Last year, I wrote this list for advice about allowing photos to be attached
to posts on my bird list. (1.8d)  From the time I had become a listowner, I
had been warned that an attachment of any kind could be dangerous, that it
could contain viruses.  It was therefore important not to allow attachments
and to include other protections, NOHTML (all viruses are written in HTML),
and keeping the sizlim as low as possible.  Yet, on the other hand the
manuals said that attachments could be restricted to stated formats.

So, with fear and trembling, I changed my header to say:
Attachments=Images/JPEG, set my sizlim at 1000 (instead of 250), and kept my
Language=NOHTML.

I posted a maximum size for photos, and we were off to the races.  The
subscribers loved having the ability to send photos and soon I realized I
had other problems.  Too many photos, poor quality photos, and chaos  ruled
for a short while.  I had to do something, so I took it all over.  Photos
now have to be sent to me personally, not only for approval, but for the
sole posting. I reduced my sizelim to 300 which might accommodate a very,
very small photo, but would be less than most viruses and larger photos
would use.  I then continued a policy of personally posting only one photo
per species, and it had to be one showing the main field marks of the bird
since it would be going into the permanent archives.

One problem I had was with digest.  Unfortunately, the photos came through,
not as photos, but as screen after screen of code, ugh.

I suggested that the only 29 people on digest convert to index where they
could see the files that had a PHOTO in them, and avoid them.  Only two did,
but soon returned to digest.  Later, I added info about adding HTML to the
options of those on digest or index.  No one added it.  Also, about
one-third of my subscribers are on AOL and they had problems with index.

To sum up, at the present time. I have all photos sent to me and I resize if
necessary the ones I want in the archives and send them to the list.
Realizing the subscribers were missing something by not being able to see
the photos easily, I started a website and made a page for the photos.  It
is quite impressive (I think) and I can add additional photos.  (I enlarge
the sizlim before I post a photo and reduce it afterwards).  You might like
to see:  http://bkpass.tripod.com/floridabirds.htm
We have never had a virus that reached the subscribers either before or
since the adoption of the attachment policy so I feel it is a safe procedure
unless something new comes along that hurdles the JPEG requirement.

Again, I say thank you to all of you who discussed this situation and gave
me enough courage to try it.

Barbara Passmore
Listowner, FLORIDABIRDS-L and BIRDTRIP


----- Original Message -----
From: "Nelson R. Pardee" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 5:38 PM
Subject: [LSTOWN-L] Attachments via Digests 1.8d


> We are running 1.8d, and a list wants to receive attachments. In playing
> around with a couple of our email clients, that doesn't seem to work with
> the digest setting, which is what I expected. But- am I missing something?
> I looked through the archives but didn't find anything...
>
> - Listserv List Manager
> Listserv webpage: http://listserv.syr.edu
> Web access to List Archives, Manuals, and List Management for Owners.