Mailing Lists

An e-mail mailing list offers a way for people with a shared interest to send messages to each other and hold a group conversation. Mailing lists differ from newsgroups in that a separate copy of the mailing list message is e-mailed to each recipient on the list. Mailing lists are generally smaller and more intimate than newsgroups. Lists can be very specific, tend to be less raucous, and are less infested with spam. Imagine a mailing list that would keep you up to date in an area vital to your work or one that would let you exchange views with people who share your fondest passions. That list probably already exists. This article gives you hints on how to find it and how to start it if it doesn’t exist.

Addresses Used with Mailing Lists

Each mailing list has its own e-mail address; on most lists, anything sent to that address is remailed to all the people on the list. People on the list respond to messages and create a running conversation. Some lists are moderated, which means that a reviewer (moderator) skims messages and decides which to send out. Every mailing list, in fact, has two e-mail addresses:

-  List address: Messages sent to this address are forwarded to all the people who subscribe to the list.

-  Administrative address: Only the list’s owner reads messages sent to this address. Use it for messages about subscribing and unsubscribing. Messages to the administrative address often are processed entirely by a computer, called a mailing list server, list server, or MLM (mailing list manager). In that case, you have to type your message in a specific format, as described throughout this article. Note: This address may also be called the request address. For matters such as subscribing to or unsubscribing to a list, always send e-mail to the administrative address, not to the list address. If you use the list address, everyone on the list sees your request except for the person or computer that needs to act on it. Proper use of the administrative address is the most important thing you need to know about using mailing lists. You can usually figure out the administrative address if you know the list address:

-  Manually maintained lists: Add request to the list address. If a manual list is named unicycles@blivet.com, for example, the administrative address is almost certainly unicycles-request@blivet.com.

-  Automatically maintained lists: The administrative address is usually the name of the type of list server program at the host where the list is maintained. Look for the server name in a message header to determine how a list is maintained. The most common list server programs are ListProc, LISTSERV, Mailbase, Lyris, and Majordomo.

-  Web-based lists: A number of companies run Web sites that host mailing lists for free in exchange for placing an ad at the end of each message. These firms accept administrative requests at their Web site, and some allow you to read list messages and archives there, too. Popular Web-based list servers include www.coollist.com groups.yahoo.com www.topica.com Some mailing list servers don’t care whether your administrative request is in uppercase or lowercase others may care. In this article, we show all commands in uppercase, which generally works with all servers.

Finding a Mailing List

In many cases, the best way to find out about mailing lists is to ask colleagues and friends who share your interests. Many lists are informally maintained and are not indexed anywhere.

Subscribing and Unsubscribing

The way you subscribe and unsubscribe depends on how the list is maintained. Subscribing to a mailing list (unlike subscribing to a magazine) is almost always free.

Lists maintained manually

Send a mail message (such as “Please add me to the unicycles list” or “Please remove me from the unicycles list”) to the administrative address. Keep these tips in mind:  -  Include your real name and complete e-mail address so that the poor list owner doesn’t have to pick through your e-mail header.  -  Because humans read the messages, no fixed form is required.  -  Be patient. The person maintaining the list is probably a volunteer and may have a life or be trying to get one.

Lists maintained automatically

To join a list, send an e-mail message to its administrative address with no subject and the following line as the body of the message: SUBSCRIBE listname your-name Replace listname with the name of the mailing list, and your-name with your actual name. You don’t have to include your e-mail address because it’s automatically included as your message’s return address. For example, George W. Bush would type the following line to subscribe to the leader_support mailing list: SUBSCRIBE leader_support George W. Bush  -  For Mailbase lists, replace SUBSCRIBE with JOIN.  -  For Majordomo lists, don’t include your name. To get off a list, send e-mail to its administrative address with no subject and the following line as the body of the message: UNSUBSCRIBE listname The command SIGNOFF works with most mailing lists too. For Mailbase lists, replace UNSUBSCRIBE with LEAVE. When you’re subscribing to a list, be sure to send your message from the e-mail address to which you want list messages mailed. The administrator of the list uses your message’s return address as the address he or she adds to the mailing list. When you first subscribe to a list, you generally receive a welcome message via e-mail. Keep this message! You may want to keep a file of these messages because they tell you what type of server is being used and how to unsubscribe. Many list servers e-mail you back for confirmation before processing your request. If you plan to unsubscribe from a bunch of lists before going on vacation a good idea to keep your mailbox from overflowing be sure to allow enough time to receive and return the confirmation requests.

Web-based lists

You usually join or leave Web-based lists by going to the list company’s Web site, although you can often use e-mail, too. Most services ask you to append -subscribe or -unsubscribe to the list name. For example, send e-mail to gerbils-subscribe@onelist.com to join the Gerbils list at ONElist.

Sending Messages to a Mailing List

To send a message to a mailing list, just e-mail it to the list’s address. The message is automatically distributed to the list’s members. If you respond to a message with your mail program’s Reply button, check to see before you click Send whether your reply will be sent to the list address. Edit out the list address if you’re replying only to the message’s author. Some lists are moderated in other words, a human being screens messages before sending them out to everybody else, which can delay messages by as much as a day or two. Mail servers usually send you copies of your own messages to confirm that they were received.

Special Requests to Mailing Lists

Depending on which list server manages a list, various other commands may be available. Read on to find out more about these commands.

Archives

Many mailing lists store their messages for later reference. To find out where these archives are kept, send the following message to the administrative address: INDEX listname Some lists make their archives available on a Web site: Read the message that you received when you joined the list.

Subscriber list

To get a list of (almost) all the people who subscribe to a list, you can send a message to the administrative address. The content of the message depends on the type of server the list uses.

Open and Closed Mailing Lists

Most mailing lists are open, which means that anyone can send a message to the list. Some lists, however, are closed and accept messages only from subscribers. Other lists accept members by invitation only. If you belong to a closed list and your e-mail address changes, you must let the list managers know so that they can update their database.

Receiving Digested Mailing Lists

As soon as you join a list, you automatically receive all messages from the list along with the rest of your mail.

Using Filters

Joining even one mailing list can overwhelm your e-mail inbox. Some e-mail programs can sort through your incoming mail and put mailing list messages in special mailboxes or folders that you can look at when you have time. If you use Eudora, choose Tools -> Filters, click New, select the Incoming check box, and then copy the From line from the mailing list message and paste it into the first contains box. (You also can use the second contains box if you want to specify another condition.) Then, in the Action section, specify the mailbox to which you want the messages transferred. If you use Outlook Express, you can use the Rule Editor to organize your incoming e-mail messages.

Starting Your Own Mailing List

Maybe you’ve decided that you’ve got some extra time on your hands (don’t you wish!), and you need a new hobby. Or maybe you want to promote your rock band, create a support group for parents, or share your expertise on a topic. Whatever the reason, starting a mailing list may be just what you need. Here are some tips for starting a new mailing list:  -  Before you start a new list, see “Finding a Mailing List,” earlier in this article, to see whether a list that meets your needs already exists.  -  You can start a simple manual list with nothing more than an e-mail program that supports distribution lists (such as Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, or Eudora). When a message comes in, just forward it to the distribution list.  -  Put manual distribution lists in the Bcc address field if you don’t want every message to include all recipients’ names in the header. You can put your own address in the To: field, if you want.  -  You will soon tire of administering your list manually. Some Internet Service Providers let you use their list server, or you can use one of the ad-supported, Web-based services (www.coollist.com, groups.yahoo. com, and www.topica.com are all popular). If someone in your group has a university affiliation, that person may be able to have the list maintained there for free.  -  Creating a Web page for your list makes it easy to find by using the Internet’s search engines.  -  For public lists, inform the Web sites listed under “Finding a Mailing List” (earlier in this article) about your list. Each site has instructions for adding your new mailing list to their collections.