3 How do I know that my message got posted?
First of all, be patient. It takes a while for your message to be posted. Internet is faster than the Post Office, but it isn't always instantaneous. There's nothing more annoying than seeing the same messages posted again and again in a half hour time period by people who are unsure whether their messages got through. Please wait half a day or more before panicking.
Second, if you are having trouble posting, it is more likely than not a local problem. Check with your help desk or other local resource.
Third, no matter where you post your message from, if the message gets through, it will be added to two very nice USENET archives, AltaVista and DejaNews. Search for your message using the subject line or a reasonably unique phrase in the message itself. This system is not instantaneous. Wait half a day or more before searching for your message. See the section "How do I get the archives of STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT?" for the web address and other details about AltaVista and DejaNews.
Fourth, if you are using SCI.STAT.CONSULT, then you will eventually see a copy of your message, if it got posted. There are specal USENET groups where you can practice sending test messages (MISC.TEST or ALT.TEST). If you are a beginner, don't post to SCI.STAT.CONSULT until after you are comfortable posting to one of these test groups.
You will also see your message if you receive the digest from STAT-L.
If you receive individual messages rather than the digest from STAT-L, you will not see your own message when it is posted. The presumption is that you read it when you wrote it, so why would you want to see it again?
You can change this default in two ways. Send a e-mail to LISTSERV@VM1.MCGILL.CA with a one line message: SET STAT-L REPRO to inform STAT-L that you wish it to send you back a copy of any message you send in. Send a one line message: SET STAT-L ACK to inform STAT-L that you wish it to send a brief acknowledgment that your message has been sent to the list. Finally, send a one line message: SET STAT-L NOREPRO if you want to go back to the default. Please note that all of these commands go to LISTSERV and not to STAT-L.
Finally, please note that not every question posted on STAT-L/SCI.STAT.CONSULT gets an answer. No one is getting paid for their time, so you need to appeal to their curiosity or their altruism. If no one answered your question, maybe you need to ask the question differently?