This FAQ has been rewritten to reflect changes to how the list operates. (2002/04).
Mail to the list is distributed by a Japan-based system run
by the list owner. Members send mail to the address pmjs@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp.
(If you read the early logs, you will see that we once used a
"free" service called listbot. This is now defunct.)
New members should choose one of the following options:
(1) to get each message individually ("real time"--in
fact with some minutes delay)
(2) to get all the day's messages in one "daily digest"
(tidied up for clarity)
(3) to get all the week's messages in one "weekly digest"
The sign-up procedure is simple: write to watson@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp
Make clear which option you want by using one of the following
phrases as SUBJECT LINE:
pmjs (option 1), pmjs daily digest (option 2), pmjs
weekly digest (option 3).
Then introduce yourself in the body of the message.
Begin full name <e-mail address> if you are happy to have your e-mail address listed in the online database of members. If you begin simply full name and I'll assume that you prefer not to have it listed. (Note that your e-mail address will be given when I circulate your profile to the list.) Note that until I receive your profile, you will not have posting rights.
Then write as a profile in the style of the database of members -- this is where your profile will ultimately go. Affiliation, research field, publications, url... Give as much information as you are comfortable with.
Please avoid expressions that become unclear later--deictics like "this year" for example. Use actual dates when discussing your past/present/future projects or publications.
Note that there is also a READ-ONLY option, i.e. without posting rights. I may recommend this for non-specialists, especially those who fall outside of the categories for full membership. No public profile is required, but I will want to know something about you, beginning with your name. Mail can be received on either a daily or weekly basis. To preserve members' privacy and to avoid overloading the server, only a limited number of read-only subscriptions can be allowed.
What does "pmjs" stand for?
What is the focus of the pmjs mailing list?
What sort of topics are discussed on the list?
What other kinds of announcements are acceptable?
Who is currently subscribed to the list?
Is it a busy list? Is it moderated?
Who can join the list?
How do I sign up for the list?
What happens to my profile? Why isn't it
distributed immediately?
Can I change my profile?
How should I format my profile? Can I use
accents/italics?
Any do's and don'ts when sending mail to
the list?
Where the archives? What's made public? kept
private?
How can I change the e-mail address for
receiving list mail?
Can I put a stop to my mail over the vacation
or when I'm busy?
Is it possible to keep list mail separate
from personal mail?
What are the "pmjs footers"?
Why the links to Amazon.com?
Why did the pmjs editor decide to register
as an Amazon Associate?
What items get the most clicks?
Why give links even for some out of print books?
"Premodern Japanese Studies" was the original title suggested in September 1999 when invitations were first sent out. One of the first topics discussed on the newly created mailing list was whether "premodern" was an appropriate term for the broad period of Japanese cultural history intended as the focus of this list. Some members argued for the terms like "pre-Meiji," "traditional," "classical" or "early Japan." See the archives to read all about it. As no quick consensus could be reached on a subject like this, we agreed to differ. For practical reasons I did not want to change the registered name of the list, so to compromise I changed the title to the acronym pmjs.
The original letter proposing a "Premodern Japanese Studies" mailing list can be read in the archives. Notes and queries" is the model I had in mind--an interdisciplinary forum for those with a research interest in older periods of Japanese art, literature, history, religion and culture. While many of us deal with the Meiji era or more recent periods in our teaching and research, this list focuses on questions relating to earlier periods.
In the first few months, literary subjects predominated (Genji monogatari, gunki, waka), but recent discussions have dealt with a wide range of questions relating to Japanese art, religion, and history. Many of the longer "threads" have been edited on a public archive.
Another kind of topic on the list relates to problems of technology--something that is changing our working practices, as teachers and researchers. One topic that raised much interest was the humble macron, the diacritical mark used in romanization to represent Japanese doubled vowels: how to display it on computer screens (or whether to use it at all in print or in electronic texts). The list is a forum to discuss the opportunity afforded to us by electronic text production and distribution, optical character recognition, Unicode, and other new advances.
As on other academic mailing lists, members are encouraged to send out announcements of relevant conferences--from the "first call for papers" to finalized list of presentations. Abstracts and post-conference reports are very welcome--with members scattered widely geographically, we may not be able to attend workshops and symposia, but we would like to know what we are missing.
Appropriate job/scholarship announcements may also be distributed. It is also quite acceptable to announce newly published works--yours or others--or to publicize web resources of possible interest to members. Those who feel hestitant about sharing such news with the list as a whole should contact the editor off-list. The information can also go out in one of my regular "list announcements" or simply be posted online (as part of your profile, for example).
There are now over 360 members (an up-to-date number is given on the top page of the site). Most members are attached to universities as faculty or graduate students, or are independent scholars. Specializations range from pre-historic Japan through to the Edo period. Additionally there are members whose main work is on aspects of modern Japan but who have interest in earlier periods of Japanese culture. Numerically certain areas of study are well represented--Heian poetry and prose, medieval narrative, drama, the visual arts--but most of the humanities are covered, from anthropology to religious studies, as can be seen from members' self-introductions (this also reveals what an international body we are). Please note that e-mail addresses of members are given only when members have chosen to make them public.
A total of 1000 messages was exchanged in the first year of operation. When a discussion is in full swing, there may be as many as a dozen messages in a single day, but an average of 1-4 a day is more common. The number of messages exchanged each month is listed on the log index page. In busy months, a "daily" digest is sent out literally every day, but at quieter times, there may be only three or four digests a week.
PMJS is an unmoderated list, but most members would agree that we have been good about keeping messages informative and relevant. Things work by self-discipline and a certain amount of self-policing. As with all lists, it is important to listen and watch for a time after joining, to get a feel for our ways of communicating. The list owner has been known to have a quiet word off list with offenders.
As explained above, the majority of members have some academic affiliation or background in Japanese studies, whether as faculty or as graduate students. Independent scholars and others with a strong research interest in premodern Japan are very welcome to join. Those outside these categories may be admitted as full members at the list owner's discretion, or be accepted as "read-only" subscribers. All prospective members must send in a "profile" (bio / self-introduction), explaining their areas of particular interest. Examples can be seen on the members database page.
The sign-up procedure is simple: write to watson@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp
Make clear which option you want by using one of the following
phrases as SUBJECT LINE:
pmjs (option 1), pmjs daily digest (option 2), pmjs
weekly digest (option 3).
Then introduce yourself in the body of the message.
Begin full name <e-mail address> if you are happy to have your e-mail address listed in the online database of members. If you begin simply full name and I'll assume that you prefer not to have it listed. (Note that your e-mail address will be given when I circulate your profile to the list.) Note that until I receive your profile, you will not have posting rights.
Then write as a profile in the style of the database of members -- this is where your profile will ultimately go. Affiliation, research field, publications, url... Give as much information as you are comfortable with.
Please avoid expressions that become unclear later--deictics like "this year" for example. Use actual dates when discussing your past/present/future projects or publications.
After receiving your profile, I format it for online presentation (adding italics, for example). I add your name to the list of recently joined members, and your profile in the alphabetical database of members, now at:
I try to do this within a week of receiving your profile. Do let me know if I have omitted your name, mispellt it, or made some other mistake in adding your information to the database.
When I have two or three profiles in hand, I send them out as part of a "new members" mail. From my personal experience on other mailing lists, I decided it would be more convenient for members to receive more than one self-introduction at a time. Less bandwidth wasted, more of an interesting read.
Apart from format (italics, spacing), the versions for the online database and for mail distribution differ in one other significant way. I will usually add the new member's <e-mail address> after his or her name when sending it out by mail. However in the online database, the e-mail address is only added if a member requests for it to be added, as explained above. You can ask me at any time for your e-mail address to be added.
You can and should. Do check your online profile periodically to see if it reflects the latest changes in your affiliation, research interests, publications... Whenever you want to make a change or addition, simply send it to me at watson@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp. If you want to make large changes to your profile, it would help if you send me the entire, rewritten profile.
If you mention an article/book as "forthcoming", then be sure to let me know when it eventually appears, with vol. no. / date as appropriate. You may want to add references to personal web pages or departmental pages. This is an economical way of pointing to fuller profile / bibliography / details of classes taught / teaching materials / online materials, etc.
Experience has taught me to recommend you not to use formatting to produce italics, either when sending your profile to me, or posting to the list. Similarly, I would prefer you not to use circumflex to indicate long (doubled) vowels in Japanese. I know, it seems a shame when these tools are available in some mail software, but trust me on this one...
Book titles can be indicated by underspace (_title_), or not marked at all. The profile will be sent out essentially in the form you send it to me (with a bit of stylistic help for non-native speakers). In the online version, I will add italics and any other kind of formatting needed. Indeed, for my own convenience as editor I'd prefer if you would not add too many *details* of _formatting_ as I'll only have to take them out later...
How you choose to represent the vowels in words like "Kobo-daishi" is up to you. Some members prefer -oo-, some -ou-, some the unmarked -o-. Similarly for "Kukai" (-u- or -uu-). I will follow your preferences. For why you should not use the circumflex, see the next topic.
Any do's and don'ts when sending mail to the list?
Use common sense and follow general practice observed by other list members. These are just a few pointers.
The FROM: part at the top of your message should give your full name and not just your e-mail address or handle-name. If this is technically difficult--and I rather doubt this--then make sure that you sign properly with full name.
It's not rude to begin without salutation, in fact I personally prefer this style. Sign simply with your full name. Long signature files are best not used, particularly if they contain home phone numbers and the like. Or witty sayings or quotations.
Most of us on the list adopt a more formal persona in public messages than in private e-mail communication.
Now for some technical matters. The display of diacritical marks and Japanese has been a running problem both for the list and its web pages.
Most but not all forms of mail software used by pmjs members will recognize the "language (encoding)" used. This means either displaying correctly (1) diacritics or (2) Japanese, but not both at once. (Unicode will change this, but the transition is likely to take some time). It is technically possible with some kinds of e-mail software to send text including diacritics like the circumflex that is widely used in place of the macron to represent doubled vowels in Japanese. A survey of members has shown however that a large number of us simply CANNOT READ words that include accents. Moral? No diacritics in mail.
Similarly not all pmjs members are using mail software that can display Japanese, so you should always accompany Japanese character text with romanization. Or simply just use romanization, with some explanation in English if need be. In rare cases when a longer quotation in necessary, you may dispense with romanization, but please add a note to explain.
In the online version of profiles, the assumption is that readers are using a browser which will display Japanese--standard now with minimal tweaking on all major operating systems. If you can give an url for a page in Japanese--a page with bibliographical information for example--it may help.
Particularly interesting discussions ("threads") have been edited for a public archive on this site. This is the index page, with list of topics, name of person who raised the subject, and names of all participants.
In editing I make several changes for make the messages more suitable for public web display, considering both considerations of readability and privacy.
E-mail address and other personal details are omitted. The writer's full name is given first. Salutations are shortened. Block quotation is used for >>quotes, with addition of [name] if necessary. I also reformat line returns, add italics, silently correct typos... When the reference to earlier messages is clear in context, >>quoted material is omitted.
My choice of what to archive is somewhat arbitrary--other demands on my time mean that I have not done as much as I would like. I'm quite aware that some interesting discussions have not been archived--please tell me if you'd like to see a particular discussion archived. Or edit it yourself and send the file to me. As on all "policy" issues, I'd welcome comments by members.
Messages sent to the pmjs address (pmjs@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp) made available in the password-protected logs directory
The logs consist of messages for one calendar month, with a table of contents at the top. I try to make the previous month's logs available in the first week of the following month. The logs are created from the weekly pmjs digests with minimum of editing. The publicly available log index is usually updated at this time. Note that the table of contents given on the log index page omits some of the shorter items, such as queries that did not receive answers, or editor's list announcements .
Things are simple if you just get digest mail. In this case you only need write to me (watson@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp) with change pmjs address in the subject line. Tell me your old and new address so I can make the necessary changes. Make sure I know who you are if you don't give your full name in the FROM section of the e-mail.
This is a good chance for you to make changes to your online profile.
Digest subscribers: write to me (watson@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp) with pmjs oyasumi in the subject line. When you want to start receiving mail again, write again with pmjs mail in the subject line.
PLEASE do this before sending out automatic "vacation mail" messages as these go to everyone on the list until I am able to change your subscription settings...
There are other alternatives that you might consider.
(a) switch to the weekly digest
(b) consider using the "Rules" of your e-mail software
store all pmjs mail in a separate folder, marking it as already
"Read"--then come back at your leisure to sort through
it.
If you have joined other mailing lists, then you know the problem. The INBOX of your mail software gets cluttered with mail about something suitably esoteric from pmjs just as you are coping with floods of pressing mail from other sources. What you need to do is (1) check whether you are using mail software (Eudora or Outlook Express, for example) that allows you to sort mail or not, (2) if so then set up "rules" to redirect all mail from sender pmjs@k.meijigakuin.ac.jp into a special folder. Do this for other categories of mail (by sender, by subject, or by recipient--if you have more than one mail account) and you will find it much easier to keep on top of things.
"Rules" can do more than move mail into folders. They can also mark unread mail as "read" (less shitsukoi that way), or play a certain sound, or even send some mail straight to the trash. (Heaven forbid that you would do that to pmjs mail.)
Another strategy that many of us adopt is to use different mail accounts for different purposes. This is good if you want to read certain categories of mail at home but not at work, or the reverse. Sign up for this or other mailing lists with a free mail account or a personal mail account, rather than your work account, or vice versa.
I use rules extensively--as you may have noticed from my requests for certain expressions to be used in the SUBJECT line.
Since shifting to the new system of list delivery [Feb. 2001], I have started adding a "pmjs footer" to mail. This contains essential reminders about addresses for posting to the list and for queries, and the list home page. I am adding bibliographical information of possible interest, and notes on web sites that I find useful. Suggestions and comments are very welcome.
When a book is in print, I have tried to add a link to the unique page for the publication on Amazon.com. This has been done as a service for list-members and other readers of these pages, to make it easier to learn about publications in the field and (if they so choose) to order. One handy thing about the links is that they show you the ISBN--just hold your cursor over the link and it will be displayed at the bottom of your browser. It is possible if you prefer to use this bibliographical data to order elsewhere, supporting your struggling university bookstore or corner bookshop. In personal orders I have always had good service from Amazon, though I tend to use Barnes & Noble's service for second-hand books. For convenience in making weblinks, Amazon is much the easiest, as links are based around the ISBN number. Another reason I chose Amazon is for their international coverage through their British (amazon.co.uk), German (amazon.de), French (amazon.fr), You only need to sign up once to order books from any branch, except the Japanese (amazon.co.jp). Note that all these links tell Amazon that you have come from pmjs (see next).
Why did the pmjs editor decide to register as an Amazon Associate?
Registration as an Amazon Associate means that Amazon tracks which links are clicked on, and how many people have used the links (thousands of "click-throughs" to date). As a list-owner it is always nice to know whether or not one's efforts are useful or not. In this case I know that the links are actively used, and this encourages me to go on adding links. The identity of those who click and those who go on to purchase is kept private--rest assured. However a small commission is paid if a "click through" leads to a purchase, of that item or of any other. Every year, several hundred dollars' worth of books were purchased through these pmjs links. Good for authors and academic publishers. The total commissions are paid in form of gift certificates. Commissions are never likely to amount to very much, but they are a good way to support off-line activities of the mailing list--conference get-togethers or small kenkyukai, for example. The commissions earned in 2000 went toward the December bônenkai.