Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about 

the NESMA discussion list

A. NESMA is the North East Surf Music Alliance. The goals of NESMA include: to get and promote recognition for the east coast surf bands on a national and global level; to further expand the musical expression of the surf/instrumental genre to the general population; and to connect regional surf bands through a comprehensive communications network including contacts, supporters, venues, etc., from Nova Scotia south to the Carolinas, and west to Chicago. NESMA also encompasses the belief that surf / instrumental bands can work together, trade shows (within and outside a band's own region), exchange recordings, and eliminate "turf wars"; and the hope that established surf / instrumental bands can lend support, advice, and encouragement to those less fortunate or just starting out, for the benefit of the Alliance and the genre. The list is one arm of NESMA - the website you are viewing (www.nesmasurf.org) is another. For more detailed information on NESMA, click here. 

A. This is no longer an open list, due to spam issues. It is intended for members of NESMA and NESMA bands, and surf fans who are interested in east coast surf music. The group moderator is notified when anyone wants to join, and can approve the new member or not. If anyone is rude or unsupportive or does not in general act in a manner that is consistent with the goals of NESMA, they may be removed from the list & banned from rejoining by the group moderator.

A. It is primarily geared toward the east coast surf scene, with “east coast” being broadly defined to cover north to Canada, south to the Carolinas, and west to Chicago. Anyone interested in surf music in this region is welcome to join as long as the focus stays on the east coast. There are other surf lists devoted to the west coast surf music scene.

A. There are a couple of ways to join:

 1. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nesmasurf/ and sign up for a Yahoo! Groups account. Follow the instructions to sign up and join!

 2. Send an email to sandy9thwave@yahoo.com (group moderator) and ask to be added to the list.  

A. There are 2 ways to unsubscribe. 

 1. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nesmasurf/, sign in, and remove yourself from the list (click on “leave group” – we’ll miss you!)

2. Send an email to sandy9thwave@yahoo.com and ask her to sign you off.

A. Yahoo! Groups is a service owned by Yahoo! that provides free e-mail based discussion groups to the Internet community. The service is paid for by advertising dollars. You will notice that each message sent to the NESMA list has a short advertisement attached. While it would be nice to not have the ads, it's better than paying for it!

A. Because it's free, easy to manage, reliable and big enough that it probably won't disappear out from under us suddenly.

A. The list has only been active for a few months, so traffic is hard to judge. The month with the most messages had about 80, or on average 20 a week, or 3-4 a day. The other months only had about 30 messages total, or an average of about  1 a day.

A. If large volumes of e-mail are an issue for you, the best option is to get the messages in digest format. Digest format is a single daily e-mail message that contains all of the discussion on the list for that day. You will need to go to the Yahoo! Groups site (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nesmasurf/) and sign in, then change your email delivery preferences to Digest Format. You can also opt for web based access, where you go to the e-groups site and read the messages on-line at your leisure (set your account to “no mail”). It's up to you, and you can change your preferences as often as you would like. If you can’t figure out how to do this, email sandy9thwave@yahoo.com and ask her to change your setting for you.

 A. Easy! Simply send an e-mail to nesmasurf@yahoogroups.com and it will go to the entire list (you must be a member of the list for your message to go through). Keep in mind that you are sending a message to a bunch of people in one click of the send button – think about what you’re saying before you click “send”. Also – realize that your message is going to the whole list, not the group moderator. And – messages are archived FOREVER so don’t post something you don’t want posterity to see.

A. Yes – for now. If this becomes a problem in the future (due to viruses or something) we can change that.

A. Sign into the Yahoo! Groups site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nesmasurf/ and and click the "files" link on the left side of the page. Follow the instructions on screen to upload a file. Then simply send a message to the list referring people to the site. This is a good way to post photos & show posters that are large files. Some people do not appreciate getting large files in their email (from the list) if they have a limited size e-mail account!

A. The list has been set up so that, by default, replying to a message addresses it to the list and NOT the individual who posted it. The person who posted it will presumably see your reply when it comes across the list. However, this means you must be careful not to accidentally post a personal reply to the whole list – this can be embarrassing!

A. Here are some suggestions for good list etiquette.

1. Keep private communications private. If someone sends a private e-mail to you, do not post it to the list unless they ask or consent that you do so.

2. Refrain from personal attacks. It's OK to disagree, and express your disagreement appropriately and politely. However, this group is intended to be supportive of each other and the east coast surf scene, so keep that in mind.

3. No spamming or flooding the list (post appropriate things just once).

4. Advertising per se is not allowed. If your band has a new CD release & you want to announce it, that’s OK. If you have some gear you’re trying to sell or trade, that’s OK too. But if the same people/person post things for sale repeatedly, that’s a problem. And nothing not related to surf/instro music is allowed (i.e. vitamins, Girl Scout cookies, etc.) Members MAY occasionally plug their music related businesses (i.e. recording studio, graphic design services, etc.), but try to keep it to a minimum. Gig announcements are encouraged.

5. Be respectful and professional - e-mail is pretty impersonal - you can't really judge who is on the other side of the screen by the messages they write. Also, you don't know who else is on the list, reading what you write. You might be surprised at some of the people on the list – they are not all band members or even musicians. Keep in mind how they might view what you are saying.

6. To repeat - If anyone is rude or unsupportive or does not in general act in a manner that is consistent with the goals of NESMA, they may be removed from the list & banned from rejoining by the group moderator.

That said - we hope you will join our discussion!

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