A step-by-step guide to configuring mailing lists on the Mailman server. - Universitas Negeri Padang Repository
INFORMATION SYSTEMS SERVICES
Managing a Mailman Mailing List A step-by-step guide to configuring mailing lists on the Mailman server.
AUTHOR: ISS DATE: 10 January 2006
VERSION: 1.0
Contents Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... ‐ 3 ‐
Accessing Management Options....................................................................................................................‐ 3 ‐
Avoiding Spam ....................................................................................................................................‐ 4 ‐
General Options...................................................................................................................................‐ 5 ‐
Th e pu blic n a m e of t his list ( m a k e ca se - cha n ge s on ly) . ..................................................
‐ 5 ‐ Th e list a dm in 's e m a il a ddr e ss - h a ving m u lt iple a dm in s/ a ddr e sse s ( on se pa r a t e
lin e s) is ok . ..................................................................................................................................................
‐ 5 ‐ An in t r oduct or y de scr ipt ion - a fe w pa r a gr a phs - a bou t t h e list . I t w ill be in clu de d, a s h t m l, a t t h e t op of t h e list info pa ge . Ca r r ia ge r e t ur n s w ill e n d a
pa r a gr a ph. ....................................................................................................................................................
‐ 5 ‐
Pr e fix for su bj e ct line of list post in gs. ........................................................................................
‐ 5 ‐List - spe cific t e x t pr e pe nde d t o n e w - su bscr ibe r w e lcom e m e ssa ge . .........................
‐ 5 ‐Te x t se n t t o pe ople le a vin g t h e list . I f e m pt y, n o spe cia l t e x t w ill be a dde d t o
t h e u n su bscr ibe m e ssa ge . ..................................................................................................................
‐ 6 ‐
W h e r e a r e r e plie s t o list m e ssa ge s dir e ct e d? Post e r is st r on gly r e com m e n de d
for m ost m a iling list s.............................................................................................................................
‐ 6 ‐
Ex plicit Re ply- To: he a de r . ...................................................................................................................
‐ 6 ‐ ( Adm inist r ivia filt e r ) Ch e ck post in gs a n d in t e r ce pt on e s t ha t se e m t o bea dm in ist r a t ive r e qu e st s?.....................................................................................................................
‐ 6 ‐
Se nd pa ssw or d r e m in de r s t o, e g, " - ow n e r " a ddr e ss in st e a d of dir e ct ly t o u se r .
‐ 6 ‐ Su ffix for u se w h e n t h is list is a n um br e lla for ot he r list s, a ccor din g t o se t t in g ofpr e viou s " u m br e lla _ list " se t t ing. ...................................................................................................
‐ 6 ‐
Se nd m on t h ly pa ssw or d r e m inde r s or n o? Ove r r ide s t h e pr e viou s opt ion. ..........
‐ 7 ‐Se nd w e lcom e m e ssa ge w h e n pe ople su bscr ibe ? ................................................................
‐ 7 ‐ Sh ou ld a dm in ist r a t or ge t im m e dia t e n ot ice of n e w r e qu e st s, a s w e ll a s da ilyn ot ice s a bou t colle ct e d on e s? ..........................................................................................................
‐ 7 ‐
Sh ou ld a dm in ist r a t or ge t n ot ice s of subscr ibe s/ un su bscr ibe s?..................................
‐ 7 ‐Se nd m a il t o post e r w h e n t h e ir post in g is h e ld for a ppr ova l? ......................................
‐ 7 ‐M a x im um le n gt h in Kb of a m e ssa ge body. Use 0 for n o lim it . .....................................
‐ 8 ‐Membership Management.................................................................................................................‐ 9 ‐
Addin g a nd Re m oving M e m be r s ......................................................................................................
‐ 9 ‐
Su bscr ibe r Opt ion s ..................................................................................................................................
‐ 9 ‐ Privacy Options..................................................................................................................................‐ 11 ‐ Su bscr ibing ................................................................................................................................................ ‐ 11 ‐ M e m be r ship e x posu r e ......................................................................................................................... ‐ 11 ‐ Ge n e r a l post in g filt e r s ........................................................................................................................ ‐ 12 ‐ Spa m - spe cific post ing filt e r s........................................................................................................... ‐ 12 ‐ Regular Member Options ................................................................................................................‐ 14 ‐ Ca n su bscr ibe r s ch oose t o r e ce ive m a il im m e dia t e ly, r a t he r t ha n in ba t che d dige st s?........................................................................................................................................................‐ 14 ‐ H e a de r a dde d t o m a il se n t t o r e gu la r list m e m be r s. ........................................................ ‐ 14 ‐
Foot e r a dde d t o m a il se n t t o r e gu la r list m e m be r s. .......................................................... ‐ 14 ‐
Digest Options ...................................................................................................................................‐ 15 ‐
Ca n list m e m be r s choose t o r e ce ive list t r a ffic bu n ch e d in dige st s? ......................‐ 15 ‐ W h ich de live r y m ode is t h e de fa u lt for n e w u se r s? .......................................................... ‐ 15 ‐ W h e n r e ce ivin g dige st s, w h ich for m a t is de fa u lt . .............................................................. ‐ 15 ‐ H ow big in Kb sh ou ld a dige st be be for e it ge t s se n t ou t ? ............................................ ‐ 15 ‐ Sh ou ld a dige st be dispa t ch e d da ily w he n t h e siz e t hr e sh old isn 't r e a che d?.... ‐ 15 ‐ H e a de r a dde d t o e ve r y dige st . ....................................................................................................... ‐ 15 ‐ Foot e r a dde d t o e ve r y dige st . ......................................................................................................... ‐ 15 ‐
Bounce Options..................................................................................................................................‐ 17 ‐
Tr y t o figur e ou t e r r or m e ssa ge s a u t om a t ica lly?................................................................‐ 17 ‐
M in im um n u m be r of da ys a n a ddr e ss h a s be e n n on - fa t a lly ba d be for e w e t a k e
a ct ion . ...........................................................................................................................................................‐ 17 ‐ M in im um n u m be r of post s t o t he list since m e m be r s fir st bou n ce be for e w e con side r r e m ovin g t h e m fr om t h e list . ......................................................................................
‐ 17 ‐
M a x im um n u m be r of m e ssa ge s you r list ge t s in a n hou r . ............................................. ‐ 17 ‐
Act ion w he n cr it ica l or e x ce ssive bou n ce s a r e de t e ct e d................................................‐ 17 ‐ D isa ble a nd n ot ify: M a ilm a n se t t h e pr oble m a ccoun t t o " n om a il" st a t us a n d n ot ifie s you of t h e pr oble m . ............................................................................................................
‐ 17 ‐
Archival Options ...............................................................................................................................‐ 18 ‐
Ar ch ive m e ssa ge s?................................................................................................................................‐ 18 ‐ I s a r ch ive file sou r ce for public or pr iva t e a r ch iva l? ........................................................ ‐ 18 ‐
Se t da t e in a r ch ive t o w h e n t h e m a il is cla im e d t o h a ve be e n se n t , or t o t h e t im e
w e r e se nd it ? ............................................................................................................................................‐ 18 ‐ H ow oft e n sh ou ld a ne w a r ch ive volu m e be st a r t e d? ...................................................... ‐ 18 ‐
Mail News Gateway Options..........................................................................................................‐ 19 ‐
Autoresponder Options....................................................................................................................‐ 20 ‐
Other Admin Tasks...........................................................................................................................‐ 22 ‐ Quick Reference Guide ....................................................................................................................‐ 24 ‐
Accessing your list management screen......................................................................................................‐ 24 ‐
Changing maximum message size ...............................................................................................................‐ 24 ‐
Removing a user from a list .........................................................................................................................‐ 24 ‐
Add a member to your list ............................................................................................................................‐ 25 ‐
Keep unwanted persons from joining..........................................................................................................‐ 25 ‐
Copyright (c) 1999, 2000 Aurora University, Christopher Kolar. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front‐Cover Texts specified, and with no Back‐Cover Texts specified. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ʺGNU Free Documentation Licenseʺ.
Introduction
This document is intended for persons who have the responsibility of managing mail lists that are being run by the GNU Mailman mail list manager. Note that this
document is not intended for people who are only list members, and this document is
not intended to serve as a technical document that tells system administrators about installing or managing the software. This document instead recognizes that Mailmanmakes it possible for normal end users to take over responsibility for management of a
mail list and attempts to provide them with the information necessary to effectively use
the features of Mailman to become self‐sufficient in doing so. This document attempts
to follow the layout of Mailmanʹs management screens as seen by the list manager and
are valid for version 2.x. Accessing Management Options This document assumes that you are the owner (alternately referred to as the list manager, administrator, or moderator). When the list was created and you were assigned ownership of the list you should have received an automatically‐generated messageletting you know what your administrative password is, as well as directing
you to the URLs needed to manage the list through your browser. This document will
further assume that you have your listʹs managerʹs password, that you know the URLfor the management settings, and that you have a table‐capable browser (Mailman does
not use any Java or JavaScript). Whenyou access your management settings using your list management page you will
be prompted for the password. Once you authenticate to the server you will be shown
the General Options page for you list and will also see a listing of the other categories of settings that are available. For all of these categories you will be able to makechanges using your browser, but the changes will not go into effect until you go to the
bottom of the screen and click the ʺSubmit Your Changesʺ button. Changes will then be
immediately put into effect ‐‐ nothing needs to be changed or restarted on the list server itself. The remainder of this document will talk about each of the settings as they appear in the configuration categories for your list. Note that each list server is configured withdifferent default settings, so this document does not assume that any particular setting
will be the default when you look at your own list. After you are authenticated by the server, you will be taken into Mailmanʹs General Options screen. Note that at the top of each of Mailmanʹs configuration screens you will see links to each of the configuration categories. This document will cover all of the settings in each of the configuration categories.Avoiding Spam
Over t im e t he addresses of m ailing list s can becom e know n t o m any people and hence t hey can som et im es at t ract spam m essages. Mailm an allows a list ow ner t o aut om at ically filt er out m essages based on subj ect and hence t his feat ure can be used t o det ect t he " PMX: [ # # # ] " st yle t agging. Set t ing up a filt er w ill m ean t he list ow ner or m oderat or w on't have t o frequent ly log int o t he list w eb- int erface t o discard spam m essages being held for m oderat ion. To set up t he filt er, do t he following:
1) Log int o t he adm in int erface for your list 2) Browse t o PRI VACY OPTI ONS and SPAM FI LTERS 3) I n t he " SPAM FI LTER REGEXP" t ext box, ent er t he follow ing t ext ( i.e. backslash t hen square bracket t hen t he t ext pm x) \ [ pm x 4) Change ACTI ON t o be " DI SCARD" 5) Click " SUBMI T YOUR CHANGES"
General Options
Mailm an's general opt ions allow you t o specify m ost of t he ways t hat your m ail list w ill int er act w it h t he w eb server and how it w ill present it self t o t he users. The t ext in t he " set t ing" should m at ch t he set t ings t hat you see in v2 of Mailm an. The descript ion cont ent provides a brief descript ion of each set t ing as well as guidelines for use w hen appropriat e.
Th e pu blic n a m e of t h is list ( m a k e ca se - ch a n ge s on ly) .
This is t he nam e by w hich t he list w ill be referred t o in all aut om at ically generat ed m essages as well as on t he list ing of list s available on t he ser ver. Not e t hat t his nam e m ust m at ch t he nam e of t he list as it w as creat ed - - you m ay only change t he case of t he nam e in t his field.
Th e list a dm in 's e m a il a ddr e ss - h a vin g m u lt iple a dm in s/ a ddr e sse s ( on se pa r a t e lin e s) is ok .
This field should cont ain t he e- m ail address of t he list adm inist rat or. The list adm inist rat or w ill receive all adm inist rat ive m essages generat ed by t he server as w ell as any request s t hat require approval ( post ings t o m oderat ed list s or request s t o subscribe t o non- open list s) . Not e: t he persons list ed as adm inist rat ors do not
aut om at ically receiv e copies of list t raffic. I f t hey w ant t o part icipat e in t he list t hey
m ust also add t heir address as a subscriber.An in t r odu ct or y de scr ipt ion - a fe w pa r a gr a ph s - a bou t t h e list . I t w ill be
in clu de d, a s h t m l, a t t h e t op of t h e list in fo pa ge . Ca r r ia ge r e t u r n s w ill e n d
a pa r a gr a ph .This infor m at ion will be included at t he t op of t he list info page for t his list . I n cases w here t he list info page is used t o ent ice people t o j oin t he list you w ould w ant t o use t his set t ing t o provide a det ailed descript ion of t he purpose and nat ure of t he list .
Pr e fix for su bj e ct lin e of list post in gs.
This value will be added t o t he beginning of t he subj ect line of all list t raffic in order t o help m em bers ident ify/ filt er list t raffic. By default t he value is t he nam e of t he list enclosed in [ squar e bracket s] . You m ay m odify t his value t o som et hing ot her t han t he nam e of t he list .
List - spe cific t e x t pr e pe n de d t o n e w - su bscr ibe r w e lcom e m e ssa ge .
When new users j oin your list , or w hen t hey are added by t he list m anager, t hey receive a not e welcom ing t hem t o t he list and t elling t hem about t heir password and list - relat ed URLs. Text cont ained in t his box w ill be prepended t o t he generic t echnical inform at ion so t hat you can let t hem know about specific pr ocedures or prot ocols r elat ed t o t heir part icipat ion in t he list .
Te x t se n t t o pe ople le a vin g t h e list . I f e m pt y, n o spe cia l t e x t w ill be a dde d
t o t h e u n su bscr ibe m e ssa ge .This is your last chance t o get a word in w hen people leave your list .
Not e: in v 2 of Mailm an t here is no w ay t o prev ent persons from leaving a list . I f
you ar e r unning a list w her e par t icipat ion is m andat ory ( such as a course or a list
of sy st em users) y ou m ay w ant t o include som et hing in t his ar ea t o let t hem know
t hat t hey should not be leaving t he list .W h e r e a r e r e plie s t o list m e ssa ge s dir e ct e d? Post e r is st r on gly r e com m e n de d for m ost m a ilin g list s.
When post er is select ed, t he reply- t o line will be w rit t en by Mailm an so t hat persons hit t ing r eply in t heir m ail program will send t heir r esponse back t o t he individual w ho post ed t he not e. When t his value is set t o " t his list " t he reply- t o line will be rew rit t en so t hat per sons hit t ing r eply in t heir m ail progr am will send t heir response back t o t he list it self. When t his value is set t o " explicit address" t he Reply- To header w ill use t he value t hat is provided in t he field below .
While t he program suggest s t hat t his be set t o post er, you should consider t he purpose of t he list in select ing t his value. List s t hat int end t o focus on discussion are best set t o " list " t o encourage conversat ion. List s used for announcem ent s are best set t o post er t o prevent unw ant ed t raffic and t he inadvert ent broadcast of replies.
Ex plicit Re ply- To: h e a de r .
I f t he reply- t o header is set t o " explicit address above," t he value in t his field w ill be used in all out going list m essages.
( Adm in ist r ivia filt e r ) Ch e ck post in gs a n d in t e r ce pt on e s t h a t se e m t o be a dm in ist r a t ive r e qu e st s?
I f you act ivat e t his feat ure Mailm an w ill check t raffic for adm inist rat ive request s t hat have inadver t ent ly been sent t o t he list . This will prevent t he classic case of a user sending a not e t o t he ent ire list m em bership saying " unsubscribe."
Se n d pa ssw or d r e m in de r s t o, e g, " - ow n e r " a ddr e ss in st e a d of dir e ct ly t o u se r .
This is a set t ing t hat Mailm an r efer s t o int ernally as t he " um br ella list " set t ing. I f your list does not act ually consist of people but inst ead of list s ( so t hat m essages cascade fr om t his " um brella" down int o t he const it uent list s) t hen you w ant t his set t ing t o be yes. This m eans t hat t he passw ord and subscript ion inform at ion w ill not be sent t o all of t he m em bers of t he const it uent list , but inst ead t o t he list ow ner alone.
Su ffix for u se w h e n t h is list is a n u m br e lla for ot h e r list s, a ccor din g t o se t t in g of pr e viou s " u m br e lla _ list " se t t in g.
When using your list as an um brella list as m ent ioned above, t his set t ing is what w ill be used t o specify who t he owners of t he const it uent list s are. While - owner is not universal, it w ill cover t he convent ions used by m ost of t he m ail list m anagers t hat are used t oday ( and w ill w ork w it h Mailm an list s) .
Se n d m on t h ly pa ssw or d r e m in de r s or n o? Ove r r ide s t h e pr e viou s opt ion .
When set t o yes, list m em ber s will receive an aut om at ically generat ed m ont hly post ing rem inding t hem of t heir passw ord as w ell as t he URLs t o access t heir list configurat ion opt ions. This w ill save you'r e a lot of t im e as adm inist rat or as it will let user s solve a lot of t heir ow n problem s.
Se n d w e lcom e m e ssa ge w h e n pe ople su bscr ibe ?
When set t o yes people w ho j oin t he list or w ho are added by t he list adm inist rat or will receive an aut om at ically generat ed welcom e m essage w it h infor m at ion including t he list address, t heir passw ord, and t he URLs needed t o access t heir list preferences.
Sh ou ld a dm in ist r a t or ge t im m e dia t e n ot ice of n e w r e qu e st s, a s w e ll a s da ily n ot ice s a bou t colle ct e d on e s?
This set t ing dict at es t he frequency w it h w hich t he list adm inist r at or is t old of pending adm inist rat ive request s: eit her not es aw ait ing m oderat or approval or subscript ion request for cont rolled list s. By default t he server will send a daily rem inder of t he pending request s. I f t he list ow ner w ould like m ore im m ediat e not ificat ion t hen t hey should check " yes" here for im m ediat e not ice of each request .
The not ificat ion t hat you receive w ill include a URL t hat w ill t ake you t o t he pending adm inist rat ive request s page det ailed near t he end of t his docum ent .
Sh ou ld a dm in ist r a t or ge t n ot ice s of su bscr ibe s/ u n su bscr ibe s?
Because list m em bership is checked easily t hrough t he w eb, t he list m anager m ay not feel t hat it is necessary t o know of all of t he com ings and goings of list m em ber s ( especially on lar ge list s w it h a lot of t urnover) . Saying yes here will t ell Mailm an t o send a short not e t o t he list m anager for each person t hat is added or rem oved from t he list .
Not e: Mailm an does not current ly let t he list m anager block persons from leaving t he list . I f you are running a list for som et hing like a course or com m it t ee, w here
part icipat ion is m andat ory, m ake sur e t o have t his set t his t o " yes" so you will be inform ed of unaut horized depart ures. Not e: I f you are m igr at ing large list s over t o Mailm an, or if you are creat ing new list s using t he m ass subscr ibe feat ure, you m ay want t o deact ivat e t his init ially so t hat t he m anager is not flooded w it h innum erable subscribe not ices.
Se n d m a il t o post e r w h e n t h e ir post in g is h e ld for a ppr ov a l?
Set t ing t his opt ion t o yes w ill send a shor t " w e have your m essage and it is aw ait ing approval" not e t o persons w hose post ings are being held for approval. This is a useful " cour t esy" and will help people on m oderat ed list s fr om wondering w hy t heir not e never show ed up. This m essage w ill also be sent t o non- m em bers w ho at t em pt t o post t o list s t hat allow post ing for m em bers only.
M a x im u m le n gt h in Kb of a m e ssa ge body. Use 0 for n o lim it .
This set t ing will allow you t o specify t he m axim um size of m essages allow ed t o be passed t hrough t he list t o t he subscribers. This is an im port ant securit y m easure as it allow s you t o block a m alicious post er from bom bing everyone's list w it h a large file and it prevent s your server from being t ied up delivering inappropriat ely large m essages. I f you do not w ish t o have a lim it on t he size of m essage, set t his value t o 0.
Membership Management
The m em bership m anagem ent sect ion allow s you t o do t w o t hings: add/ rem ove users from your list , or adj ust cust om user set t ings.
Addin g a n d Re m ovin g M e m be r s
The addit ion and rem oval of m em bers is done t hought t he m em bership m anagem ent screen. When you access t his screen you w ill be show n a t able list ing all of your subscriber s as well as t heir curr ent m em ber set t ings. Through t his screen Mailm an allow s t he list m anager t o rem ove an individual from t heir m ail list , but t he m et hod is not ent ir ely int uit ive. Find t he line w it h t he e- m ail address of t he individual t hat you w ould like t o o rem ove.
The check m ark in t he first colum n by t he user address, labeled " subscr" indicat es t hat user is subscribed t o your list . Uncheck t he box by t he address t hat you o w ould like t o rem ove.
Click t he " Subm it your changes" but t on at t he bot t om of t he screen t o put t he changes int o effect . Mailm an allow s a list m anager t o add people for t heir m ail list t hr ough t his scr een, o but t he m et hod is not int uit ively nam ed. o Scroll down t o t he area labeled " Mass Subscribe Users."
Type t he e- m ail address of t he individual t hat you w ould like t o add int o t he t ext box. I f you w ould like t o add m ore t han one person t hen each address should be o ent ered on a separat e line.
I f you w ould like t o send a w elcom e m essage t o t he new m em bers t hen m ake sure t hat t he " yes" but t on is checked. This w ill send t he new m em bers t heir o passw ords and list configurat ion inst ruct ions.
Click t he " Subm it your changes" but t on at t he bot t om of t he screen t o put t he changes int o effect . Not e: You w ill alm ost always w ant t o send new subscriber s t he welcom e m essage so t hat t hey have t heir passw or d and t he inform at ion necessary t o cust om ize t heir configurat ion. Not e: Net w ork et iquet t e generally frow ns on opt - out list s apar t fr om t heir com m on use w it hin an organizat ion for official com m unicat ions and not ices - - adding unsuspect ing persons t o a list and t hen t elling t hem t hat t hey can leave if t hey w ant . Do not use Mailm an for unconscionable act ivit ies such as sending Spam .
Su bscr ibe r Opt ion s
I n t he m ain t able each part icipant s address is shown along wit h t he curr ent opt ions for t hat user's list set t ings. As list adm inist rat or you have t he capabilit y t o m odify any of t he opt ions for each of your subscribers. Modificat ions are m ade by checking or unchecking t he boxes for each feat ure on t he row corresponding t o t he subscriber's set t ings t hat you w ish t o change. Aft er m aking t he m odificat ions you need t o click t he " Subm it Your Changes" but t on at t he bot t om of t he screen t o put t hem int o effect . Not e t hat because t hese set t ings are user configurable not all users m ay have t he sam e set t ings w hen you look at t his page. Do not be alarm ed, it sim ply m eans t hat t hey have t aken t he t im e t o m odify t heir set t ings.
su bscr
This set t ing indicat es whet her or not t he m em ber is subscribed. I f you uncheck t his box and t hen subm it t he changes on t his page t he user w ill be rem oved from t he list .
h ide
As a privacy feat ure, Mailm an allow s subscribers t o m ake t hem selves invisible t o ot hers as part of t he web- based e- m ail subscriber list . A check here indicat es t hat t he person w ill not appear t o ot hers as a m em ber of t he list . This set t ing does not affect t he abilit y of t he list m anager t o see t he subscriber on t he list m anagem ent page.
n om a il
Users m ay disable m ail delivery if, for exam ple, t hey are going t o be aw ay from t heir m ail but do not w ant t o unsubscribe. Mailm an's bounce feat ure m ay also set a user t o nom ail st at us if m ail t o t heir address experiences delivery problem s. See t he sect ion on bounce handling for m ore inform at ion.
a ck
Mem bers m ay request t hat Mailm an send a short acknow ledgem ent when a t hey post a m essage t o t he list . Mem bers find t his useful for m oderat ed list s so t hat t hey know t hat t heir post ing was delivered t o t he m oderat or successfully.
n ot m e t oo
I n t he event t hat m em bers find t heir own post s annoying, t hey can t ell Mailm an not t o include t hem in t he delivery of t heir ow n post ings t o t he list .
dige st
I f t he digest feat ure has been act ivat ed for t he list , m em bers m ay choose t o receive list t raffic bundled as a single large m essage as opposed t o receiving individual m essages. This set t ing indicat es whet her t he m em ber will receive individual post s or t he digest .
pla in
When a user opt s for digest delivery, t his set t ing indicat es whet her t he digest will be delivered as plain t ext or in MI ME form at . Most users of m odern, GUI - based m ail client s can handle MI ME t raffic wit h no problem s. Persons using charact er- based m ail client s should opt for plain- t ext digest s.
Privacy Options
Mailm an w as creat ed w it h t he pr ivacy shor t com ings of ot her list s in m ind. There are a num ber of m anager- configurable set t ings t hat can help in prevent ing spam , subscript ion abuse, and widespr ead disclosure of list t raffic t o non- subscr ibers.
Su bscr ibin g Adve r t ise t h is list w he n pe ople a sk w ha t list s a r e on t h is m a ch in e ?
I n general, persons in t he out side w orld can see a list of available Mailm an list s by visit ing ht t p: / / nam e.of.host / m ailm an/ list info By set t ing t his value t o " no," t his list w ill not be included in t he direct ory of available list s.
W h a t st e ps a r e r e qu ir e d for subscr ipt ion?
Confirm : when a subscript ion request is m ade a m essage will be sent back t o t he address being added. The new m em ber will have t o reply t o t he m essage ( wit hout having t o m odify anyt hing) for t heir subscript ion t o becom e act ive. This prevent s som eone from m aliciously adding people against t heir w ill.
Require Approval: w hen a subscript ion request is m ade a not e w ill be sent t o t he list adm inist rat or let t ing t hem know t hat a person is pet it ioning t o j oin. The list adm inist rat or w ill be given a URL t o follow t hat w ill t hen show t hem t he request and allow t hem t o approve or deny it via t he web.
Confirm + Approval: includes bot h of t he above.
M e m be r sh ip e x posu r e W h o ca n vie w su bscr ipt ion list ?
This set t ing dict at es access t o t he subscript ion list via t he web. Anyone: t his allow s anyone in t he w orld t o brow se by and t ake a look at who t he m em bers of your list are. Never ever use t his set t ing unless you are t rying t o say " I have cont em pt for all of m y list m em bers and hope t hat t hey get spam m ed out of t heir m inds." List m em bers: t his is t he t radit ional set t ing for m ost list s, allow ing part icipant s t o see w ho t he ot her people on t he list are but blocking view t o t he general public. This set t ings can be overridden by individual users who have set t he " hide" opt ion for t heir account .
List adm in only: only t he adm inist rat or can see t he list m em bers.
Sh ow m e m be r a ddr s so t h e y'r e n ot dir e ct ly r e cogn iz a ble a s e m a il a ddr s?
This is a nice feat ure t hat discourages t heft of list s: t he m em bership list does not show act ually addresses but inst ead show s part icipant s as " usernam e at foo.com " . This should block m ost harvest ers if t hey m anage t o get t hrough t o t he list ing.
Ge n e r a l post in g filt e r s Mailm an allow s you a good deal of cont rol over who m ay and m ay not post t o t he list .
Because t here is a bit of good old- fashioned logic involved som e people m ay be confused by t hese set t ings. Please see t he chart following t he descript ions of t he set t ings for an illust rat ion of how t hese set t ings w ork in concert .
M u st post s be a ppr ove d by a n a dm in ist r a t or ?
This set t ings defines t he list as " m oderat ed" or " unm oderat ed" in m ost people's m inds. I f set t o yes, post ings are held and t he adm inist rat or is not ified of t heir exist ence. They m ay t hen approve or rej ect post ings via t he web int erface. I f set t o " no," post ings t o t he list are im m ediat ely deliv ered t o list m em bership.
Re st r ict post in g pr ivile ge t o list m e m be r s? ( m e m be r _ post ing_ on ly)
Under nearly all circum st ances t his should be set t o " yes." This rest rict ion w ill cause Mailm an t o hold for adm inist rat ive review all post s t o t he list t hat do not originat e from a list m em ber. Set t ing t his t o yes prevent s you from being spam m ed by people w ho m anage t o get a hold of your list address.
Addr e sse s of m e m be r s a cce pt e d for post ing t o t h is list w it h ou t im plicit a ppr ova l r e qu ir e m e nt .
This set t ings can be used t o designat e post ing privileges t o persons who are not subscribers t o t he list . I t m ay also be used t o specify persons who are exclusively allowed t o post . Please see t he chart below for explanat ion.
Spa m - spe cific post in g filt e r s M u st post s h a ve list n a m e d in de st ina t ion ( t o, cc) fie ld ( or be a m ong t he a cce pt a ble a lia s na m e s, spe cifie d be low ) ? This prevent s t he list from being used as part of a BCC ( Blind Carbon Copy) spam .
Alia s n a m e s ( r e ge x ps) w h ich qu a lify a s e x plicit t o or cc de st ina t ion na m e s
for t h is list .Helps Mailm an m ake allow ances for m ail syst em s t hat do not subst it ut e t he address for alias or for m ail servers where list address receives m ail from an alias wit h a different nam e.
Ce iling on a cce pt a ble n u m be r of r e cipie n t s for a post in g.
Prevent s t he list from being used as part of a m ass recipient spam . Also discourages use of list as recipient of office j okecast not es and bogus solicit at ions.
Addr e sse s w h ose post in gs a r e a lw a ys he ld for a ppr ova l.
Allows m anager t o designat e special special individuals whose post ings are always held for approval w hile w hen post ings are ot herw ise allow ed t hrough.
H old post s w it h he a de r va lue m a t ch ing a spe cifie d r e ge x p.
Allows you t o filt er out known addresses or dom ains t hat funct ion prim arily as spam providers.
H ide t h e se n de r of a m e ssa ge , r e pla cin g it w it h t h e list a ddr e ss ( Re m ove s Fr om , Se nde r a n d Re ply- To fie lds)
This t ells Mailm an t o rew rit e t he header so t hat t raffic appears t o be com ing from t he list it self inst ead of t he original post er. Provides som e added privacy for post ers, but m ay be annoying t o som e list m em bers as m ailbox headers show only t he list nam e inst ead of t he act ual post er.
Regular Member Options
These are opt ions t hat affect t he norm al m ail t raffic t hat is delivered im m ediat ely and individually t o list m em bers.
Ca n su bscr ibe r s ch oose t o r e ce ive m a il im m e dia t e ly, r a t h e r t h a n in ba t ch e d dige st s?
While t his seem s a bit silly, it is really asking about w hat opt ions are available t o list m em bers. I f you say no, t hen subscr ipt ion t o t he list will be available only as a digest .
H e a de r a dde d t o m a il se n t t o r e gu la r list m e m be r s.
Allow s you t o add a unifor m header t o all not es passing t hrough t he list .
Foot e r a dde d t o m a il se n t t o r e gu la r list m e m be r s.
Allow s you t o add a uniform foot er t o all not es passing t hrough t he list . The default foot er show s t he list nam e, t he list address, and t he URL t hat persons can go t o in order t o access t he list inform at ion and change t heir set t ings. Not e: including t his foot er infor m at ion w ill cut dow n on t he num ber of t im es list users will have t o cont act t he list adm inist rat or asking for t hings such as t heir configur at ion access infor m at ion and t he like.
Digest Options
These opt ions affect t he way t hat t he list will process m essages t hat ar e t o be delivered t o subscribers in t he form of a digest . Unlike ot her m ail list m anagers, t he digest feat ure of Mailm an is built int o t he package and it easy t o act ivat e and configure.
Ca n list m e m be r s ch oose t o r e ce ive list t r a ffic bu n ch e d in dige st s?
This set t ing allows you t o specify whet her or not users can opt t o receive m ail t raffic t o t he list in t he form of a digest . Not e: Ther e are som e inst ances, such as a list for em ergency announcem ent s, w here you w ant m ail t o be delivered im m ediat ely in all cases and w here you w ould w ant t o disable t he digest feat ure.
W h ich de live r y m ode is t h e de fa u lt for n e w u se r s?
This set t ing specifies w het her new users added by t he list m anager default t o regular or digest delivery. User s adding t hem selves t o t he list via t he list info page are given t he opt ion t o choose for t hem selves: t he opt ions select ed here is what will be chosen for t hem as a default .
W h e n r e ce ivin g dige st s, w h ich for m a t is de fa u lt .