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Medieval Mailing Lists:
Technical Matters
by Melissa Snell
The information here applies to most unmoderated discussion lists.
Each list has two primary addresses: one for content and one for administrative commands. It's important not to confuse the two. Messages sent to the content address are sent on to every member of the list, and should concern only subject matter related to the list topic. Messages sent to the administrative address, when properly structured, will automatically perform administrative tasks such as subscribing and unsubscribing.
Subscribe
In our page of discussion list net links, you will find subscription addresses for dozens of lists. You may notice that some lists share the same address. This is because the same list-server software (LISTSERV®, ListProc, Majordomo, etc.) is being used to run different lists at the same location. It is the command that you type into the body of your message that will determine which list you join.
For example, suppose the two fictitious lists below were hosted at the fictitious University of Dubabble:
MEDIFUN-L
The discussion list for people who like to have fun with medieval history. Send a message with no subject to listserv@lists.dubabble.edu and put "sub MEDIFUN-L Your Name" in the message body.MEDISERIOUS-L
A list devoted to the serious study of medieval history. Send a message with no subject to listserv@lists.dubabble.edu and put "sub MEDISERIOUS-L Your Name" in the message body.
If Yasmine Twinkle wants to subscribe to medifun, she would address a message to listserv@lists.dubabble.edu and type into the body of the message:
If she wanted to subscribe to mediserious, she would send a message to the same address, but this command would read:
Please note that the exact phrasing of the command will vary depending on which list-server software is used. Check the instructions given for each individual mailing list.
It is usually standard procedure to leave the subject line blank when
sending commands to the administrative address; however, if your
email program insists on a subject, it will probably still work.
The text of the command should be the only thing in the body of your message. Remove any signature and refrain from adding comments. Commands sent to the administrative address are dealt with by software, not by humans who are able to interpret a misspelled word or appreciate a humorous quote in your signature. If you do not type the command exactly as instructed in an otherwise completely blank message, the command will not work.
When a server receives a subscription command, it automatically adds the name in the command and the email address used to send it to the appropriate subscription list. It is not possible to subscribe any address other than the one you are using to a discussion list. Once a subscriber's name and address are added to the list, he will receive a confirmation email. He will then receive every message sent to list and be able to post messages of his own.
Confirm
The confirmation email is very important. Read it carefully to determine whether or not you must respond to the message in order to complete your subscription. Sometimes a reply is required for you not to be added to the list, or you may find it necessary to visit a web page; so take a moment to look closely at this email.
Save Important Information
Nearly every list you can subscribe to will send you information regarding administrative commands and preferred netiquette. Save any such message; download it or print it out if you have to. Then, when it comes time to change your address, go on vacation, or unsubscribe, you'll know what to do.
If the list has a website for FAQ's, guidelines, archives or any other pertinent information, bookmark it. Similarly, if a standard message is sent to you containing FAQ's or guidelines, save the message for future reference.
Set Up Your Program
It's a good idea to configure your email program to send only plain-text messages to the list. Some list members, particularly on academic lists, do not use email software that can read HTML, and such messages may appear as a block of indecipherable code in their programs. The kindly professor in Isolated College who's stuck with an antiquated computer system may be just the fellow who can help you answer your question about medieval trash disposal, so be sure he--and everyone else on the list--can read that question to begin with.
Consider setting up your program so it does not automatically quote the entire message to which you're replying. Keeping message size down is common courtesy on a mailing list, and it is rarely necessary to repeat the previous message, especially not in its entirety. If you cannot or prefer not to set up your program this way, don't forget to delete unecessary quoted text whenever you post to the list.
Be prepared for a huge influx of email messages; the amount of traffic varies according to the time of year as well as the particular list. You'll soon find it worthwhile to create a folder just for list messages. Some lists offer a digest version, wherein many messages are collected into one message that is sent out whenever enough kilobytes have accumulated or, on some lists, once a day. It is advisable to wait and see what traffic is like and how frequently you participate before switching over to digest.
You can find helpful resources and documentation for many email programs through About.com's Email site, hosted by Guide Heinz Tschabitscher.
Post Messages
To post a message to the discussion list, send an email to the content address provided. This address will most likely be the name of the discussion list at the same domain as the administrative address. For example, to post a message to medifun, Yasmine will send it to MEDIFUN-L@lists.dubabble.edu; to post messages to mediserious she'll send them to MEDISERIOUS-L@lists.dubabble.edu. Whatever the content address may be, it will be provided to you when you subscribe.
Lists are set up so that replies to posts are sent to the list itself, not to the originator of the message. If your message is a response to another member's post, simply use the "reply" function in your email program. In this way, members can keep track of favorite discussions and email software can store messages according to threads.
Unsubscribe or Initiate Other Commands
Once you have been posting to the list for a while, you'll probably get into the habit of sending every list message to the content address. It's easy to forget what address you're using since you'll be hitting "reply" 90% of the time. But don't forget that if you need to execute any list commands (such as unsubscribing or changing address), they must be sent to the administrative address.
Do not send unsubscription requests to the content address! None of the dozens or possibly hundreds of people who receive your message will be able to unsubscribe you. Save yourself some embarassment: follow the instructions that were given to you when you signed up and send the properly-phrased message to the administrative address -- probably the same one you used to subscribe.
Common commands for listserver software have been placed on the web by Edwin Duncan.
Return to the introduction, or
go on to:
Academic List Netiquette
The basic rules for getting along in academic cyberspace.Using a List to Aid in Research
How to get help from an online academic community.Discussion List Directory
Sites and subscription addresses for dozens of email lists concerned with medieval and Renaissance studies.
Medieval Mailing Lists: Technical Matters is copyright © 1999-2003 Melissa Snell. Permission is granted to reproduce this article for personal or classroom use only, provided that the URL below is included. For reprint permission, please contact Melissa Snell.
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