INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ERVICES - wgtn.ac.nz

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

MAILMAN

A GUIDE FOR MAILING LIST ADMINISTRATORS

Prepared By Edwin Hermann

Released: 4 October 2011

Version 1.1

Information Technology Services 4/10/2012 6:49:39 pm Mailman Guide v1.1.docx

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT ................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 Audience .......................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Purpose ............................................................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Assumptions ..................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Structure ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1.5 About the Step by Step Instructions ................................................................................................. 3 2 CONFIGURING THE LIST .................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 Administrator Control Panel ............................................................................................................. 4 2.2 General List Information ................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 List Administration ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.4 Receiving Automatic Notifications .................................................................................................... 7 2.5 Sending Policies ............................................................................................................................... 8 2.6 Members and Subscription Policy .................................................................................................. 19 2.7 Appearance and Behaviour ............................................................................................................ 22 2.8 Privacy ............................................................................................................................................ 28 2.9 Reducing Spam .............................................................................................................................. 30 3 OPERATING THE LIST .................................................................................................................... 32 3.1 Adding and Removing Members .................................................................................................... 32 3.2 Sending to the list ........................................................................................................................... 34 3.3 Tending to Pending Moderator Requests ....................................................................................... 35 3.4 Emergency Measures .................................................................................................................... 39 4 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .............................................................................................. 40 4.1 How do I stop Spam from being sent to my list? ............................................................................ 40 4.2 How do I set up my list so that only I can send to it? ..................................................................... 40 4.3 Can I allow some members to freely send to the list and others only with approval? .................... 40 4.4 Why do I keep receiving bounce notifications? .............................................................................. 40 4.5 How can I ban someone completely from the list? ......................................................................... 40 4.6 How do I add, remove or change list administrators? .................................................................... 40 4.7 Is there an "Emergency Stop" button? ........................................................................................... 40 4.8 How can people subscribe or unsubscribe themselves? ............................................................... 41 4.9 How do I control where replies are directed? ................................................................................. 41 4.10 Why can I see content of messages sent to the list on Google? .................................................. 41 4.11 How do I prevent people from sending large attachments to the list? .......................................... 41 4.12 Can people outside Victoria University use the list? .................................................................... 41 5 GLOSSARY ...................................................................................................................................... 42 5.1 Terms Used in this Document ........................................................................................................ 42


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1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

1.1 Audience

This document is intended for people who manage mailing lists.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this document is to act as a reference for configuring and maintaining mailing lists using Mailman.

1.3 Assumptions

This document makes the following assumption:

§ The reader has a Mailman list and knows the administrator password to it.

1.4 Structure

The topics covered have been grouped into logical sections based rather than by the way they are organised in the Mailman software. The aim is to present the material in a way that is meaningful to someone administering the list rather than from a feature-based perspective.

Towards the end of the document is a frequently asked questions section which provides answers by referring to the appropriate section earlier in the document where that particular topic is discussed.

1.5 About the Step by Step Instructions

The step by step instructions throughout this document often refer to certain settings within the administrator control panel (the web pages that allow you to change configuration settings for the list).

The settings are not clearly labelled, however the name of each setting does appear in bold in the hyperlink underneath it.

For example, consider the following snapshot of the administrator control panel:

The third setting which reads "Prefix for subject line of list postings." has a hyperlink underneath which reads "(Details for subject_prefix)". The bold term subject_prefix is the name of that setting, and is referred in the instructions as "Subject Prefix".

Consider this example of an instruction that might appear in this document: "Next to Anonymous List, click No." Using the snapshot above, the instruction is referring to the last setting (the one at the bottom of the picture). We know this because the name "Anonymous List" appears in bold in the hyperlink. This is the name of that setting.


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2 CONFIGURING THE LIST

2.1 Administrator Control Panel

2.1.1 Information

The administrator control panel for your Mailman list is located at

http://lists.vuw.ac.nz/mailman/admin/listname

where listname is the name of your list (e.g. fca-grads). In order to configure your list you must be logged in to the administrator control panel.

2.1.2 Instructions

Step 1. In a web browser (such as Internet Explorer) enter the address for the administrator control panel.

Step 2. Enter the password and click Let me in.

INFORMATION

If you have forgotten your password please contact the ITS Service Desk (email [email protected] or phone extension 5050).


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2.2 General List Information

2.2.1 Changing the List Name

You cannot change the name of your list. However, you can change its capitalisation if you wish.

Step 1. In the administrator control panel click General Options.

Step 2. Next to Real Name type the name of your list using your preferred way of capitalisation.

Step 3. At the bottom of the page click Submit Your Changes.

INFORMATION

If you want to change the list name completely, please contact the ITS Service Desk (email [email protected] or phone extension 5050).

2.2.2 Provide a Phrasal Description

A phrasal description helps to identify your Mailman list. If you do not already have one set, follow these instructions.


Step 2. Next to Description type a phrase that identifies your list. For example, "FCA Graduate Students".


2.2.3 Provide a Full Description

The description of your list helps people understand the purpose of your list and what it is all about. If you do not already have one set, follow these instructions.


Step 2. Next to Info type a few sentences that explains the purpose of your list.



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2.3 List Administration

2.3.1 Specify the Administrators

A list administrator (also referred to as a list owner) is someone with access to the administrator control panel.

Most lists have one list administrator but there is no limit to the number that any given list can have.


Step 2. Next to Owner enter the email addresses of the list administrators.


2.3.2 Delegating Approvals to Moderators

Your list can be configured so that approval is required to send messages to the list, subscribe to the list or unsubscribe from it (this is discussed in sections 2.5.2 , 2.6.3 and 2.6.4). The task of approving such actions is normally done by a list administrator, although it can be delegated to a list moderator.

A list moderator is someone who is not a list owner but has the ability to approve such actions.

If you wish to take advantage of splitting the administration of the list between list administrators and list moderators, follow the instructions below.

TIP

Administrators are, by default, also moderators. Therefore it is not necessary to list the email addresses of the administrators here.


Step 2. Next to Moderator enter the email addresses of the list moderators.


Step 4. At the top of the page click Passwords.

Step 5. You must choose a different moderator password from the administrator password. Enter both (twice each) in the appropriate spaces.



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2.4 Receiving Automatic Notifications

2.4.1 Pending Request Notifications

Mailman will notify list administrators of any pending requests on a daily basis. Pending requests are:

§ Messages being held for approval by a list administrator (this depends on the sending policy of your list - see section 2.5 Sending Policies)

§ Requests from people wanting to subscribe awaiting approval by a list administrator (this depends on your subscription policy - see section 2.6 Members and Subscription Policy).

§ Requests from members wanting to unsubscribe awaiting approval by a list administrator (this depends on your subscription policy - see section 2.6 Members and Subscription Policy).

As well as receiving these daily notifications you can also choose to be notified immediately each time a new request arrives.


Step 2. Next to Admin Immed Notify click No (if you only wish to receive notification of pending requests on a daily basis) or Yes (if you also wish to receive notifications immediately).


2.4.2 Bounce Notifications

Mailman will automatically disable and eventually cancel membership for people whose email addresses are bouncing. You can choose whether to be notified when someone's membership becomes disabled or cancelled.

Step 1. In the administrator control panel click Bounce Processing.

Step 2. Next to Bounce Notify Owner on Disable click either No (if you do not wish to receive automatic notification of people whose membership has been disabled) or Yes (if you wish to receive these notifications).

Step 3. Next to Bounce Notify Owner on Removal click either No (if you do not wish to receive automatic notification of people who have been removed from the list) or Yes (if you wish to receive these notifications).



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2.5 Sending Policies

Sending policies define restrictions on the ability to send messages to the list, and the behaviour when the restrictions apply.

2.5.1 Maximum Message Size

You can define a list-wide maximum message size. Messages that exceed the size will be held for approval by a list administrator.

WHAT LIMIT SHOULD I CHOOSE?

If the messages being sent to your list are plain email messages (i.e. without graphical or multimedia content and without attachments) then a suitable limit is 100 kb. This allows for some lengthy messages but should prevent large attachments from being sent without approval. If you are intending to have messages with attachments, a suitable limit is somewhere between 1000 kb (one small attachment) and 5000 kb (one large attachment or several small ones).


Step 2. next to Max Message Size type in the maximum limit (in kilobytes).



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2.5.2 Sending Policy for Members

Follow the flow chart below to determine the steps required to implement the sending policy for members of your list. Detailed instructions for the blue action boxes are given below.

START

BOX ADisable default

member moderation

Shouldmost members beable to freely sendmessages to the

list?

BOX HAllow your emails to be sent to the list

BOX JChoose the type of member moderation

BOX GEnable moderation for all members

BOX FEnable default

member moderation

BOX BDisable moderation for all members

BOX IDisable moderation for your emails

BOX CAllow your emails to be sent to the list

BOX DEnable moderation for these members

BOX EChoose the type of member moderation

Are youa member of your

own list?

Are youa member of your

own list?

Arethere any

known memberswho should not be

able to freelysend to the

list?

FINISH

Arethere any

known memberswho should be able

to freely sendto thelist?

BOX KDisable moderation for these members

YES

NO

YES

YES

NO

YES

NO

YES

NO

NO


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The instructions that follow are for different parts of the flow chart above. They are not meant to be followed sequentially; instead they should be followed in the order described by the flow chart.

BOX A

Step 1. In the administrator control panel click Privacy Options.

Step 2. Click Sender Filters.

Step 3. Next to Default Member Moderation click No.


BOX B

Step 1. In the administrator control panel click Membership Management.

Step 2. At the bottom of the page next to "Set everyone's moderation bit" click Off.

Step 3. Click Set.

BOX C



Step 3. Enter your email address next to Accept these nonmembers.



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BOX D


Step 2. Locate the first known member who should not be able to send freely to the list.

TIP

The membership list is grouped and sorted alphabetically according to email address.

Step 3. Tick the mod box (in the third column).


Step 5. Repeat this procedure for all other known members who should not be able to send freely to the list.

BOX E



Step 3. Next to Member moderation action click Hold or Reject.

WHICH DO I CHOOSE?

Choosing "Hold" will cause messages from certain members (those identified in BOX D) to be held until approved or rejected. Choosing "Reject" will automatically reject the message and the member will be notified of this.

Step 4. If you chose Reject in Step 3 above, enter the rejection message (the notification that is sent when a message is rejected) next to Member Moderation Notice.



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BOX F



Step 3. Next to Default Member Moderation click Yes.


BOX G


Step 2. At the bottom of the page next to "Set everyone's moderation bit" click On.

Step 3. Click Set.

BOX H



Step 3. Enter your email address next to Accept these nonmembers.



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BOX I


Step 2. Locate your email address in the list of members.

TIP


Step 3. Remove the tick in the mod box (in the third column).


BOX J



Step 3. Next to Member moderation action click Hold or Reject.

WHICH DO I CHOOSE?

Choosing "Hold" will cause messages from most members to be held until approved or rejected. Choosing "Reject" will automatically reject the message and the member will be notified of this.

Step 4. If you chose Reject in Step 3 above , enter the rejection message (the notification that is sent when a message is rejected) next to Member Moderation Notice.



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BOX K


Step 2. Locate the first known member who should be able to send freely to the list.

TIP


Step 3. Remove the tick in the mod box (in the third column).


Step 5. Repeat this procedure for all other known members who should be able to send freely to the list.


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2.5.3 Sending Policy for Non-members

Follow the flow chart below to determine the steps required to implement the sending policy for people who are not members of your list. Detailed instructions for the blue action boxes are given below.

START

Shouldmost outsiders

be able to send to the list withoutrestriction?

BOX NAllow those outsiders to send to the list

BOX P Prevent those

outsiders sending

BOX OAllow non-‐members to send to the list

BOX MHold messagesfrom outsiders

BOX LDiscard messagesfrom outsiders

Shouldmessages from

most outsiders be discarded or held for

approval?

Arethere any

known outsiderswhose messages to the list should be

discarded?

FINISH

Arethere any

known outsiderswho should be able to send withoutrestriction?

NO

NO

YES

NO

HELD FORAPPROVAL

DISCARDED

YES

YES


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The instructions that follow are for different parts of the flow chart above. They are not meant to be followed sequentially; instead they should be followed in the order described by the flow chart.

BOX L



Step 3. Next to Generic Nonmember Action click Discard.

Step 4. Next to Forward Auto Discards click No.


BOX M



Step 3. Next to Generic Nonmember Action click Hold.


BOX N



Step 3. Enter the email addresses of each known outsider next to Accept these nonmembers.



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BOX O



Step 3. Next to Generic Nonmember Action click Accept.


BOX P



Step 3. Enter the email addresses of each known outsider next to Discard these nonmembers.

Step 4. Next to Forward Auto Discards click No.



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2.5.4 Automated Response for Held Messages

When a message is held for approval Mailman can send an automated response to the sender advising them that their message is awaiting approval from a list administrator.


Step 2. Next to Respond to Post Requests click either No (to turn this feature off) or Yes (to have Mailman send an automated response to senders of messages that are being held for approval).



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2.6 Members and Subscription Policy

2.6.1 Welcome Message

When a new member joins your list they will be sent an automated email message with some information about the list. You can customise this message by creating a short message which is then automatically inserted at the beginning of the automated email.

The message can be anything you like, although we recommend including a short description of the list and what members can expect. You may also wish to include any relevant URLs or contact details or other references.

If you do not want a welcome message you can disable this feature.


Step 2. Next to Send welcome msg click either Yes (to enable this feature) or No (to disable it).

Step 3. If you chose Yes in Step 2 above, type your message next to Welcome msg.


2.6.2 Goodbye Message

The goodbye message works in a similar way to the welcome message, but applies when a member unsubscribes from the list.


Step 2. Next to Send goodbye msg click either Yes (to enable this feature) or No (to disable it).

Step 3. If you chose Yes in Step 2 above, type your message next to Goodbye msg.



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2.6.3 Subscription Policy

The subscription policy controls how people can become members of the list. There are three ways that this can happen:

§ By reply confirmation

§ By approval from a list administrator

§ By reply confirmation and approval from a list administrator

When someone attempts to join the list, they are required to supply their email address. A "reply confirmation" is an automated email sent to the supplied email address asking the recipient to click on a link to confirm their intention of becoming a member of the list. This is designed to reduce abuse by being able to subscribe email addresses that do not belong to you.

Approval from a list administrator will send a request to the list administrator who can then either approve or decline the request.

Once you have decided on the subscription policy for your list, follow the instructions below.


Step 2. Click Subscription Rules.

Step 3. Next to Subscribe Policy click your preferred policy.


2.6.4 Unsubscription Policy

Like the subscription policy you can choose whether approval from a list administrator is required when a member chooses to unsubscribe.



Step 3. Next to Unsubscribe Policy click your preferred policy.



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2.6.5 Banning People

You can ban people from becoming members.



Step 3. Next to Ban List add the person's email address to the white space.


If your list allows outsiders to send messages to the list, you may want to consider preventing the banned person from doing so.



Step 3. Remove the person's email address if it appears in either white box next to Accept These Nonmembers or Hold These Nonmembers.

Step 4. Add the person's email address to the white box next to Reject These Nonmembers.


2.6.6 Receiving Notifications

You can choose whether to receive notifications when people subscribe and unsubscribe from your list.


Step 2. Next to Admin notify mchanges click either No (if you do not wish to receive notifications) or Yes (if you do wish to receive notifications).



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2.7 Appearance and Behaviour

2.7.1 Choose a Subject Prefix

You can configure your list so that the subject line of email messages are prefixed with a word or phrase. This helps people to identify messages that have arrived via the mailing list as opposed to being personally addressed.


Step 2. Next to Subject Prefix type the prefix that you want.

TIP

If you do not wish to have a subject prefix, leave the space blank.


TIP

Consider putting the prefix in brackets or braces which helps to visually separate the prefix from the rest of the subject.


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2.7.2 Reply Policy

You can choose one of three different ways of handling replies. These are:

§ Replies go back to the person who sent the message

§ Replies go to the entire list

§ Replies go to a nominated email address

TIP

If your list is intended to be a "discussion" list you should set the reply policy such that replies go to the entire list. That way members can contribute to the discussion by replying to a message. If your list is intended as a one-way "mail shot" list, replies should go back to the person who sent the message. That way it prevents people from pressing reply and accidentally emailing everyone on the list.


Step 2. Next to Reply Goes to List choose either Poster (to have replies go to the person who sent the message), This List (to have replies go to the list) or Explicit Address (to have replies go to a specified address).

Step 3. If you chose Explicit Address in Step 2 above, specify the email address to which replies should be directed next to Reply To Address.


2.7.3 Monthly Password Reminders

A feature within Mailman sends out an email message to all members of a list to remind them what their password is.

Because most members were added to the list by the list administrator, they are not aware that they have a password. For this reason we recommend that you turn this feature off.


Step 2. Next to Send Reminders click No.



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2.7.4 Members Receiving Copies of Messages They Send

You can configure, on a per-member basis, whether or not a member receives a copies of messages that they send to the list (assuming your list is not configured to prevent them from sending to the list).

TIP

This section is much simpler if you configure your list while it is empty (i.e. before any members are subscribed to it).


Step 2. Next to New Member Options locate the box labelled "Do not send a copy of a member's own post". Either tick this box (so that new members do not receive copies of messages they send to the list) or remove the tick from this box (so that new members receive copies of messages they send to the list). (Leave the other tick boxes as they are.)


Step 4. At the top of the page click Membership Management.

Step 5. For each member in the list, either tick or untick the not metoo box (in the seventh column). Ticking the box will mean that members will not receive copies of messages that they send to the list. Removing the tick will mean that members will receive copies of messages that they send to the list.


Step 7. Repeat this procedure for all other members.

TIP



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2.7.5 Preventing Members from Receiving Duplicate Messages

Members subscribed to multiple lists may receive duplicate messages if they are sent to more than one list at the same time. You can prevent this from happening by having Mailman attempt to detect and filter out duplicate messages.

TIP



Step 2. Next to New Member Options remove the tick from the box labelled "Filter out duplicate messages to list members (if possible)". (Leave the other tick boxes as they are.)



Step 5. For each member in the list, tick the nodupes box (in the eighth column).



TIP



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2.7.6 Confirmation of Message Delivery

You can configure, on a per-member basis, whether or not a member automatically receives an email notification once they send a message to the list and it is accepted for distribution to list members.

TIP



Step 2. Next to New Member Options locate the box labelled "Acknowledge the member's posting". Either tick this box (so that new members receive notification of messages they send to the list) or remove the tick from this box (so that new members do not receive this notification). (Leave the other tick boxes as they are.)



Step 5. For each member in the list, either tick or untick the ack box (in the sixth column). Ticking the box will mean that members will receive notification once of messages that they send to the list. Removing the tick will mean that members will not receive this notification.



TIP



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2.7.7 Anonymous Senders

You can configure the list so that the sender's name and email address are hidden. Messages appear to come from the mailing list system itself.

INFORMATION

This feature is normally used in one-way "mail shot" lists where replies are not wanted. This makes the messages appear to come from the list itself as if generated automatically by the system rather than by a person.


Step 2. Next to Anonymous List click Yes (to use this feature) or No (to turn off this feature).



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2.8 Privacy

2.8.1 Member Privacy

Prevent people from obtaining email addresses of members subscribed to your list.

TIP




Step 3. Next to Private Roster click List Admin Only.

Step 4. Next to Obscure Addresses click Yes.


Step 6. At the top of the page click General Options.

Step 7. Next to New Member Options tick the box labelled "Conceal the member's address". (Leave the other tick boxes as they are.)



Step 10. For each member in the list, tick the hide box (in the fourth column).



TIP



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2.8.2 Content Privacy

Messages sent to your list are archived and can be accessed via the Internet. You can control whether the archives should be public (anyone can access them via the Internet), private (only current list members can access them) or turned off altogether.

Step 1. In the administrator control panel click Archiving Options.

Step 2. Next to Archive click either No (to turn off archiving altogether) or Yes (to make the archives either publicly accessible or private).

Step 3. Next to Archive Private click either Public (to make the archives publicly accessible) or Private (to make the archives accessible only by current members).



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2.9 Reducing Spam

2.9.1 Restrict the Subscription Policy

Set your sending policy so that outsiders (i.e. non-members) cannot freely send to the list. Consider having the list automatically reject messages from outsiders. See section 2.5.3 Sending Policy for Non-members.

2.9.2 Hide the List

A list of Mailman lists is available at http://lists.vuw.ac.nz/mailman. This page is not restricted, so anyone on the Internet can see it, including spammers. You can hide your list so that it does not appear on that page.



Step 3. Next to Advertised click No.


2.9.3 Hide the Member Roster

As well as targeting your Mailman list, spammers can also target members of your list directly by harvesting their addresses. You can prevent this by preventing people from obtaining a list of members subscribed to your list. See section 2.8.1 Member Privacy.

2.9.4 Restrict Access to Archives

Another place from where spammers harvest addresses is the list archive. The archive contains all messages sent to the list in their entirety (i.e. including attachments, email addresses, names, etc). Consider restricting access to the archives. See section 2.8.2 Content Privacy.


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2.9.5 Set a Spam Filter

At Victoria University, most Spam is automatically tagged with *****SPAM***** in the subject line of the message. You can add a filter to your list so that any messages tagged in this way are discarded.


Step 2. Click Spam Filters.

Step 3. Next to Header Filter Rules, in the white box beside Spam Filter Regexp enter Subject: \*\*\*\*\*SPAM\*\*\*\*\**. (Note the colon and space after "Subject", and the double asterisk at the end.)

Step 4. Beside Action click Discard.



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3 OPERATING THE LIST

3.1 Adding and Removing Members

3.1.1 Adding Members


Step 2. Click Mass Subscription.

Step 3. Next to "Subscribe these users now or invite them" click Subscribe.

Step 4. You can choose whether to send an automated welcome message to each new subscriber (see section 2.6.1 Welcome Message for more information). Next to "Send welcome messages to new subscribees?" click either No (to subscribe without sending out the welcome message) or Yes (to send the welcome message).

Step 5. Next to "Send notifications of new subscriptions to the list owner?" click No.

Step 6. In the white space beneath "Enter one address per line below" enter the email addresses of the new members, each address on a new line.



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3.1.2 Removing Members


Step 2. Click Membership List.

Step 3. Locate the first member to be removed in the list.

TIP


Step 4. Tick the unsub box (in the first column).


Step 6. Repeat this procedure for all other members to be removed from the list.

3.1.3 Viewing the List of Members


Step 2. Click Membership List.

The membership list is grouped alphabetically according to the first letter of the email address. Each time the list will present the first 30 members. If there are more than 30 members whose email addresses begin with the same letter the remainder will be listed in groups underneath. You can click on one of these groups to view the members.


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3.2 Sending to the list

To send a message to the list, use any email client (e.g. Microsoft Outlook) and compose an email to:

[email protected]

For example, if your list is called "FCA-Grads" the email address of your list would be [email protected].

NOTE

The message you send will be subject to the sending policy of your list (see section 2.5 Sending Policies).


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3.3 Tending to Pending Moderator Requests

Pending moderator requests are items that fall into one of these three categories and await action from a list administrator:

§ Requests from people wanting to subscribe awaiting approval by a list administrator (this depends on your subscription policy - see section 2.6 Members and Subscription Policy).

§ Requests from members wanting to unsubscribe awaiting approval by a list administrator (this depends on your subscription policy - see section 2.6 Members and Subscription Policy).

§ Messages being held for approval by a list administrator (this depends on the sending policy of your list - see section 2.5 Sending Policies)

List administrators will receive notification when there are new pending requests (see section 2.4.1 Pending Request Notifications). Also, if you have moderators to help deal with pending requests (see section 2.3.2 Delegating Approvals to Moderators) they too will receive notification of messages being held for approval.

You can action these requests at

http://lists.vuw.ac.nz/mailman/admindb/listname

where listname is the name of your list (e.g. fca-grads). The requests are listed in the order as shown above.


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3.3.1 Subscription Requests

A subscription request means that someone has asked to become a member of your list, and your list is configured in such a way that approval from the list administrator is required (see section 2.6.3 Subscription Policy).

An example of a subscription request is shown below.

List administrators can action subscription requests but moderators do not have access.

Step 1. In the "Your Decision" column, click either Approve, Reject or Discard.

WHICH DO I CHOOSE?

Approve means the person will be added as a member. Reject means the person will not be added as a member, and a rejection notice will be sent to them. Discard means the person will not be added as a member but no rejection message will be sent. Defer (selected by default) will leave the request in the list of pending requests for you (or another list administrator) to revisit later.

Step 2. If you chose "Reject" in Step 1 above you can optionally type in a reason in the space to the right. This reason will be included in the rejection message that is automatically sent to the person.

TIP!

You can action other requests on the page before proceeding with Step 3 below.

Step 3. At the bottom of the page click Submit All Data.


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3.3.2 Unsubscription Requests

An unsubscription request means that a member has asked to be removed from the list, and your list is configured in such a way that approval from the list administrator is required (see section 2.6.4 Unsubscription Policy).

An example of an unsubscription request is shown below.

List administrators can action unsubscription requests but moderators do not have access.

Step 1. In the "Your Decision" column, click either Approve, Reject or Discard.

WHICH DO I CHOOSE?

Approve means the member will be removed from the list. Reject means the person will not be removed, and a rejection notice will be sent to them. Discard means the person will not be removed but no rejection message will be sent. Defer (selected by default) will leave the request in the list of pending requests for you (or another list administrator) to revisit later.

Step 2. If you chose "Reject" in 0 above you can optionally type in a reason in the space to the right. This reason will be included in the rejection message that is automatically sent to the person.

TIP!

You can action other requests on the page before proceeding with Step 3 below.



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3.3.3 Messages Held for Approval

Depending on the configuration of your list, some messages may be held for approval before they are distributed to members.

An example of such a message is shown below.

Both list administrators and moderators can action messages held for approval.

Step 1. In the column on the left click either Accept, Reject or Discard.

WHICH DO I CHOOSE?

Approve means the message will be distributed to members. Reject means the message will not be distributed to members and a rejection notice will be sent to sender. Discard means the message will not be distributed to members but no rejection notice will be sent. Defer (selected by default) will leave the request in the list of pending requests for you (or another list administrator) to revisit later.


TIP!

You can action other requests on the page before proceeding with Step 2 above.


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3.4 Emergency Measures

3.4.1 Halting the List

You can halt the list by turning on emergency moderation. This feature overrides any existing settings. Emergency moderation causes any messages sent to the list to be held for approval by a list administrator.

This feature is designed to help you in situations where the list is out of control (such as spam, or abusive messages, etc). Once the problem is sorted, make sure you turn this feature off.


Step 2. Next to Emergency click either Yes (to halt the list) or No (to turn this feature off).



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4 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

4.1 How do I stop Spam from being sent to my list?

You cannot prevent Spam, but you can reduce the likelihood of it reaching your list. See section 2.9 Reducing Spam.

4.2 How do I set up my list so that only I can send to it?

Follow the procedure for configuring your sending policy in sections 2.5.2 Sending Policy for Members and 2.5.3 Sending Policy for Non-members.

4.3 Can I allow some members to freely send to the list and others only with approval?

Yes. Follow the procedure for configuring your sending policy in section 2.5.2 Sending Policy for Members.

4.4 Why do I keep receiving bounce notifications?

If a message (sent to the list) cannot be delivered to a member it will bounce. For any given member a certain number of bounces will result in their membership being disabled, and eventually cancelled. When someone's membership is disabled or cancelled you may receive notification of this. To change this behaviour see section 2.4.2 Bounce Notifications.

NOTE

It is easy to confuse bounce notifications with other notifications because they appear to come from [email protected]. Just because the word "bounces" appears in the email address does not mean it is a bounce notification!

4.5 How can I ban someone completely from the list?

Follow the instructions in section 2.6.5 Banning People.

4.6 How do I add, remove or change list administrators?

Specify the list administrators as explained in section 2.3.1 Specify the Administrators.

4.7 Is there an "Emergency Stop" button?

Yes. If things get out of control (e.g. a flood of spam) you can turn on emergency moderation. This will cause all messages to be held for approval by a list administrator. When things return to normal you should turn off this feature. For instructions see section 3.4 Emergency Measures.


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4.8 How can people subscribe or unsubscribe themselves?

Provided your list configuration allows this (see section 2.6.3 Subscription Policy and section 2.6.4 Unsubscription Policy) people can opt in or out of your list at this URL:

http://lists.vuw.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/listname

where listname is the name of your list (e.g. FCA-Grads).

4.9 How do I control where replies are directed?

Follow the instructions in section 2.7.2 Reply Policy.

4.10 Why can I see content of messages sent to the list on Google?

Google and other search engines can find archives of your list, which contain all the messages sent to the list. You need to either turn off archiving or make the archive private. See section 2.8.2 Content Privacy.

4.11 How do I prevent people from sending large attachments to the list?

Restrict the maximum message size. See section 2.5.1 Maximum Message Size.

4.12 Can people outside Victoria University use the list?

Yes. There is no restriction on who can use the list.

However, whether or not someone is able to send to the list or become a member depends on the sending policy (see section 2.5 Sending Policies), the subscription policy (see section 2.6.3 Subscription Policy) and the unsubscription policy (see section 2.6.4 Unsubscription Policy) of your list. This is the case regardless of the location of the person in question.


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5 GLOSSARY

5.1 Terms Used in this Document

Term Explanation

Administrator Control Panel The configuration settings for the list.

List Administrator Someone who has access to the administrator control panel.

Member Someone who is subscribed to your Mailman list.

Moderator Someone who has the ability to approve or decline pending requests (i.e. .messages being held for approval, requests to subscribe or unsubscribe).

Non-Member Someone who is not subscribed to your Mailman list (also "Outsider").

Outsider Someone who is not subscribed to your Mailman list (also "Non-Member").

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ERVICES - wgtn.ac.nz

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