Discussion Group Mailing List Explanation

Your list addresses will be based on this name, and include list-on, list-off, list-switch, and list-vacation. This is one way that people can get on, get off, switch to/from your digest version or temporarily stop the flow of messages.

Upper and lower case letters can be displayed in your list name, and when people type in your list email address, any combination of upper and lower case will work.

Welcome to my list description

or

Goodbye from my list description

Our program automatically puts in "Welcome to" or "Goodbye from", followed by your list description into the Subject line.

Or we can use your domain name. Your postmaster must be able to forward to mail-list.com all email received for the mailing list. For example, if somebody were to send a message to list-off@your-domain.com, your machine would receive it, and immediately forward it on to list-off@mail-list.com for processing.

When we email out any message to your subscribers, we overwrite mail-list.com with your domain.com, so the message looks like it is coming directly from your mail machine.

This email address will be able to completely control the list, including adding and removing addresses, and sending messages to the list at any time.

We will allow you to name additional list moderators on the next page.

Perhaps you will want to tell people what to expect from your discussion group, some netiquette rules, and any rules you have for the list.

This section is returned as part of your Welcome message, and some of your subscribers will save it for future reference.

This section is also returned as a stand alone help message, when somebody sends an unintelligible command to your list.

Your web page address is often a good choice.

If you do not want a trailer section added to your message, please blank out this section.

Your main email address, which you entered on the first page is a moderator, and there is no need to reenter that address here.

Should you want to approve each message before it is posted, please select this option. Messages sent to the list by your subscribers will be forwarded to you for approval. Each message will have a unique random number in the Subject line. You can read the message, and simply reply to release the message to the list.

Or you can REJECT or DISCARD the message, and the message will not go to the list. The REJECT command allows you add a comment as to why you rejected the message, that is returned to the person who posted the message. DISCARD simply deletes the message, without any response going back to the poster.

In addition, you can use the COMMENT command to add an additional comment that is added to the original message, and sent to the list.

You can not edit the original message in any way, shape or form. You can APPROVE, REJECT, or add a COMMENT to the original message.

Discussion groups moderators should approve all subscribers, in order to keep control of the list. Not only might you have a member that could cause you trouble, the people that send spam would like to post their trash to your list.

After you approve of their request, by sending back the pre-formatted message, they will be added to your list, and receive the Welcome message.

After an initial request to join your list, mail-list.com sends back a confirmation message. This confirmation message contains a unique random number in the Subject line.

When the new subscriber replies to the confirmation message, with the same unique random number in the Subject line, mail-list.com will add their email address to your list, and send them your welcome message.

This extra step will confirm that the new subscriber is really at the email address submitted, and really wants on your list. That is because while it is easy to spoof an email address, it is much more difficult to intercept email.

If you are using the confirmation process, you can customize the message that is returned to new subscribers.

The key idea is that this confirmation message has a unique random number in the Subject line, and your new subscriber must reply, keeping that unique random number in the Subject line.

The word subscraddr will be replaced the email address of the subscriber, when they receive the confirmation message.

The word $COOKIE will be replaced the unique random number, when they receive the confirmation message.

If you choose to have the "Reply to List" header added on your messages to the list, when people reply to a message, it will be configured to go back to the list.

This can cause problems when people assume that they are replying to the individual that posted the message with a private message, and it ends up going to the list.

For an example, please click here.

If you want to open up your archives to anybody surfing the web, leave the password blank.

Most web hosting companies should have canned solutions that allow you to send email. If you can get their solution working, you do not need ours.

You may want to create a special page that thanks them for subscribing, and asks them to reply to confirm their subscription.

Otherwise, just put in your home page address, including the http: portion.

Any mail sent to the generic list-owner address will come to mail-list.com, and then be forwarded on to the personal email address of all list moderators.

This option is useful if you wanted to maintain some anonymity with prospective subscribers.

If you are requiring prospective subscribers to reply to your acknowledgement message, and you have multiple list moderators, this option will allow their reply to go to all list moderators.

This is to prevent problems for people with old fashioned email readers and gateways.

The default size is 32k, and works fine for most lists.

This option will control whether the report is sent daily or weekly. The weekly report is sent on Sunday.