Just a tiny clarification about who's who. Recently in private email someone showed confusion about GML and AGS and NGS. GML -- GML is a mailing list, not affiliated with any organization. It's like a place to meet to discuss gerbils. GML has "readers" or "subscribers". Anyone can subscribe, read and write. The computer services are donated by Rice Univ. but Rice doesn't run GML either. GML has no governing body. Julian posts "GML Rules and Guidelines" every month, to reflect our democratic consensus about how to operate in GML. NGS and AGS -- There are national gerbil organizations in many countries. The two largest are Nat'l Gerbil Society (NGS) in the UK, and relatively young Am. Gerbil Society (AGS). Organizations like those enroll members and may charge dues. They do not run the GML, but they recommend to their members that GML is a good place and tell members how to subscribe to GML. AGS EMAIL LIST -- AGS also has its own private email list, limited to members. I believe it is mainly about AGS organizational matters. AGS discourages posting messages there that are of interest to the general gerbil community, so there is little or no over-lap with GML. If you write or reply to a posting in the AGS email list, it does not appear in GML -- and vice versa. IGF -- Last year several national gerbil societies got together to found the International Gerbil Federation (IGF). Its work is mainly for officers of the several national societies, and doesn't affect little me, a simple GML subscriber. (And you thought ANIMAL society is organized and complicated?) BTW -- I might have made errors in the full names of the Societies. Most people just use "AGS", "NGS", "IGF" etc.
