Click on a question or scroll down to see all of the questions and answers......
Why is it called the Overflow?
What do the members talk about?
Why did the group move to Google Groups?
What about joining the Overflow Pub?
What are the requirements to join the group?
How do I change my email delivery options?
I'm a member but I can't see the posts on the group site. What's wrong?
Why is it called the Overflow?
The real Overflow is the name of the parking lot at 79th street and Lake Michigan in Chicago. The origninal purpose of the lot was to provide overflow parking for the Rainbow Beach lot and a place for boaters to park after using the boat launching ramp. The Overflow has been removed and replaced with a park.
After dark however, the Overflow became the place for young lovers to park and watch the world famous "submarine races" held offshore in Lake Michigan every night.
We wanted to have a name that would be unique to the group and make it easier to find on the Internet. We also thought it would be recognized by most people who grew up in South Shore during the '50's and '60's.
What do the members talk about?
Just about anything. The group started as a place for the South Shore diaspora to get together and talk about the 'good old days' growing up in the best neighborhood in Chicago. The problem is that you can only talk about the 'good old days' for so long until the subject has been worn down. The conversation evolved until the best way to describe the group is that it's similar to a neighborhood bar where folks come to discuss just about anything.
Of course our favorite subject is still the South Shore of our youth and there are many members who still want to talk about our favorite place in times gone by.
We didn't want to discourage anyone from contributing so we decided to split the group in two. The original group the Overflow still operates in the original location. Messages are now moderated to keep the discussion focused on old South Shore places, people and events.
The new place is called the Overflow Pub and Coffee Shop. Discussions in the 'Pub' can be about anything. Best of all, the drinks are free and we're open 24 hrs.
Note: Discussion on the Overflow Pub site is NOT moderated. If you are offended by adult conversation then please do not join the Pub.
Topics about South Shore are located in the Overflow group. The Overflow group is moderated so you can still read without being offended.
How did all of this start?
The original Overflow discussion group was started in July of 1999 by Ron Egan and Tim Allman. After a series of emails about the subject of Johnny Earth, it was decided that these gems of South Shore nostalgia should be placed somewhere for everyone to see and become involved in the conversation. The group was started on Yahoo Groups and didn't have many messages for quite a while. About the same time, Ginny Marshall opened a website about Rainbow Beach and put a link to the Overflow to help folks find it.
Word spread and soon we had more members than White Castle late on Saturday night. We added some pictures on the Yahoo site and a database of South Shore folks who had passed on. The Yahoo site became very popular and at it's peak it had 281 members and produced about 1000 messages a month. The original Yahoo site is still available - click here to read the message archive. The group is no longer using Yahoo for messages. For the reason why, see the next question.........
Why did the group move to Google?
Yahoo became unsuitable mostly because of the increasing number of advertisements, popup windows and other problems. We looked at several alternatives and when we saw the new feature of Google called 'Google Groups' we decided that it was time to start the move. For eight months, the Google group duplicated all of the posts from the active Yahoo Group. On Jan 1, 2005 the group switched to Google. Although there were a few bumps in the transition, the move worked pretty well. We've been on Google ever since.
How do I join the group?
Joining is easy. Click this link or point your browser to:
http://groups.google.com/group/Overflow
You will be prompted to open a Google account. The procedure is free, fast and easy (like our fantasy girlfriends). All you need is an email account. You will make a password for the Google account. Write it down so you don't forget it. You can also join the group by using a Gmail account. If you don't have Gmail and want a Gmail address, send me an email and I'll help. You will also be asked a few questions about yourself. Once you are a member you will be able to edit your membership to enter your 'nickname' and how you want to read the group.
What about joining the Overflow Pub?
Once you are a member of the Overflow group you can join the Overflow Pub and Coffee Shop by clicking on the link available on the Overflow site. No other action is necessary and you will be able to read and answer messages on the Pub site immediately.
Note: Discussion on the Overflow Pub site is NOT moderated. If you are offended by adult conversation then please do not join the Pub.
Topics about South Shore are located in the Overflow group. This group is moderated so you can still read that group without being offended.
What are the requirements to join the group?
When you request group membership you will be asked some questions about yourself. The purpose of this is to prevent spammers and email harvesters from gaining access to the group. These folks use automated software to attempt to join hundreds of groups and then plaster the groups with spam (unsolicited advertising). The answers to the questions are not important and do not determine whether or not a person will be allowed access. Anyone who has an interest in the group subject is welcome. We have had people from all over the world request access and no one is denied who has a sincere interest. The questions also serve to guide people who are not sure about the purpose of the group. The answers to these questions are posted on the group site in a special item reserved for the news of new members.
Here are the questions that we ask new members and the reason for the question:
What was your name in South Shore ?
We want to know who is in the conversation. A few folks want to be completely anonymous. Sorry, but you have to give a little to get something back. If everyone was anonymous we couldn't discuss much. Your email address will never be shown publicly.
Where did you live in South Shore?
Helps other members to find old friends and really keeps the spammers out. You should see some of the fake answers we get to this question.
Where did you go to school?
Another basic question. Same reason as above.
What year did you get your driver's license?
Our discreet way of determining how old you are - in a general sense. This is mostly to identify the really young people who stumble into the group thinking that Rainbow Beach is a place for Spring Break.
That's all the requirements to join. Of course since this is a group on Google you must have a Google account or a Gmail address. Both of these are free and won't get you put on anybody's spam list.
How do I read the messages?
There are two ways to read messages on the Overflow.
What does my 'nickname' mean?
This is a feature of the message header that allows other members to know who you are. You can make your nickname whatever you like but here are some suggestions:
Your real name - Best bet but not for everyone.
Your cool nickname in real life. - Good but only if a lot of people besides your wife and your dog know who you are by this nickname.
Your first name and initial - Not so good. Only your friends will know who you are.
Your first name and your maiden name (for the ladies) - Good idea. Lots of people here only know you by your name in school. Option - First, Maiden, Married names - If you haven't tossed the bum out yet.
Some cool name that you just made up - Maybe it's cool but we won't know who the hell you are.
Your email address - Ok if you want to but this defeats the purpose of hiding email addresses in headers and messages. Some people don't mind.
Whatever you choose, try to keep it consistent. Don't change your name every week. We can't see you so your nickname is the only thing that makes you unique. Once you set your nickname, leave it alone.
What are the rules?
Rules?
We don't have no stinkin' rules!
Well, that's not exactly true. Rules are kept to an absolute minimum but we do have two rules just to keep things pleasant. Here are the two rules.
1. No discussion of politics or religion. - You aren't going to change any minds but you will make someone mad. There are dozens of places on the Web where these topics are discussed to death. Go find one.
2. No personal attacks - If you don't like a particular person, just ignore them. They'll do the same for you.
The messages I see posted are not really about the old days in South Shore. How do I find the good stuff?
Well, good stuff is in the eye of the beholder but the old messages are still around. You can see them at the Yahoo archive site. Be prepared for a lot of reading. There are over 37,000 messages in the Yahoo archive and no really good way to search through them (another reason we left Yahoo).
You can search back through the Google site much easier. Unfortunately, the Google site only goes back to May of 2004. Put in a word, a phrase, a name or maybe a school and see what pops up.
How do I reply to a post?
If you are reading the post by email just reply with the same subject. However, we encourage reading and replying by going to the web site instead of email. It's much easier to follow a conversation on the group site.
To reply on the site, just click the Reply link at the end of the message. You may also click on the Show options link next to the date at the top of the individual message. You will see several options:
Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show original | Report Abuse | Find messages by this author
Here's a short description of some of the options:
Some notes on replies:
How do I change my email delivery options?
Users may change email options including setting options to 'No Email' by going to the sites at:
Overflow Pub subscription page
or
Select your email option from the list on the left side of the page.
You can also request a change in email status by sending an email to the group owner.
What about my privacy?
We don't have a long-winded privacy statement but here's the bottom line:
Since this is a personal discussion group, personal issues, names, events etc. will be discussed. That's the reason for the group's existence. If you have a question or a problem with some information that you don't want on the group, email to us and we'll do what we can to help.
Your email address is the only piece of personal information that we request. No email addresses are published on the site. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to post an email address if it is written normally because the group software disguises any entry that looks like an email address. This can make it difficult if you WANT to give out your email for some reason. To get around this restriction, post your email address like this:
goofy at disney dot com
instead of
goofy@disney.com
Since we are a private group with screened members it's not likely that you'll have any problems with unsolicted contacts. If you do, let us know immediately.
Only the moderators can see the list of members and email addresses and we don't give out any address to anyone. If you want to contact a member, email your request and we'll forward it to the member for their reply.
I'm a member and I receive messages by email but I can't see the posts on the group site. What's wrong?
You must be logged in to your Google or Gmail account to see messages on the site. Here is the link to login to a Google account:
https://www.google.com/accounts/Login
Enter the email address that you used to join the group and your password to log in.
if you forgot your password just click on 'Forgot your password' and your password will be mailed to you.
We do not have access to your password.