listserv.uottawa.ca.

22. I saw a letter last week on PSYCGRAD I want now.  How can
      I get a copy?

Old PSYCGRAD letters are kept in an archive. No, you don't need to make
an adventurous trek into the deep, dark, cavernous bowels of a gothic
library. You don't even have to go to one of those lovely microfiche
machines. All you need is a connection to the World Wide Web, and the
address for PSYCGRAD's Web Page. Oh, I guess you want the address, huh?

Point your Web Browser to:
             http://aix1.uottawa.ca/~simpson/psycgrad.html

And hit the link for "Search PSYCGRAD Archives" to find the letter that
you are looking for.  Happy Hunting!

23.  I don't see anything posted on PSYCGRAD that I am interested in.
Can we talk about...?

Sure we can!  :-)  The content of PSYCGRAD is solely determined by the
letters you and everyone else posts.  If you are interested in discussing
something, just send a letter to PSYCGRAD.  Send a provocative
statement or a question.  Elicit discussion from others.  Have fun!  If you
are interested in it, chances are that others are too.  This is especially
true for science and academic oriented issues.

24.  I just saw someone being very inappropriate on PSYCGRAD, what
can I do about it?

People find that others on PSYCGRAD can be inappropriate for various
reasons.
Though many of these reasons are subjective (as in, beauty is
in the eye of the beholder), there are some clear conventions around
Internet use and abuse which are not tollerated when broken.  Flaming is
one of them.

Flaming is defined in PSYCGRAD as an intentional public insult towards
an individual.  It's okay to comment on the ideas or writing of a person,
but it's not okay to publically attack or insult the individual.  There is a
no-flaming and no-spamming policy on PSYCGRAD (see PSYCGRAD
Mission Statement).

When you find that someone is being inappropriate on
PSYCGRAD, follow this method.  It is time-tested.  It works.

Step 1: Do not complain to the list.

Step 2: Write to the person privately and see if the situation can be
resolved.  This is the most important step. If we all use it when needed, it
works.

Step 3: If the person persists in being abusive, you can write a letter of
complaint to the person's postmaster
(postmaster@the.persons.node.whatever.edu).

Step 4: If the situation continues, contact the PSYCGRAD Director
Jason Washburn at: jwashbur@wppost.depaul.edu, and explain the
situation.  The Director can typically activate other options (eg. removing
people from the discussion, complain to postmasters).  People have lost
their access to Internet while persisting in being abusive on PSYCGRAD.

25.  I have some questions about PSYCGRAD that are just not addressed
here.  Who should I write to?

Write to the PSYCGRAD Director, Jason Washburn at:
jwashbur@wppost.depaul.edu