Frequently Asked Questions about Discussion Lists
Revised: January 28, 2005
Q: What is Mailman, what does it have to do with discussion lists, and what can
it do for me?
A: Mailman is the discussion list software used on kinetic Service servers.
Mailman allows list subscribers to communicate with other subscribers who share a
like interest. By subscribing to a discussion list, you have the convenience of
automatically sending a message to everyone else who is subscribed to a list by
sending a single message.
There are three e-mail addresses associated with a discussion list:
- List Address. The list address is for correspondence with list subscribers.
You cannot subscribe to a list by posting to the list address. A typical list address looks like
the example below. Replace {list-name} with the name of the list and
{domain-name} with the domain name for your organization.
{list-name}@lists.{domain-name}
- Administrator Address. The administrator address is
for contacting the administrators and moderators (if applicable). To contact them,
send a message to the address below. Replace {list-name} with the name of
the list and {domain-name} with the domain name for your organization.
{list-name}-owner@lists.{domain-name}
- E-mail Administration Address. The e-mail administration address
is available for users to send commands directly to the Mailman mailing
program. It handles subscription requests, help commands, and a variety of
other information functions. However, you do not need to interact with Mailman
via e-mail since you can modify settings with your Web browser. If you
would like to explore this option, send a message to the e-mail administration
address with the word help in the subject for more information. Replace
{list-name} with the name of the list and {domain-name} with the domain
name for your organization.
{list-name}-request@lists.{domain-name}
For example, the following addresses are associated with the test
list at the kinetic.more.net domain:
test@lists.kinetic.more.net test-owner@lists.kinetic.more.net test-request@lists.kinetic.more.net
Q: How do I get started on discussion lists?
A: To become a member of a discussion list, you must first know the name of
the discussion list to which you would like to subscribe. Often times the list
administrator sends instructions to relevant audiences in e-mail. Once you
know the name, follow the instructions for Subscribing
to a List.
Q: What does it mean when my subscription request must be approved?
A: The list is configured so that the list administrator must approve subscription
requests. A list is configured this way to limit the participants to those
who are interested or belong on the list. For example, if a list
is provided for teachers at a school, a student would most likely not be accepted
to the list by the list administrator.
Q: How can I start my own list?
A: Fill out the Discussion
List Application and then mail or fax it to MOREnet
at 3212 LeMone Industrial Blvd., Columbia, MO 65201 or (573) 884-6673. Information
about your list will be e-mailed to you. See the Guide
to Filling Out a Discussion List Application for more information.
Note: Only MOREnet Contacts may request discussion lists.
Q: If I have problems with a discussion list, what can I do?
A: MOREnet Contacts can ask for assistance from MOREnet Technical Support
at (573) 884-7200 or techsupp@more.net.
Q: What are the archives and how can I use them?
A: Archives are a collection of messages sent to discussion lists. For more
information, see Viewing Archives.
Q: Now that I am a list administrator, what does that mean? How much involvement
should I have in the list discussion?
A: A list administrator need not be involved in the discussion at all. If
you have appointed a moderator, you do not even need to monitor the discussion.
A list administrator has the following duties:
- Configure the discussion list settings
- Ensure the discussions stay on the topic of the list. If the
list is moderated, the moderator assumes
this responsibility.
- Respond to messages from
subscribers that are having problems with the list. The list administrator
may contact MOREnet Technical Support
for assistance if needed.
- If the list is closed (private), the list administrator
must approve subscription requests. If the list is moderated,
the moderator assumes this responsibility.
Q: What are a moderator's duties?
A: A moderator is appointed to supervise list activity. A list administrator
can be a moderator as well. The moderator's role is to approve subscription
requests (if required), review messages from non-members (if required), make
sure the discussions focus on the list's intended topics, and attempt to keep participants
behaving properly. Should unfriendly arguments arise or the discussion topics
stray, it is the moderator's job to step in and remind everyone of the rules
of the discussion list.
Q: What are the guidelines for accepting a list subscription?
A: It is up to the list administrator to set guidelines for the list. Administrators
often establish subscription guidelines that target a specific audience. For
example, a list administrator may limit subscriptions to members of a specific
club or department.
Q: What list administrator commands are available?
A: Discussion list software usually requires that administrators know a set
of commands and then interact with the software by sending the commands in e-mail
messages. Mailman doesn't require you to know any special commands because
you can manage your list with a Web browser! To get started managing your list,
review Getting Started with kinetic
Service Discussion Lists.
Q: I'm a list moderator. Am I notified when there is work to be done? Is there
a web interface to support my tasks?
A: List moderators receive e-mail notifications about tasks that require
attention. These tasks include the following:
- If the list is private, moderators receive e-mail notifications
for subscription requests.
- Moderators (and administrators) receive e-mail messages sent to the
{list-name}-owner address.
- If the list is configured to hold messages from non-subscribers,
moderators receive e-mail notifications when non-subscribers send messages
to the list. These messages can be discarded or allowed to be sent to the
list subscribers.
The URL to moderate your list follows the format below. Replace {domain-name}
with the domain name for your organization and {list-name} with the
name of the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admindb/{list-name}/
Q: Can I be the list administrator or moderator of more than one list?
A: Yes. There isn't a restriction on the number of lists you can administer
or moderate.
Q: Can more than one administrator be configured for my list?
A: Yes, follow these steps:
- Visit the URL below in your web browser. Replace {domain-name} with the
domain name for your organization and replace {list-name} with the name
of the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admin/{list-name}/
- Type the administrator
password in the box and click Let me in....
Mailman provides an extensive
set of configuration options. After logging in, categories of configuration
options are displayed at the top of the page
under Configuration Categories heading. The General
Options page displays by default.
- Review the options displayed below for the The list administrator
email addresses option. Type each additional administrator e-mail
address in the box with each address on a separate line.
- When you are finished adding administrator
addresses, click Submit Your Changes.
- Provide the administrator password
to the new administrators.
Q: Can more than one moderator be configured for my list?
A: Yes, follow these steps:
- Visit the URL below in your web browser. Replace {domain-name} with the
domain name for your organization and replace {list-name} with the name
of the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admin/{list-name}/
- Type the administrator
password in the box and click Let me in....
Mailman provides an extensive
set of configuration options. After logging in, categories of configuration
options are displayed at the top of the page
under Configuration Categories heading. The General
Options page displays by
default.
- Review the options displayed below for the The list moderator
email addresses option. Type each additional moderator e-mail address
in the box with each one on a separate line.
- When you are finished adding moderator
addresses, click Submit Your Changes.
- Provide the moderator password to
the new moderators.
Note: You must provide the password to the new moderators.
They will NOT receive an automated e-mail message with the password.
Q: I'm a list administrator and I'm leaving my organization. What should I
do?
A: As a list administrator, it is your duty to ensure that your list is maintained.
A discussion list should never be allowed to continue without at least
one administrator. If the list will continue to flourish after your departure,
try to find a suitable replacement administrator in your organization and train
the new administrator in your current duties. If that isn't possible, see if
a list member might be a suitable administrator. If you cannot find a replacement,
discuss this with the MOREnet Contact at your organization.
Q: I'm a list moderator and I'm leaving my organization. What should I do?
A: Discuss your intentions with the list administrator. When the time comes
for you to leave your duties, the administrator must remove
your account from the moderator setting for the list. Meanwhile, you may be able
to assist in trying to find a suitable replacement. Other moderators
often know a suitable replacement or a list subscriber may be interested in taking over
your duties. The administrator is responsible for moderating the list until
a replacement is found.
Q: My list moderators can no longer login to do their duties. Mailman
indicates that they're typing the wrong password, but it has worked in the
past.
A: Sometimes a list administrator changes the moderator password and forgets to notify
the moderators. Discuss this possibility with the list administrators
by sending a message to {list-name}-owner@list.{domain-name}.
Replace {list-name} with the name of the list and {domain-name} with the domain
name for your organization.
Q: I didn't specify that my list should be moderated when I requested it.
Can I change it to be a moderated list after it is created?
A: The list administrator can change the moderation settings for a list at
any time. Follow these steps:
- Visit the URL below in your web browser. Replace {domain-name} with the
domain name for your organization and replace {list-name} with the name of
the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admin/{list-name}/
- Type the administrator
password in the box and click Let me in....
Mailman provides an extensive set
of configuration options. After logging in, categories of configuration options
are displayed at the top of the page under the Configuration Categories
heading. The General Options page displays by default.
- Review the page for the The list moderator
email accounts option. Specify the list moderator e-mail addresses,
each on a separate line.
- Click Submit Your Changes to
save the options.
- Click the Passwords link in the Configuration
Options section.
- Type the moderator password in the Enter a new moderator
password box.
- Retype the moderator password in the Confirm
moderator password box.
- Click Submit Your Changes to save the options.
- Click the Privacy Options... link in the Configuration
Options section. After you click the link,
several sub-category links display under Privacy Options....
The Subscription rules options display by default.
- Click the Sender filters sub-category link below
Privacy Options....
- Select Yes for the By default, should new list member
postings be moderated? option.
Important: Moderation of messages is specified per subscriber by
setting the moderation bit/flag. The option you just selected sets this flag by default
for new subscribers so that their messages require moderation.
In the Membership Management... options described below, you'll set
this bit/flag for existing subscribers.
- Select Hold for the Action to take when a moderated
member posts to the list option. This option is selected by default.
It specifies that messages sent by moderated subscribers will be held and
must be approved by a moderator before they are sent to the other subscribers.
- Click Submit Your Changes to save the options.
- Click the Membership Management... link in the Configuration
Options section.
- In the Additional Member Tasks section at the bottom of the page,
select On for the Set everyone's moderation bit, including
those members not currently visible option. This ensures that the
moderation bit/flag is set for current subscribers.
- Click Set to save the moderation bit setting.
- Contact the moderators
and provide the moderator password and URL. The URL follows the example
below; replace {domain-name} with the domain name for
your organization and replace {list-name} with the name of the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admindb/{list-name}/
Important: Discuss the moderator duties with the new moderators.
Q: Public archives are not available for my list. How do I change that?
A: The list administrator can change the archive settings for a list at
any time. Follow these steps:
- Visit the URL below in your web browser. Replace {domain-name} with the
domain name for your organization and replace {list-name} with the name of
the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admin/{list-name}/
- Type the administrator
password in the box and click Let me in....
Mailman provides an extensive set
of configuration options. The General Options page displays by default.
- Click
the Archiving Options link in the Configuration
Options section.
- Ensure
that Yes is selected in the Archive messages? option.
- Review the options
for the Is archive file source for public or private
archival? option. Select public.
- Click Submit Your
Changes to save your settings.
After completing these steps, a link is provided to the archives on the list
information page. To see the list information page, visit the URL below in your web browser.
Replace {domain-name} with the domain name for your organization and {list-name}
with the name of the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/listinfo/{list-name}/
Q: My list was initially configured as a public list. How do I make it a private
list?
A: The list administrator can make a list private at any time. Follow these
steps:
- Visit the URL below in your web browser. Replace {domain-name} with the
domain name for your organization and replace {list-name} with the name of
the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admin/{list-name}/
- Type the administrator password in the box and click Let me in....
Mailman provides an extensive set of configuration options. The
General Options page displays by default.
- Click the Privacy options link in the
Configuration Options section.
- Ensure that
Yes is selected in the Advertise this list when
people ask what lists are on this machine? option. If the list is
advertised, the list name will be described if others request Mailman to
provide the list names that are available. It will also will be shown on the
public Web page for the list. You may select No for this option
if you do not want to advertise the list.
- Select Confirm and approve in the What steps are required
for subscription? option. This option requires that a new subscriber
confirm the subscription and requires that the new subscription must be approved by a
list moderator or administrator.
Note: Changing this setting does not affect
current subscribers. They do not have to resubscribe or confirm their subscriptions.
- Click Submit Your Changes to save these settings.
- Click the Archiving Options link in the Configuration
Options section.
- Ensure that private is selected in the Is
archive file source for public or private archival? option.
- Click
Submit Your Changes.
Q: I need to change the list administrator or moderator password. How do I
do this?
A: The list administrator can change the passwords at any time. Follow these
steps:
- Visit the URL below in your web browser. Replace {domain-name} with the
domain name for your organization and replace {list-name} with the name of
the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admin/{list-name}/
- Type the administrator
password in the box and click Let me in....
Mailman provides an extensive set
of configuration options. The General Options page displays by default.
- Click
the Passwords link in the Configuration Options section.
- Type the new administrator
and/or moderator password in the appropriate box.
- Retype the password
in the appropriate Confirm... box.
- Click Submit Your Changes.
- Contact the administrators and/or moderators
and provide the password. To review the list of administrators and moderators,
click General Options in the Configuration Categories section
and review the contents of the The list administrator email addresses option.
Q: I'm having problems with my list. How do I contact the list administrator?
A: Send an e-mail message to {list-name}-owner@lists.{domain-name} to ask
the list administrators and moderators (if applicable) for assistance.
Q: How do I remove a subscriber?
A: Follow these steps:
- Visit the URL below in your web browser. Replace
{domain-name} with the domain name for your organization and replace {list-name}
with the name of
the list.
http://lists.{domain-name}/mailman/admin/{list-name}/
- Type the administrator password in the box and click Let me in....
Mailman provides an extensive set
of configuration options. The General Options page displays by default.
- Click
the Membership Management link in the Configuration
Options section.
Mailman
displays a list of subscribers. You can search for e-mail addresses as well.
- Find
the line with the e-mail address of the subscriber that you would like
to remove.
- Select the check box in the unsub column.
- Click Submit Your
Changes.
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