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Mailman
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Mailman - The New Wake Forest Listserv System
Frequently Asked Questions

General:

General:

• Do I have to use the Web interface?

No, you do not have to use the Web interface. However, we recommend it over the e-mail configuration. Mailman offers an e-mail interface similar to Majordomo. Send an e-mail to <listname>-request@lists.wfu.edu with a subject of “help” and Mailman will e-mail you a list of commands that are available for e-mail interaction with the listserv.

• What are the major differences between Majordomo (the old listserv system) and Mailman?

Mailman offers much more control to the list owner(s) in a simple Web interface. It also offers customizable settings for users and archives online.

• What is the migration procedure?

List owners must request that their list(s) be migrated from Majordomo to Mailman. These requests will be forwarded to the Mailman List Administrator, at which point they will be put into a queue for migration. As lists are moved to Mailman, list owners will be notified.

Note: Majordomo (<listname>@wfu.edu) lists should be used until list owners are notified. Once the list has been moved, e-mails to the old listserv address will be returned to the sender, with a short message explaining the change.

For List Users:

• How will this change affect me?

The major difference will be that the e-mail address of the list will change. Users will also be able to change personal preferences such as receiving a digest rather than individual messages. All lists will now have archives. Additionally, Mailman provides better spam and privacy options than Majordomo, so the lists are more secure.

• How do I subscribe to a list?

Go to http://lists.wfu.edu, click on the list you want to join, enter your e-mail address and a password (we recommend using a password other than your WFU password, only for lists), and click the “Subscribe” button.

- OR -

Send an e-mail to <listname>-request@lists.wfu.edu with a subject of “subscribe”.

• How do I unsubscribe from a list?

Go to http://lists.wfu.edu, click on the list you want to leave, enter your

e-mail address next to the button “Unsubscribe or edit options”, and click “Unsubscribe or edit options”. Then, click the “Unsubscribe” button.

- OR -

Send an e-mail to <listname>-request@lists.wfu.edu with a subject of “unsubscribe”.

• What if I forgot my password?

Go to http://lists.wfu.edu, click on the list you need to access, enter your e-mail address next to the button “Unsubscribe or edit options”, and click “Unsubscribe or edit options." Click the “Remind” button.

• What if I forgot my password and I am on more than one list?

After you send yourself a password reminder, use that password to log into your options screen for that list. To do this, go to http://lists.wfu.edu, click on the list you need to access, enter your e-mail address next to the button “Unsubscribe or edit options”, and click “Unsubscribe or edit options”. Enter your password and click the “Log in” button.

Next, enter your password (or a new password) twice under the “Change Your Password” heading. Make sure the “Change Globally” checkbox is checked, and then click the “Change My Password” button.

• How do I find out what lists I am subscribed to?

Go to http://lists.wfu.edu, click on the list you need to access, enter your

e-mail address next to the button “Unsubscribe or edit options”, and click “Unsubscribe or edit options”. Then, enter your password and click the “Log in” button.

Next, click the “List my other subscriptions” button.

• Can I get periodic digests rather than single e-mails?

Yes!

Go to http://lists.wfu.edu, click on the list you need to access, enter your

e-mail address next to the button “Unsubscribe or edit options”, and click “Unsubscribe or edit options”. Then, enter your password and click the “Log in” button.

For List Owners:

• How will this change affect me?

Mailman provides listserv owners with more management options including: settings are much easier to change via the online interface; list moderation may be performed by the list owner or by specific moderators; more control is available over users and privacy options; and archives are available online.

It is the listserv owner’s responsibility to notify your users that the e-mail address for the listserv will change and that they will have access to the online archives, as well as user-specific preferences. You may wish to use this template to notify members of your listserv.

• How do I administer my list?

Go to http://lists.wfu.edu and click on the list you want to change. Go to the bottom of the page and click on the “<listname> administrative interface” link. Enter the list password and click the “Let me in…” button.

• How do I subscribe users to my list?

Login to the list’s administrative interface. To do this, see “How do I administer my list?” above.

Next, click on the “Membership Management” link, and on the following page click on the “Mass Subscription” link.

On this page, you have three options (the option in bold is the default):

• Subscribe these users now or invite them? (Subscribe/Invite)
• Send welcome messages to new subscribees? (Yes/No)
• Send notifications of new subscriptions to the list owner? (Yes/No)

You will also need to enter a list of the e-mail addresses, one per line, in the top text box beside “Enter one address per line below…”

If you would like to send a customized welcome message, you may enter it in the space provided.

Finally, to add the users, click the “Submit Your Changes” button.

• How do I unsubscribe users from my list?

Login to the list’s administrative interface. To do this, see “How do I administer my list?” above.

Next, click on the “Membership Management” link, and on the following page click on the “Mass Removal” link.

On this page, you have two options (the option in bold is the default):

• Send unsubscription acknowledgement to the user? (No/Yes)
• Send notifications to the list owner? (No/Yes)

You will also need to enter a list of the e-mail addresses, one per line, in the top text box, beside “Enter one address per line below…”

Finally, to remove the users, click the “Submit Your Changes” button.

• What if I forgot my password?

E-mail the Help Desk or call xHELP (x4357). They will help you reset your password.

• What do I need to do once the conversion is complete?

If the list is a broadcast-only list, you may not need to do anything other than start using the new e-mail address. You will probably want to log in to the administration interface and make sure the settings for the list are satisfactory.

For lists that are interactive, all participants need to be notified of the new address of the list. You may wish to use this template to notify members of your listserv.

• How do I change the list owner?

Login to the list’s administrative interface. To do this, see “How do I administer my list?” above.

Under the “General Options” heading, change the entry to the right of “The list administrator e-mail addresses.” Be sure to give the list password to the new owner.

Click the “Submit Your Changes” button at the bottom of the page to finalize the change.

• How do I set up my list to be (un)moderated?

Login to the list’s administrative interface. To do this, see “How do I administer my list?” above.

This requires two steps:

• Under “Membership Management” and “Membership List”, you will see the header “Additional Member Tasks” at the bottom of the page To turn on moderation, select “on” and click the set button. To turn off moderation, select “off” and click the set button.
• Under “Privacy Options” and “Sender filters” find the “By default, should new list member postings be moderated?” setting. Select “Yes” for moderated lists and “No” for unmoderated lists. Click the “Submit Your Changes” button at the bottom of the page to finalize the change.

• What if the list gets out of hand and needs emergency moderation?

Log in to the list’s administrative interface. To do this, see “How do I administer my list?” above.

Under “General Options,” find the setting “Emergency moderation of all list traffic” and change it to “yes”.

Click the “Submit Your Changes” button at the bottom of the page to finalize the change.

• What if the list is not used anymore and should be removed?

E-mail the Help desk or call xHELP (x4357). They will remove the listserv for you.

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