Getting Started with kinetic Service Discussion Lists

Revised: January 28, 2005

Contents

• Oveview
• Common Terms Used in the Documentation
• Discussion List Etiquette
• Creating a New Discussion List
• Subscribing to a List
• Modifying Your Subscription
• Receiving a Password Reminder
• Unsubscribing from a List
• Viewing Archives
• Managing Your Discussion List

Overview

Discussion lists are provided by request to kinetic Service customers. After MOREnet technicians create the requested lists, the customer list administrators (owners) are responsible for managing the lists. kinetic Service discussion lists provide features such as web-based administration, public and private lists, list archives, configurable bounce processing and more.

MOREnet uses Mailman software to provide discussion lists to kinetic Service customers. Mailman is free software that is distributed under the GNU General Public License.

Common Terms Used in the Documentation

The following terms are used in this documentation:

Administrator

One or more list administrators have the ability to manage the list settings. The list administrator is often called the list owner and is usually the person that requested the creation of the list. All lists must have at least one administrator.

Advertised list

A list that is described on the public web page for your organization's lists.

Archive

Archives of discussion list messages are viewable on the Web. Archives are useful for reviewing messages that you may have deleted in your mail client.

Digest

A list subscriber may receive messages individually or in digest format. If the subscriber selects digest format, individual messages sent by other list subscribers are combined into larger messages so that the subscriber can view multiple messages at once. List administrators may configure the size and frequency of digest messages on a per-list basis.

Mailing list

Another term for a discussion list

Moderator

One or more list moderators have limited management abilities. Moderators cannot change list settings like the list administrators, but they can assist with approving/rejecting subscription requests and postings from non-list members. List moderators are not required. These duties are deferred to the administrators if moderators are not specified in the list settings.

Owner

See Administrator.

Private List

This term usually means that the list requires administrator approval (and possibly subscriber confirmation) for subscription requests. This is sometimes called a closed list.

Public List

This term usually means that the list only requires subscription confirmation by the subscriber (i.e., subscribers are not approved by moderators or admininstrators). This is sometimes called an open list.

Subscribe

The act of submitting your e-mail address to a list so that you receive list messages.

Subscriber

A person subscribed to receive messages from a list.

Unsubscribe

The act of removing your e-mail address from a list so that you no longer receive list messages.

Discussion List Etiquette

Consider these tips when you communicate on a discussion list:

• Keep topics relevant to the list.
  Discussion lists are created for specific purposes and topics should be focused on lists' subject areas. If the topic strays from the normal subject matter, it is best to privately e-mail those people involved and discuss it. Most lists are moderated for the purpose of keeping the lists on topic.
• Every message that you send to a list is sent to every list subscriber.
  Every list subscriber gets your message, so make sure it is something that you want everyone to read. Be sure it is not a personal message or one that is not relevant to the list topic. If you wish to send a private reply to a message, remove the list address from the To: field of your e-mail composition and type in the e-mail address of the intended recipients.
• Don't send an attached file to a list.
  Under most circumstances, it is unlikely that every person on the discussion list wants a copy of a file that you plan to attach. If you would like to share a file with people on a list, consider these options:
  • Mention the file in a message that you send to the list and then send the file as an attachment to those individuals who request it.
  • Put the file on a Web site and then send the URL to the list.
  • If all of the subscribers have access to a shared file system, copy the file to a public folder on the file system and then send the directory path to the list.

Creating a New Discussion List

To create a new discussion list, complete the discussion list application form and fax it to MOREnet as described in the Guide to Filling Out a Discussion List Application.

Note: After the list is created, the administrators that you specify on the application form will receive a confirmation e-mail message that contains the adminstrator password.

Subscribing to a List

Follow these steps to subscribe to a list

1. Visit the following URL 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}/

2. Type your e-mail address in the Your email address box.
3. Type your name in the Your name box.
4. Type a password in the Pick a password box. If you do not type a password, a random password will be generated and sent to you with a subscription confirmation.
5. Type the same password in the Reenter password to confirm box.
6. Select the appropriate digest option. By default, No is selected and you will receive
   individual list messages. Select Yes if you would like to receive messages in digest format.
7. Click Subscribe.
   
   Shortly after clicking Subscribe, you will receive a confirmation message from the discussion list. The message will have a subject similar to "confirm 3e3a4b8053a9e3cc19600eb3187db349469d3a8e" and it will contain a link to confirm your subscription. Do not delete this message. It has useful information about your discussion list subscription.
   
   Important: If you do not receive a confirmation message, the list administrator may have configured the list for approval instead of confirmation. In that case, the list administrator will need to approve your subscription.
8. Review the confirmation message and visit the URL provided in the message.
9. Click the Subscribe to list... button to confirm your subscription.

Modifying Your Subscription

You may visit the list options page to change your e-mail address, review your list subscriptions, change your password, and modify other list-related settings. Follow these steps:

1. Visit the following URL 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/options/{list-name}/

2. Specify your e-mail address and password. Note that this is the address that you used to subscribe to the discussion list. If you are unsure of the password, click the Remind button at the bottom of the page to receive an e-mail message that contains your password.
3. Click Log in.
4. When you are finished modifying your settings, click Log out.

Receiving a Password Reminder

If you forget your password for managing your subscription, you can request that a password reminder message be sent to your account. Follow these steps:

1. Visit the following URL 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/options/{list-name}/

2. Specify your e-mail address. Note that this is the address that you used to subscribe to the discussion list.
3. Click Remind at the bottom of the page.

Unsubscribing from a List

Follow these steps to unsubscribe from a list:

1. Visit the following URL 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/options/{list-name}/

2. Specify your e-mail address and password. Note that this is the address that you used to subscribe to the discussion list. If you are unsure of the password, click the Remind button at the bottom of the page to receive a password reminder e-mail message.
3. Click Log in.
4. In the Unsubscribing.... section, select the Yes, I really want to unsubscribe option and click Unsubscribe. Shortly thereafter, you will receive a confirmation e-mail message that your account was unsubscribed from the list.

Viewing Archives

A discussion list can be configured to maintain an archive of prior postings that is viewable with a Web browser. Access to the archive depends on whether the list administrator has configured the archive to be public or private. To see if your list has a publicly viewable archive, follow these steps:

1. Visit the list information page for your list 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/listinfo/{list-name}/

2. Review the contents of the About {list-name} section, where {list-name} is the name of your list.
   
   If your list archive is public, click the link provided to view the archive.
   
   If list archive is private, click the link provided to view the archive. You'll need to login with your subscription e-mail address and password to view the archive.
   
   If a link is not provided, the list administrator has not configured the list to provide an archive.
   
3. Click a link to to view the archive by thread, subject, author, or date.

Managing Your Discussion List

To manage your discussion list, follow these steps:

1. 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}/

2. 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 display by default.
3. Click a link under the Configuration Categories heading to configure your list, or click one of the links under the Other Administrative Activities to perform a task or visit the list archives.
   
   Important: Review Frequently Asked Questions about Discussion Lists and the Mailman Documentation for more information about common configuration options.
   
   
4. When you are finished managing your list, click Logout to end your session.

Note: If you are managing your lists on a shared computer, ensure that you always click Logout or close your Web browser when you are finished managing your lists.