Configuring Your Mailing List

As list manager, you control how the list works, including a bunch of configuration settings

When you create a list, it is configured as open or closed, moderated or not, and a bunch of other configuration options. For most lists, you can change these settings later. How you do so depends on which mailing list management program (list server) or which mailing list Web site you use to host your list.

As list manager, you are also responsible for writing a welcome message to be sent to new subscribers (the list server sends it for you) and an informational message that subscribers and non-subscribers can request. Click here for a sample informational message (FAQ) for a discussion list. (To turn it into a welcome message, just add the line "Welcome to listname!" at the top.)

Web-based Mailing Lists

Go to the Web page for your mailing list and see what the settings are. Most mailing list Web sites let you set lots of options for your list -- just follow the instructions on the site.

LISTSERV Lists

Send commands to the administrative address (LISTSERV@whatever, replacing whatever with the name of the host computer name). You need to know your password, which the LISTSERV site manager can give you, in order to issue many list management commands.

To change the configuration settings for a LISTSERV list (for example, to add a list manager, or to switch a list from closed to open), you retrieve the list header, a series of lines that contain the settings. You edit the list headers very carefully using a text editor (don't use a word processor, which may insert formatting codes). Then you send the edited list headers back to LISTSERV. The whole operation is a bit dangerous.

Here are the commands for getting and sending back the list headers for a LISTSERV list:

To do this... Send this command

Display the list settings get listname (HEADER NOLOCK PW=password

Note the single open paren in the command. You receive a copy of the "list header," which contains the settings for the list. If you want to edit the list headers (very carefully) and put them back, omit the "NOLOCK" part.

Upload the edited list headers to make changes to list settings (dangerous) put listname.list PW=password

Here are the commands for creating or updating the welcome message that is sent to new subscribers, and the farewell message that is sent to people who unsubscribe. Before using these commands, write the welcome and farewell messages in a text editor, and proofread them carefully. Type the following command as the first line of your e-mail message, then copy the welcome or farewell file into the message, starting on the second line of the message.

To do this... Send this command

Update the welcome message put listname welcome pw=password

Update the farewell message put listname farewell pw=password

LSOFT maintains a manual for list managers on the Web, at http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8d/owner/index.html. For a brief list of LISTSERV commands, send the command "INFO REFCARD" to the LISTSERV administrative address.

ListProc

Here are some useful commands for configuring ListProc mailing lists:

To do this... Send this command

Display the list settings config listname password

Make the list open to all subscribers config listname password open-subscriptions

Close the list, so only the list manager can add people config listname password closed-subscriptions

Better yet, use this command so that if someone tries to subscribe, the manager gers notified and can approve or disapprove: config listname password owner-subscriptions

Set the on-line list descrition config listname password comment text

Since the text will be too long to fit on one line with the rest of the command, type a "&" (the continuation character) after "comment", press Enter to start a new line, and then type the one-line description.

Set a maximum number of messages per day, to avoid huge volumes from mail loops config listname password message-limit number

Add an list manager config listname password owners address

Remove a list manager config listname password remove-owners address

Tell ListProc that only subscribers may request the subscriber list config listname password review-by-subscribers

Tell ListProc that only subscribers may post to the list config listname password send-by-subscribers

Tell ListProc that anyone may post to the list config listname password send-by-all

Set new subscribers to receive digests by default config listname password default mail digest

Delete subscribers automatically when their mail bounces config listname password auto-delete-subscribers

To turn this off, send this command:

config listname password no-auto-delete-subscribers

Provide the option of daily digests at time hh:mm config listname password digest daily hh:mm

If you omit the time, digests are sent at midnight local time.

Change the list password config listname password password new-password

Set replies to go to the list, or to the author of the original message config listname password reply-to-list
config listname password reply-to-sender

To update the welcome message, which is sent to new subscribers, and the info message, which is sent in response to the "info listname" command, send these commands to the ListProc administrative address:

To do this... Send this command

Get the welcome message or info file for the list get listname password welcome
get listname password info

Update the welcome message or info file for the list put listname password welcome
get listname password info

On the second and following lines of the message, type (or copy) the text of the welcome message or info file.

CREN maintains online documentation for ListProc list managers at http://www.cren.net/listproc/docs/ownercard.html.

If your ListProc installation includes the ListProc Web Interface, you can make configuration changes via the Web. Take a look at http://www.cren.net:8080/ fora demonstration.

Majordomo

To change the configuration settings for a Majordomo list, you retrieve the configuration file for the list, a series of lines that contain the settings. You edit the configuration file very carefully using a text editor (don't use a word processor, which may insert formatting codes). Then you send the edited configuration file back to Majordomo. The whole operation is a bit dangerous.

Here are the commands for getting and sending back the configuration file for a Majordomo list:

To do this... Send this command

Get the configuration file config listname password

Upload the edited configuration file newconfig listname password

Here are the commands for creating or updating the intro file about the list that is sent to new subscribers, and the info file that people can retrieve by sending the command "info listname". Before using these commands, write the intro and info messages (which may be identical) in a text editor, and proofread them carefully. Type the following command as the first line of your e-mail message, then copy the file into the message, starting on the second line of the message.

To do this... Send this command

Update the intro message newintro listname password

Update the info message newinfo listname password

There is a Majordomo FAQ by David Barr at http://www.greatcircle.com/majordomo/FAQ.html. Another Web page specifically for Majordomo list managers (and maintained at the University of Chicago) is at http://docuspace.uchicago.edu/dpc/general/g_maj-adm.html. There's a help page for subscribers, too, at http://docuspace.uchicago.edu/dpc/general/g_maj-bas.html.

Lyris

Lyris provides a Web interface that you can use for most list configuration tasks. The Lyris people have a demo site at http://www.lyris.com/demo/list/ if you want to see what it looks like.

There is also a Lyris manual online at http://www.lyris.com/help/ListAdministrator.html.

Copyright 1999-2000 Margaret Levine Young, one of the Internet Gurus.
To test your e-mail, write to test@gurus.com. For questions or comments about this site, write to listgurus@gurus.com.
http://lists.gurus.com/configuring.html page last changed on January 11, 2000.