DRAGON'S BREATH The Official Newsletter of Heroes and Dragons http://www.heroesanddragons.com ________________________________________________________________ v.7.0.7: ANSWERS TO OUR MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) (last updated on September 11, 2002) ________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS: >> What Is DRAGON'S BREATH? >> How Did I Get on This Mailing List? >> How Do I Subscribe/Unsubscribe? >> What If I Change My E-Mail Address? >> Is My Information Safe with You? >> How Do I Contact DRAGON'S BREATH? >> Which Is It: [email protected] or [email protected]? >> How Soon Will I Get a Reply from [email protected]? >> Can I Get This Newsletter in HTML Format? >> What Does "v.7.0.7" Mean? >> What Were the First Six Versions? >> What Revisions Have Been Made to This "FAQ" Document? >> How Often Will I Receive DRAGON'S BREATH? >> What Are E-Mail "Probes"? >> What If I Lose This E-Mail? >> What If I Have Questions That Aren't Answered Here? ________________________________________________________________ >> WHAT IS "DRAGON'S BREATH"? ________________________________________________________________ DRAGON'S BREATH is an electronic newsletter pertaining to Heroes and Dragons in all its forms. H&D is a three-headed beast: < 1 > You'll find our Mega-Store at 1563-B Broad River Road in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.A. < 2 > We are online at http://www.heroesanddragons.com (Although I sometimes refer to it as "H&D.com," you have to type the full address to get to the site.) < 3 > We tour extensively throughout the U.S. doing comic and toy shows As an official newsletter, DRAGON'S BREATH covers all facets of Heroes and Dragons, including: - Notices on updates to the web site - Announcements about sales and special promotions going on in our Columbia, South Carolina Mega-Store - Up-to-the-minute information on store hour changes, policy changes, and general goings-on that might affect our customers - Dates and information for conventions we will be attending - Special offers and web-exclusive promotions >> HOW DID I GET ON THIS MAILING LIST? ________________________________________________________________ You're receiving this e-mail for one of the following reasons: - You entered your e-mail address into our sign-up form online at http://www.heroesanddragons.com/DragonsBreath - You signed up manually in our Columbia, South Carolina Mega-Store - You signed up at our booth during a local comic convention or toy show - You made a purchase from us online, either at our web site or via eBay - You asked to be added to the list - I know you and thought you would be interested in our mailing list If none of these reasons apply to you, then someone has probably signed you up for this newsletter without your knowledge. If that's the case, maybe there's something in here you'll enjoy! If not -- well, there's always the next section of the FAQ, which tells you how to drop your subscription simply and painlessly. We'll miss you. :_( If you continue receiving DRAGON'S BREATH after dropping your subscription, please e-mail our list administrator ([email protected]) for help. >> HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE? ________________________________________________________________ To subscribe, just send an e-mail to [email protected] with the word "SUBSCRIBE" (no quotes) in the subject line. To be removed from the mailing list, send an e-mail to [email protected] with the word "REMOVE" (no quotes) in the subject line. >> WHAT IF I CHANGE MY E-MAIL ADDRESS? ________________________________________________________________ If you still have access to the old e-mail address, send a "REMOVE" message from that address, then send a "SUBSCRIBE" message from your new address. If you no longer have access to the original e-mail account, go ahead and "SUBSCRIBE" from your new address. Then send a personal e-mail to our list administrator ([email protected]) asking to have the old e-mail address removed. (Don't forget to specify the old address in your e-mail!) >> IS MY INFORMATION SAFE WITH YOU? ________________________________________________________________ Absolutely. We pledge to never sell or release your personal information to anyone -- and yes, we have been asked on a couple of occasions. Your privacy is completely safe with us. >> HOW DO I CONTACT "DRAGON'S BREATH"? ________________________________________________________________ Please direct all correspondence about DRAGON'S BREATH to [email protected]. It helps if you include the words "DRAGON'S BREATH" in the subject line. Direct all automated requests ("SUBSCRIBE," "REMOVE," etc.) to the listserver at [email protected]. >> WHICH IS IT: [email protected] OR [email protected]? ________________________________________________________________ The e-mail address for DRAGON'S BREATH is [email protected]. This is a dedicated e-mail account that sends, receives, and manages messages pertaining to our mailing list. It is *not* artificially intelligent, and it will *not* respond to personalized e-mails. What it *does* do is process subscription requests and commands sent to it using the subject line of your e-mail. When you send a "SUBSCRIBE" or "REMOVE" message, send it to [email protected], and the program that runs our mailing list will automatically process your request. For a full list of interactive commands, send a blank e-mail to [email protected] with the word "HELP" (no quotes) in the subject line. The e-mail address for Heroes and Dragons is [email protected]. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please send them there. There is a living, breathing human being at the keyboard who will be happy to help you! >> HOW SOON WILL I GET A REPLY FROM [email protected]? ________________________________________________________________ Automated requests are usually processed within 48 hours. >> CAN I GET THIS NEWSLETTER IN HTML FORMAT? ________________________________________________________________ No. :( Due to the increased number of subscribers, we no longer offer this newsletter in HTML format. For the forseeable future, it's all-text all the time. Some of you may miss the hyperlinks and other web-enabled goodies, but DRAGON'S BREATH should now be readable to everyone, no matter which internet service or e-mail program they're using. >> WHAT DOES "v.7.0.7" MEAN? ________________________________________________________________ That's the "version number" of DRAGON'S BREATH. Just as your software goes through different versions (Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, etc.), so does DRAGON'S BREATH! We renumber DRAGON'S BREATH whenever we re-start or overhaul our mailing list, so that we can keep track of its history. The first number refers to the current "volume" or incarnation of DRAGON'S BREATH, and the second number is the "issue number." For example, "v.6.2" refers to the second electronic "issue" of our last incarnation. The FAQ document is always numbered zero, so the e-mail you're reading now is "DRAGON'S BREATH v.7.0.7" -- where "7" is the number of times the FAQ has been revised since its creation. (For more about these revisions, see "What Revisions Have Been Made to This 'FAQ' Document?" below.) >> WHAT WERE THE FIRST SIX VERSIONS? ________________________________________________________________ v.1 - flyer administered by Brett Lord and given out in the H&D stores (1994-1995) v.2 - leaflet administered by Michael Robinson (1996) v.3 - brochure administered by Brett Lord/Mike Doyle (1996-1997) v.4 - brochure administered by Scott Simmons (1997-1998) v.4-1/2 - e-mail administered by Brett Lord (1998-1999) v.5 - e-mail administered by Scott Simmons (1999-2001) v.6 - e-mail administered by Scott Simmons via ListBot (2001) v.7 - e-mail administered by Scott Simmons via Arrow Software (2001-Present) DRAGON'S BREATH began its life as a printed newsletter -- more accurately, a flyer -- that was distributed in the Heroes and Dragons chain of comic book stores in Columbia, South Carolina, in the early 1990s. Over the years, DRAGON'S BREATH grew with each editor's ambitions, and soon it was a bonafide 8- to 10-page newsletter. Although it was only distributed through the stores (and not in the mail), the DRAGON'S BREATH proved popular enough with our customers to warrant publishing it semi-regularly -- i.e., whenever someone on staff could find the time to do one! DRAGON'S BREATH went through four volumes as a print newsletter between 1994 and 1998 -- each one marked by a new #1. The print newsletters went on hiatus in 1998 and disappeared for several months. During the hiatus, we began experimenting with e-mail newsletters. While the response was positive, we couldn't sustain the effort with no one one on staff to devote their full time to content and administration. (I sometimes refer to the brief period of electronic newsletters in late '98 and early '99 as "DRAGON'S BREATH v.4-1/2.") In 1999, we launched a new electronic version of the DRAGON'S BREATH, based on our original mailing list but with an agressive new marketing campaign. We updated the volume number to match the computer-centered format, and DRAGON'S BREATH v.5.0 was born! Within a couple weeks of sending out DRAGON'S BREATH v.5.1, our mailing list grew from around 30 initial subscribers to over 100 -- and from there it was a short step to 200, then 500! By 2001, we were e-mailing DRAGON'S BREATH to over 1,000 customers worldwide, and I'd been asked to offer it in Italian and Spanish! Facing a large influx of subscribers, we stopped administering the newsletter manually and migrated our lists over to ListBot, a free service on the World Wide Web for mailing list administrators. Unfortunately, our timing was horrible: As soon as we moved the list, ListBot announced their plans to shut down, and DRAGON'S BREATH went on another hiatus. The ListBot-driven v.6.0 sent out only two "issues" before being closed. Now DRAGON'S BREATH is administered locally, using Arrow mailing list software. Check 'em out at http://www.jadebox.com/arrow if you have your own mailing list! >> WHAT REVISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THIS "FAQ" DOCUMENT? ________________________________________________________________ For a complete history of this FAQ document and changes made to it, send a blank e-mail to [email protected] with only "FAQ-HISTORY" (no quotes) in the subject line. >> HOW OFTEN WILL I RECEIVE "DRAGON'S BREATH"? ________________________________________________________________ DRAGON'S BREATH is delivered semi-regularly, as the webmaster's schedule allows. Because my workload waxes and wanes with the number of orders coming and the type of development projects going on at www.heroesanddragons.com, I can't guarantee a regular schedule for this newsletter. However, I'm committed to keeping you abreast of all the latest developments -- so if you go for a while without seeing DRAGON'S BREATH in your inbox, you can rest assured a big "giant-size" issue is looming in your future! The current average is about 40 issues per year. >> WHAT ARE E-MAIL "PROBES"? ________________________________________________________________ Probes are occasional messages sent out from [email protected] to determine whether your e-mail account is still receiving mail. You may receive one of these probes if an issue of DRAGON'S BREATH has "bounced" back to us or if your e-mail inbox is full. "Probe" e-mails will always have the subject line "[DRAGON'S BREATH] - E-Mail Address Verification." You do not need to reply to these e-mails; simply delete them when you see them. The probes are harmless and do not send us any information about your system. They are merely a tool for us to periodically eliminate those addresses which have gone inactive or been cancelled since signing up for DRAGON'S BREATH. >> WHAT IF I LOSE THIS E-MAIL? ________________________________________________________________ Just send an e-mail to [email protected] with "FAQ" (no quotes) in the subject line, and another copy will be sent to you automatically. >> WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS THAT AREN'T ANSWERED HERE? ________________________________________________________________ Send us an e-mail at [email protected]! We'll be glad to answer your question. Also, check the "About This Mailing List" and "Contact Information" sections below. You'll find them at the end of every DRAGON'S BREATH message! ********************************** **** THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBING! **** ********************************** ________________________________________________________________ ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST ________________________________________________________________ DRAGON'S BREATH is written and administered by Scott Simmons for Heroes and Dragons. Send inquiries, corrections, suggestions, or comments to [email protected]. To subscribe to this newsletter, send a blank e-mail to [email protected] with the word "SUBSCRIBE" (no quotes) in the subject line. You can also subscribe on the web at http://www.heroesanddragons.com/DragonsBreath. To be removed from this mailing list, send a blank e-mail to [email protected] with the word "REMOVE" (no quotes) in the subject line. For a complete list of commands you can use with your DRAGON'S BREATH subscription, send a blank e-mail to [email protected] with the word "HELP" (no quotes) in the subject line. Long URLs may break into multiple lines in some mail readers. Should this occur, please cut and paste the URL in your browser. Previous issues of this newsletter are available online at http://www.heroesanddragons.com/DragonsBreath. ________________________________________________________________ CONTACT INFORMATION ________________________________________________________________ >> TELEPHONE (office) (803) 772-9198 >> TELEPHONE (store) (803) 731-HERO (4376) >> TOLL-FREE (orders & payments) 1-877-543-HERO (4376) >> FAX NUMBER (803) 772-5010 >> STORE ADDRESS Heroes and Dragons 1563-B Broad River Road Columbia, SC 29210 USA >> E-MAIL ADDRESS [email protected] >> WEB SITE http://www.heroesanddragons.com ________________________________________________________________ DRAGON'S BREATH copyright © 2002 Heroes and Dragons. All rights reserved.