Merwolfpack Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
(many thanks to pup Holly for the content of this page)

There is too much mail. How can I handle it?

If you are receiving individual emails, one way is to go on Digest. That gives you the option of getting 25 messages at one time in the form of one email. You can then scan the email for topics of interest and read them. If you do not want to go on Digest, you can be selective about what you read and just delete messages that you aren't interested in. Another option is to try to read your mail more than once a day so that you don. t receive too many emails at one time.

To go on Digest:
  1. Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com
  2. In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.
  3. (If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)
  4. When you have entered both your email address and password in the spaces provided for them on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.
  5. You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.
  6. Under delivery options, select the box next to the mailing list that you want to work with. Your current delivery choice is displayed (for example: individual emails) with a downward pointing arrow to the right. Click on the arrow. You now have four options on a drop down menu:
    Daily Digest - you will not receive an email until 25 messages have accumulated or a set period of time has passed. Then an email with those messages will be sent to you in one large email.

    Individual Emails - you get each individual message sent to the list usually within minutes of when it was sent.

    No Mail / Web Only - no emails are sent to you at all. You can view messages in the archives of the list if that option is available.

    Unsubscribe - no more emails will be sent to you and you cannot view the archives of the list.
  7. In this case you will want to choose Daily Digest. Highlight your selection.
  8. Then click on the Save Changes button.
  9. Your selection will now be retained until you decide to change it.
  10. You can now Sign Out of yahoogroups or perform another action.

I am going to be away from my mail for a couple of days. What options do I have for dealing with the volume of mail?

There are two different methods that you can select at yahoogroups:

Either go to No Mail or switch to Digest if you are not already using that feature.
  1. Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com
  2. In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.
  3. (If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)
  4. When you have entered your password in the space provided for it on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.
  5. You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.
  6. Under delivery options, select the box next to the mailing list that you want to work with. Your current delivery choice is displayed (for example: individual emails) with a downward pointing arrow to the right. Click on the arrow. You now have four options on a drop down menu:
    Daily Digest - you will not receive an email until 25 messages have been accumulated or a set period of time has passed. Then an email with those messages will be sent to you in one large email.

    Individual Emails - you get each individual message sent to the list usually within minutes of when it was sent.

    No Mail / Web Only - no emails are sent to you at all. You can view messages in the archives of the list if that option is available.

    Unsubscribe - no more emails will be sent to you and you cannot view the archives of the list.
  7. In this case, you will want to choose either No Mail / Web Only or Daily Digest. Highlight your selection.
  8. Then click on the Save Changes button.
  9. Your selection will now be retained until you decide to change it.
  10. You can now Sign Out of yahoogroups or perform another action.

How can I unsubscribe from Merwolfpack?

To unsubscribe you need to go to yahoogroups. This is not like other mailing lists where you send a message to the list with unsubscribe in the subject line or the body of a message. To unsubscribe do the following:
  1. Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com
  2. In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.
  3. (If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)
  4. When you have entered your password in the space provided for it on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.
  5. You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.
  6. Under delivery options, select the box next to the mailing list that you want to work with. Your current delivery choice is displayed (for example: individual emails) with a downward pointing arrow to the right. Click on the arrow. You now have four options on a drop down menu:
    Daily Digest - you will not receive an email until 25 messages have been accumulated or a set period of time has passed. Then an email with those messages will be sent to you in one large email.

    Individual Emails - you get each individual message sent to the list usually within minutes of when it was sent.

    No Mail / Web Only - no emails are sent to you at all. You can view messages in the archives of the list if that option is available.

    Unsubscribe - no more emails will be sent to you and you cannot view the archives of the list.
  7. In this case you want to choose Unsubscribe. Highlight your selection.
  8. Then click on the Save Changes button.
  9. Your selection will now be retained until you decide to change it.
  10. You can now Sign Out of yahoogroups or perform another action.

How can I see the pictures that have been posted to the yahoogroups site?

  1. Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com
  2. In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.
  3. (If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)
  4. When you have entered your password in the space provided for it on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.
  5. You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.
  6. Click on the name of the mailing list whose files you want to view.
  7. The main page for the mailing list will be displayed. On the left side of the screen are a number of options. Click on Files.
  8. A list of files that have been saved on the site will be displayed. Click on the file (pictures are saved as files) you want to view and it will be displayed.
  9. Click on THE Back button in your browser to return to the list of files.
  10. You can keep doing this until you have viewed all the files.

How can I add a picture to the Merwolfpack files?

  1. Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com
  2. In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.
  3. (If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)
  4. When you have entered your password in the space provided for it on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.
  5. You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.
  6. Click on the name of the mailing list where you want to upload the picture(s) to.
  7. The main page for the mailing list will be displayed. On the left side of the screen are a number of options. Click on Files.
  8. A list of files that have been saved on the site will be displayed. At the bottom of the list is the option to Upload Files. Click on this link.
  9. A screen will be displayed where you will tell yahoogroups the file's current location. This will be on your hard drive (which on most computers is C:\). Use the browse button you see displayed on the screen to find the file on your hard drive. Once you have located the file, click on Open. You should see a path to that file displayed. For example: c:\mydocuments\xena.jpg.
  10. Next, type in a Description of what the file is. For example: evil xena.
  11. Finally click on the Upload File button. This will transfer the file from your hard drive to the computer that yahoogroups uses.
  12. The screen with the files posted to the site will once again appear. You should see the file that you posted. Beside it will be an X and a pencil. This means that you can edit the file or delete it.
  13. If you have more pictures to add, you follow the same process.

I'm on Digest and I can't view any of the pictures that pups send as attachments. What can I do?

Answer has graciously set up a web site that contains all the pictures sent to the Merwolfpack list. It can be found at:
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/darkimmortal
Another option would be to change your email settings so that you receive the emails with the attachments (that is, going to individual emails). This, however, might cause problems with the volume of mail you receive, so consider carefully before switching to individual emails.

To switch to Individual Emails:
  1. Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com
  2. In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.
  3. (If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)
  4. When you have entered your password in the space provided for it on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.
  5. You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.
  6. Under delivery options, select the box next to the mailing list that you want to work with. Your current delivery choice is displayed (for example: individual emails) with a downward pointing arrow to the right. Click on the arrow. You now have four options on a drop down menu:
    Daily Digest - you will not receive an email until 25 messages have been accumulated or a set period of time has passed. Then an email with those messages will be sent to you in one large email.

    Individual Emails - you get each individual message sent to the list usually within minutes of when it was sent.

    No Mail / Web Only - no emails are sent to you at all. You can view messages in the archives of the list if that option is available.

    Unsubscribe - no more emails will be sent to you and you cannot view the archives of the list.
  7. In this case you want to choose Individual Emails. Click on the arrow pointing down and highlight your selection.
  8. Then click on the Save Changes button.
  9. Your selection will now be retained until you decide to change it.
  10. You can now Sign Out of yahoogroups or perform another action.

I uploaded a picture to the site but I want to remove it now. How do I do that?

  1. Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com
  2. In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.
  3. (If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)
  4. When you have entered your password in the space provided for it on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.
  5. You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.
  6. Click on the name of the mailing list where you want to upload the picture(s) to.
  7. The main page for the mailing list will be displayed. On the left side of the screen are a number of options. Click on Files.
  8. A list of files that have been saved on the site will be displayed.
  9. The files that you have uploaded will be displayed with a pencil and an X. (The pencil and X are only visible to the person who originally uploaded the files.)
  10. Click on the X beside the file you want to delete.
  11. A page will be displayed with the file name and description. Underneath you will be prompted as to whether you really want to delete the file. If you do, click on Delete File. If you click on Cancel you will be returned to the file-listing page.
  12. The file will be deleted.

I didn't receive an update -- what can I do?

There are a number of different options you can try:

1. You can check Missy's site since she usually posts it right after it has been sent to the list. Her site can be found at: http://www.merwolf.com. There is usually a link to the most recent part.

2. You can check the archives at yahoogroups for the file.

Go to the yahoogroups web site at http://www.yahoogroups.com

In the spaces provided (about a third of the way down from the top) fill in your email address and password to sign in to yahoogroups. The email address you want to use to sign in is the one that you are receiving the messages on.

(If you have forgotten your password, fill in your email address and leave the password space blank then click on "sign in." That takes you to a screen where you can click again ("click here"). Enter your email address in the space provided on the new screen to request that yahoogroups send you a reauthorization number that will allow you to change your password.)

When you have entered your password in the space provided for it on the sign in screen, click on Sign In.

You should now be at your yahoogroups site, which lists all the mailing list(s) that you are subscribed to.

Click on the name of the mailing list where you want to upload the picture(s) to.

The main page for the mailing list will be displayed. On the left side of the screen are a number of options. Click on Messages.

The most recent digest message will be displayed. If that message doesn't contain the update you are looking for you can click on Archives to display older archives. This will take awhile to load since there are a lot of archives. <G>

The list of archive numbers and the date & time they were sent will be displayed.

Click on an archive you are interested in and that archive will be displayed. To return to the list of archives, just hit the back button on the browser.

3. You can send an email to the list and ask someone to send it to you privately.

I have something that I am interested in sending to the list but I'm not sure if I should or not.

If you have something that you want to send to the list but are not sure that it is appropriate the best thing to do is to send it to the moderators and ask. They will let you know whether you should or not. The moderators can be reached at: MerwolfPack-owner@yahoogroups.com

I am having a problem with someone on the list. What should I do?

The best thing is to try to deal with it privately and work it out between the two of you. If that doesn't work, you might want to bring in a 3rd party that you both know to help mediate. Otherwise consider blocking that person's email address, which most email programs allow you to do. Check your email program's help feature for instructions on how to do this. You will still receive anything this person sends to the list but will not get any individual emails sent directly to you. One other option is to change your email address. This can be done by signing up with one of the free email services (Yahoo, Netscape, Hotmail) or changing your email ID with your ISP.

If the emails you are receiving are of a harassing or threatening nature you should:

  1. Keep the emails as evidence
  2. Contact the person's email provider
  3. Consider contacting your local police, especially about threatening emails. (For example: I'm going to kill you)

I heard this neat story. Is it true?

Some stories turn out to be urban legends -- they sound true but are not. Check the following sites that list urban legends:

http://www.urbanlegends.com/
http://www.snopes.com/

I have been sent a virus alert by a friend. Should I forward it to the list?

The vast majority of virus alerts that are sent turn out to be hoaxes. It is best to check one of these sites first to find out whether that is the case with the alert you have received:

http://www.datehookup.com/content-internet-hoax-and-chain-letter-information-center.htm
http://www.datafellows.com/virus-info/hoax/

If you find that it is a hoax, let the person know who sent you the email. This will help stop the spread of false rumors. If it does turn out to be real, then by all means send it to the list.

How do I protect myself against viruses?

The best way to protect yourself and your computer against viruses is to practice safe computing. This means that you should have at least one anti-virus software program running on your computer. It also means that you should be updating the virus signature file on a monthly basis. Your anti-virus program will not be effective if you do not update it. There are new viruses being released all the time, which is why it is important to ensure that your anti-virus software is current, otherwise you are leaving yourself exposed.

Make sure that you scan ANY file that you receive before opening it. Do not forget to scan any files that you send to other people to ensure you are not sending out virus-infected files. If you receive a file from someone you do not know you might consider just deleting the message.

My computer has a virus. What should I do?

If you know that your computer has a virus, write down the name of the virus that has been found. You can then either access your anti-virus software. s help feature or go to the program. s homepage and perform a search on the virus name. You will be able to find out what type of files the virus infects, what the virus does as well as how to clean it. Do not forget to check any floppy disks that have been used recently in your computer, otherwise your computer could easily become re-infected.

What is a file extension? Why should my file have one?

File extensions are used to identify what type of file it is. Extensions are the three characters (alpha or numeric) after the period (.) in a filename. For example: xena.jpg . the extension for this file is jpg.

Extensions are usually provided by default by the program that you use to save the file in. Extensions help you identify what type of program you need to open the file, or if it is a program that can be run. In the example above the extension of jpg indicates that it is a graphic file. Based on that information we know that we need a graphics program to be able to view the file.

Here are some examples of common extensions:
  • com . program file that can be run
  • exe . program file that can be run
  • bat . batch file (like a program file) that can be run
  • doc . document file, can be opened in Word, WordPerfect and some other word processing programs.
  • xls . spreadsheet file, can be opened in Excel, Lotus 123 or any other spreadsheet program
  • txt - document file, can be opened in Word, WordPerfect or any other word processing program
  • gif . graphic file, can be opened in a graphic program such as Paintbrush
  • bmp - graphic file, can be opened in a graphic program such as Paint
  • jpg . graphic file, can be opened in a graphic program such as Paintbrush
  • ppt . presentation file, can be opened in PowerPoint
  • rm . media file, can be opened in RealPlayer
  • mpg . media file, can be opened in Microsoft Player or RealPlayer
  • mov - media file, can be opened in Microsoft Player or RealPlayer
*Microsoft Player is more commonly known as Windows Media Player.

It is important to ensure that your files have extensions so that your computer and others will know what the file works with. If you send a file to someone they will have to try to open it with a number of programs before they can determine what type of program it is. If the file has an extension, the person can usually double click the filename to launch the program that the file can be viewed in.

I am trying to view a file with a jpeg extension but I can't view it. Why?

Some programs don't recognize the jpeg extension since it is more than three characters long. Rename the file extension from jpeg to jpg.

Where can I find programs that can run video files, like .rm, .mov or .mpg?

The free version of RealPlayer can be found here:

http://www.real.com/

The free version of Media Player can be found here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/en/default.asp?RLD=58

There is this really nice picture on a web site that I would like. How can I save this file to my computer?

Put your mouse pointer over the picture that you want to save and press on the right mouse button. If you are left-handed and have changed the configuration of your mouse, you would click on the left mouse button. A menu will appear. Highlight . Save Picture As. and click to select. You will be prompted where to save the file and what to call the file. Indicate these options and the file will be saved to your hard drive.

I have saved a graphic file to my hard drive and I would like to make it my wallpaper. How do I do that?

The only type of graphic files that can be used as wallpaper are files with the bmp extension. If your file has that extension then copy the file into your windows directory. Depending on the version of windows you are running and it. s location it could be one of the following examples: c:\windows, c:\winnt, c:\win31. Point your mouse to a blank space on your desktop and right click the mouse button. The Display Properties menu will appear. Click on the background tab. Under the Wallpaper box use the scroll bar to find the wallpaper you want to use. Highlight the file and then click on Apply and finally on OK. Your desktop should have changed to the wallpaper you picked.

I'm interested in reading more stories. Where can I find new stories?

The best place to check is one of the fan fiction directories. These directories are usually updated every day with any new fiction that has been posted to the Internet. Some sites to check:

http://www.merwolf.com/academy/
http://ausxip.com/fanfic.html
http://shadowfen.simplenet.com/ffindex/
http://www.xenafanfiction.com/whatsnew.htm
http://xenafiction.net/whatsnew.hts

If you're looking for Uber Xena stories (for example, Mel and Janice stories) check here:

http://www.staller.de/uber/uberlist.htm

Merpups sometimes recommend stories. Go to the following web site to see what's been recommended since December 1999:

http://www.law-nerd.org/mprec.html

I'm looking for a specific type of story. Where should I look?

The best place to check is one of the fan fiction directories. The directories usually categorize stories so you should be able to find the story type you are trying to find. Some sites to check:

http://www.merwolf.com/academy/
http://shadowfen.simplenet.com/ffindex/
http://www.xenafanfiction.com/whatsnew.htm
http://xenafiction.net/whatsnew.hts
http://lunacy.simplenet.com/

If you. re looking for Uber Xena stories (including Mel and Janice stories) check here:

http://www.staller.de/uber/uberlist.htm

Merpups sometimes recommend stories. Go to the following web site to see what. s been recommended since December 1999:

http://www.law-nerd.org/mprec.html

I was in the process of reading a story but I didn't save the link. How can I find the story?

If you started reading it because it was recommended on the Merpup list, go to the following web site to see what's been recommended since December 1999:

http://www.law-nerd.org/mprec.html

You could also check the fan fiction directories that allow you to perform searches. You can go to one of these sites and try to find the story that way. Some sites to check:

http://shadowfen.simplenet.com/ffindex/
http://www.xenafanfiction.com/whatsnew.htm
http://xenafiction.net/whatsnew.hts
http://lunacy.simplenet.com/

If it was an Uber Xena story (for example, with Mel and Janice) check here:

http://www.staller.de/uber/uberlist.htm

Another option is to post a message to the list outlining the details of the story that you have read to date. Usually someone on the list can provide you with the name of the story and/or the site it can be found on. If the site isn't provided you can then go to one of the fan fiction directories and then find the story by its name.

I have lost the link that I had to a specific bard's site. How can I find it?

The fan fiction directories contain links to most of the Xena related fan fiction sites on the Internet. Go to the links page on one of these sites and you are likely to find the site for the bard that you are looking for.

Some sites to check:

http://shadowfen.simplenet.com/ffindex/
http://www.xenafanfiction.com/whatsnew.htm
http://xenafiction.net/whatsnew.hts

Look under the links section and you should be able to find the missing bard.

I have written some fan fiction and I would like to post it on the Internet. I don't know how to create a web site, what can I do?

The best thing to do is to submit your story to one of the sites that accept submissions. These include:

http://www.merwolf.com/academy/
http://xenafiction.net/hosting.hts
http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/hobgoblin/688/
http://www.geocities.com/~xenacrazed/FFoffer.html
http://lynka.simplenet.com/guidelines.htm

Be sure to read the conditions so that you know how the material is suppose to be sent, etc.

I have a copy of a Xena article that would be of interest to people. What should I do?

You can type the article up and send it to the list. If you have a scanned copy of the article you might consider sending it to:

http://www.xenamedia.com/
http://ausxip.com/

These web sites post Xena related articles. Depending on the size of the scanned article you might consider posting it to the list. Try to keep any attachment under 100KB. Or, if you have found the article on another web site, consider posting just the link to the article to the list.

I have a copy of an article that would be of interest to people. What should I do?

You can type the article up and send it to the list although you might consider passing it by the moderators first. Or if you have found the article on another web site, consider posting just the link to the article to the list.

Where can I find information about the various episodes of Xena?

http://whoosh.org/

What are some good general Xena links?

http://whoosh.org/
http://ausxip.com/
http://www.xenite.org/xor/home.shtml
http://www.xenafan.com/

And be sure to check the Merpups' Links for more!

What should I know/do about computer frauds, scams and identity theft?

Learn to be cautious about about things "too good to be true". Here are several of many websites about how to protect yourself from frauds, scams and identity theft.

http://www.netcredit.com/blog/identity-theft-and-credit-protection-guide
http://www.protectyourincome.com/disability-insurance-tips/protect_yourself_on_the_internet.asp
http://www.complaintslist.com/guide-to-consumer-awareness/
http://www.specialdatabases.com/how-to-protect-yourself-email-fraud.html
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