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(last updated December 20, 2006)
Physhare is a non-moderated listserv dedicated to secondary physics education. Anyone is welcome to join and participate. We have close to 400 members from all over the world.
Topics of discussion on this listserv generally concern physics and/or education, especially in the physics classroom. There may be discussion _about_ products but there is a deep dislike among most members for there to be solicitations of products on this list. It is acceptable to post about known job openings or likely openings.
Of course, we observe common-sense rules of netiquette and regard for one another. Remember that the written word carries different weight than when it is spoken. For instance, CAPITALIZATION IS LIKE SHOUTING. Similarly, a ;^) or :) or other icon may convey a sense of levity or good humor. We pride ourselves on the civility of our discussions, disagreeing often but always in an agreeable fashion. Spirited, collegial discussions make this one of the best places on the Internet.
One element of responsible discussion list citizenship is to protect yourself AND OTHERS from viruses and virus-like attacks. This is done in two ways:
- First, by installing anti-virus software and updating it frequently (most good programs can be updated through the web). Operating a computer without anti-virus protection, in a discussion list environment where you are in contact with hundreds of other users, is an act of negligence and discourtesy. Antivirus software protects your computer from incoming viruses, and it protects others from you spreading a virus to other computers. If you insist on operating an unprotected computer, it may be best for you and this community if you unsubscribe from the list.
Persons who pass viruses to this list _may_ have their posting privileges removed, at the list owners' discretion. Ignorance of the condition (infected or virus-free) of the computer you use is not an excuse. Only use known "safe" computers to read or send email.- Second, one should NEVER send email attachments to or read email attachments from people you do not trust and know well. Attachments are, for now, the number one way viruses are spread through the web. The preferred method for dealing with something you want others to see is to post it at your web site, then post the URL to the list. Those who want to see it will go to your web site.
Due to some problems with attachments, the list owner (Keith Tipton) has set the list to reject all postings which include attachments of any kind. This might reduce or even eliminate the potential for sending or receiving viruses through Physhare, but one should, in general, not trust any discussion list to be "virus free."Size Matters
Please distinguish between replies to PHYSHARE and to individuals. If you have something to say to all of us, feel free to post a note. If your message is for one individual, however, please direct the note to that person, not to all of us. We would all appreciate this courtesy, especially those who pay by the number of notes/kilobytes they download. Overlarge "signature" files are also frowned upon, as are HTML-formatted emails. Plain text messages are preferred for readability's sake.Physhare has set a size limit to individual posts primarily with a goal of preventing the quoting or cutting-and-pasting of huge passages of text. If you believe you have plenty to say and it makes your post very long, you can always cut the post into two parts.
The owner of the listserv is Dave Popp, the Director of Technology and Instructional Support Services at Westmont Hilltop School District, Johnstown, PA. The co-owner of the listserv is Keith Tipton, a former Texas high school physics teacher who is still very interested in physics education. If there are problems or questions, address them to Keith. If he can't solve or answer them, he will ask Dave for help.
Message from Dave Popp, List Owner
Most people are unaware of the number times their connection to the Internet breaks, but a listserv owner quickly knows. Computer systems attempt to resend undeliverable e-mail messages until the connection is re-established or until some set number of retries before the message expires. Depending on the system involved, a temporary break in your Internet connection can result in a number of bounced e-mail messages to the list owner. This situation is exacerbated when people drop or lose their e-mail accounts without signing off the list. Listserv continues to send mail to that address until the user is manually deleted from the list.
The dilemma of the list owner is that he or she cannot tell who has a transient failure and who no longer has a user id. You can't send e-mail messages to the suspected address to inquire. I know many of you by the unreliability of your systems and often wait for a time before deleting your memberships. In periods where message volume is high, I must delete a user immediately. I have had situations where a posting to physhare generated over 100 bounced mail messages from a single user.
If you stop receiving physhare mail or receive a message stating you have been deleted from the list, do not take offense. You were deleted because your messages were bouncing. Simply resubscribe. We have never thrown anyone off physhare.
David Popp
Westmont Hilltop School District
Subscribing and unsubscribing are as easy as at any other listserv.
The easiest (and by far the neatest) way is to access the Penn State listproc. From this one page you can subscribe, unsubscribe, postpone, get mail in digest form, etc. Also from here you can access the message archive.
The account can be controlled via email also. To subscribe, send the command SUBSCRIBE PHYSHARE to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU .
You sign off by sending the command SIGNOFF PHYSHARE to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU . Note that you do _not_ send this command (or any command) to PHYSHARE@LISTS.PSU.EDU. If you do, you will remain subscribed. If you change your e-mail provider or lose your e-mail account or go on a long vacation, we ask that you signoff physhare before your account is closed or gets completely full of email. This will save many error messages from being generated. Just sign on again once you return or get a new email account.
To receive physhare messages as a single daily file, send the command SET PHYSHARE DIGESTS to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU. You reverse the process by sending listserv the command SET PHYSHARE NODIGESTS.
More information on LISTSERV commands can be found in the LISTSERV reference card, which you can retrieve by sending an "INFO REFCARD" command to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU. Also, sending HELP to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU will get you some list information.
The PHYSHARE archive can be found at http://lists.psu.edu/archives/physhare.html. The archives are divided by month and go back to late 1991. A search engine is available.
Via email you can get a list of the available archive files by sending an "INDEX PHYSHARE" command to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU. You can then order these files with a "GET PHYSHARE LOGxxxx" command (where xxxx is year and month, example LOG9607 requests the log for July 96), or using LISTSERV's database search facilities. Send an "INFO DATABASE" command for more information on the latter.
You might as well call this the PHYSHARE home page.
Here are some Google searches for lists I recommend which are similar to this one which discuss physics, chemistry, biology and math teaching:
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