SSWLHC-List Listserve Member Guide

Transcription

1 SSWLHC-List Listserve Member Guide Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 3 WHAT IS A LISTSERVE? 3 COMMON TERMS 3 MAILMAN LISTSERVE SOFTWARE 4 LISTSERVE INTERFACES 4 WEB INTERFACE 5 INTERFACE 5 UNSUBSCRIBING 6 HOW DO I TEMPORARILY LEAVE THE LIST? 7 PASSWORDS 7 RETRIEVE LOST PASSWORD 8 CHANGE PASSWORD 8 TURN PASSWORD REMINDERS ON/OFF (REMINDERS OPTIONS) 9 MAIL DELIVERY 10 TURN MAIL DELIVERY ON/OFF (DELIVERY OPTIONS) 10 AVOID DUPLICATE MESSAGES (DUPLICATES OPTION) 10 CHANGE SUBSCRIPTION ADDRESS 11 STOP/START GETTING COPIES OF POSTS (MYPOSTS OPTION) 11 DIGESTS 12 START/STOP RECEIVING POSTS GROUPED INTO ONE LARGE (DIGEST OPTION) 12 RECEIVE MIME VERSUS PLAIN TEXT DIGESTS (DIGEST OPTION) 13 OTHER OPTIONS 14 CHANGE/SET OPTIONS GLOBALLY 14 Revised: July 16, 2012

2 CHANGE NAME VIEWED BY LIST MEMBERS 14 COMMON QUESTIONS 15 HOW DO ACCESS THE ARCHIVES TO FIND INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS SSWLHC-LIST POSTS?15 I DON'T SEEM TO BE GETTING MAIL FROM THE LIST. WHAT SHOULD I DO? 15 WHAT DOES MAILMAN DO TO HELP PROTECT ME FROM UNSOLICITED BULK (SPAM)? 17 I NEED TO COMMUNICATE WITH A HUMAN! 17 APPENDIX A SSWLHC-LIST LISTSERVE LINKS AND CONTACTS 18 APPENDIX B COMMANDS QUICK REFERENCE 19 APPENDIX C MEMBER OPTIONS QUICK REFERENCE 20 2

3 Introduction This SSWLHC-List Listserve Member Guide contains user instructions for the SSWLHC-List listserve. The list uses Mailman listserve software. This Guide contains instructions for use of the web-based and interfaces to unsubscribe, view postings, edit user options, get password reminders, and other subscriber-managed tasks. It also answers some common questions of interest to list members. The Guide need not be read in order. If you are simply looking for an answer to a specific question, jump to the appropriate place and references to other sections will be provided if necessary or potentially helpful. Note: For the purposes of this document, we assume that the reader is familiar with common terms related to (e.g.: Subject line, body of the message) and websites (e.g.: drop-down box, button) or can look them up. We also assume that the reader can use their program and web browser well enough that instructions such as "send to this address" or "visit this webpage" or "fill in the form provided" are clear. If you are not familiar with these actions, you may want to consult other documentation to learn how to perform these tasks using your particular computer or mobile device. What is a listserve? A listserve is simply a list of addresses to which the same information is being sent. If you were a magazine publisher, you would have a list of the mailing addresses of all the subscribers to the magazine. In the case of an electronic listserve, we use a list of addresses from people interested in hearing about or discussing a given topic. Two common types of listserves are announcement lists and discussion lists. An announcement list is used for one-way communication, to send announcements to a group of people; much like a magazine publisher's subscriber list is used to send out magazines. As an example, an association may use a listserve to let their members know about their upcoming events. A discussion list is used to enable a group of people to discuss topics among themselves, with everyone able to send to the list and have it distributed to everyone else in the group. This discussion may also be moderated, so that one or more moderators can facilitate and assist with posting activities of list members. For example, a group of association members might use a listserve to discuss particular topics of mutual professional interest. The SSWLHC-List Listserve is an discussion list. Common Terms The following are some common terms that you will encounter: Post A "post" typically denotes an message sent to a listserve. (Think of posting a message posted on a bulletin board.) 3

4 Members or Subscribers People who are part of a listserve are usually called the list's "members" or "subscribers." Moderator A list may have one or more moderators. It is their responsibility to read selected posts and decide if they are suitable to be sent on to the listserve subscribers. List Administrator (Owner) The list administrator is responsible for maintaining configuration options for a particular list. The list administrator also provides technical support to users and moderators and assist with the list s subscribe and unsubscribe functions. Lists may have one or more administrators. The list administrator may also be referred to as the list owner. Site Administrator More than one electronic listserve may be operated using the same listserve software installation. The person who maintains the software that runs the lists is called the "site administrator". The site administrator often performs the list administrator function for a number of individual lists and provides technical support to the list administrators. Contact information for these individuals can be found in Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts, below. Mailman Listserve Software Mailman software enables list members to self-manage many of their typical subscriber preferences. It includes an extensive list of features (options) that make configuration extremely flexible for list subscribers, such as easy unsubscription, privacy options, and the ability to temporarily stop receiving posts from the list. Each of the list member features enabled in the SSWLHC-List listserve is described in this document. Global Option At this time there is only one SSWLHC listserve. However, should the number of SSWLHC listserves increase in the future, some user preferences include an option to make Global changes to multiple lists. In this case you can make this change for all SSWLHC listserves at the same time, by checking the Change globally box before you press the particular button to change that preference. For now please ignore any references to Global Option throughout the remainder of this guide. Listserve Interfaces Mailman has two different interfaces for list members: a web interface and an interface. Most discussion list subscribers prefer the ease and simplicity of the web interface. They find it easier to use for changing options, since the web interface also provides additional detailed, web-based instructions. However, many experienced users prefer the speed and efficiency of entering some of their commands directly through the interface. The interface you choose for changing options is largely a matter of preference. Most of the options that can be changed from the web interface can also be changed through the interface. 4

5 Web interface The listserve subscriber options are all accessible through webpages and online forms. Many list members consider the web interface to be Mailman s best feature, since it makes it easy for subscribers to see which options are available and to view detailed instructions when they are needed. Member options page The Member Options Page is located at Replace me@my .com with the address associated with your subscription. This page enables you to log in and out and to change your listserve settings, as well as unsubscribe or get a copy of your password ed to you. To log in to your member options page, enter your password in the box provided near the top of the page and press the Login button. If you do not know your password, press the Remind button in the middle of the page and your password will be ed to you. Once you are logged in, you will be able to view and change all your list settings. For more information on passwords, see the Passwords section, below. interface Each listserve has a subscriber or member list comprised of a set of addresses to which messages can be sent. There is always one address for posting messages to the list, one address to which bounces are sent, and other addresses for processing commands. The SSWLHC-List Listserve uses these addresses: sswlhc-list@mailman.proaccess.net - this is the address to use for new postings to the list. You must post to the list only from your subscriber address. Otherwise, the list management software will have no way of determining if you are a valid subscriber and your post will be bounced to the moderator queue for manual review and processing. sswlhc-list-leave@mailman.proaccess.net - by sending a message to this address, a member can request unsubscription from the list. As with the -join address, the Subject: header and body of the message is ignored. Note that sswlhc-listunsubscribe@mailman.proaccess.net is an alias for the -leave address. sswlhc-list-owner@mailman.proaccess.net - This address reaches the list owner and list moderators directly. This is the address you use if you need to contact the person or people in charge. sswlhc-list-bounces@mailman.proaccess.net - This address receives bounces from members whose addresses have become either temporarily or permanently inactive. The -bounces address is also an robot that processes bounces and automatically disables or removes members as configured in the bounce processing settings. Any bounce messages that are either unrecognized, or do not seem to contain member addresses, are forwarded to the list administrators. 5

6 - This address is another robot, which processes confirmation messages for subscription and unsubscription requests. sswlhc-list-request@mailman.proaccess.net - This address reaches an robot which processes commands that can be used to set member subscription options, as well as process other commands. Commands can appear in the subject line or the body of the message. Each command should be on a separate line. If your mail program automatically appends a signature to your messages, you may want to put the word "end" (without the quotes) on a separate line after your other commands. The end command tells Mailman not to process the after that point. The most important command is probably the "help" command, since it makes Mailman return a message full of useful information about the commands and directions to the web interface. Note: When using the help command, not all commands listed in the body of the message are available to SSWLHC Listserve subscribers. Quick references of the available subscriber commands and options and instructions for their usage have been provided in Appendix B and Appendix C, below. Unsubscribing If you want to permanently leave the list, there are two common ways you can unsubscribe: To use the web interface: 1. Go to the list member options page located at 2. Log in with your address and password. You will then be taken to your member options page. 3. Look for the section labeled "Unsubscribing from sswlhc-list in the middle of the page. 4. Check the box labeled Yes, I really want to unsubscribe. 5. Press the "Unsubscribe" button. You will immediately be unsubscribed and redirected to an Unsubscription results page. 6. You will also receive a confirming with the following subject: You have been unsubscribed from the sswlhc-list mailing list. To use the interface: 1. Open a mail program which sends mail from the address you want to unsubscribe. 2. Send an to the list at sswlhc-list-request@mailman.proaccess.net. Include the word unsubscribe (without quotes) in the subject or body of the message. You will be 6

7 sent a confirmation mail and must follow the instructions given in that mail to complete the unsubscription. If you do not receive this confirmation mail with instructions, make sure that you typed your address correctly (if you were using the web interface to unsubscribe) and that the address you tried to unsubscribe is, indeed, actually subscribed to that list. For security reasons, Mailman generates the same member options page regardless of whether the address entered is subscribed or not. This is to insure that people cannot use this part of the web interface just to find out if someone is subscribed to the list. 3. Alternatively, you may send a blank message to sswlhc-list-leave@mailman.proaccess.net. This message must be sent from the member s address that is currently associated with their list subscription. Once your unsubscription has been processed, you will receive another message confirming your unsubscription from the list, and at that point you should stop receiving messages. If you wish to skip the confirmation process (for example, you might be unsubscribing an address which no longer works), you can bypass it by using your password to log in to your member options page and complete the unsubscribe process (See Listserve Interfaces, Web Interface, above). How do I temporarily leave the list? If you're just going on vacation or are too busy to read mails and want to temporarily suspend your subscription, you may prefer to stop mail delivery rather than unsubscribing. This means you keep your password and other settings so you can re-activate your subscription at your convenience. If this is what you'd prefer, see Mail Delivery, Turn Mail Deliver On/Off for instructions on how to temporarily disable mail delivery. Passwords Your initial password was randomly generated by Mailman when you subscribed and sent to you in your automated Welcome message. Since then you may have also received one or more monthly password reminders from the list. Your password is used to verify your identity to Mailman so that only the holder of the password (you!) and the administrator can view and change your settings. Warning: Do NOT use a valuable password for this listserve, since it will be sent to you in plain text messages. 7

8 Retrieve Lost Password If you've forgotten your password and haven't saved the welcome message or any reminder messages, you can always get a reminder through the web interface or by sending an request. To use the web interface: 1. Go to the member options page at 2. At the bottom of the page you will see a section titled Password reminder. 3. Press the button labeled Remind and your password will be ed to you. To use the interface: 1. Send an message to sswlhc-list-request@mailmain.proaccess.net using the account from which you are subscribed. 2. In the body or subject of the message include the word password (with no quotes). 3. Your password will be ed to you. 4. A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided Appendix B, Commands Quick Reference, password, below. If you do not receive the password reminder after doing this, make sure that you typed your address correctly and that the address you used is, indeed, actually subscribed to that list. For security reasons, Mailman generates the same member options page regardless of whether or not the address entered is subscribed. This is to insure that people cannot use this part of the web interface to find out if someone is subscribed to the list. For more information on how to send mail commands, see Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts, below. Change Password Warning: Do NOT use a valuable password, since the password you select will be ed to you as a reminder each month in plain text. To use the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page (See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions). 2. Look for the password changing boxes on the right-hand side of the page, in the section labeled Change My Password and enter your new password in the appropriate boxes, then press the button labeled "Change My Password." 3. If you belong to multiple SSWLHC listserves, you can make this change for all lists at the same time by checking the Change globally box before you press the Change My 8

9 Password button. See Other Options, Change/Set Options Globally, below for information. To use the interface: 1. Send an message to with the command password OLDPASSWORD NEWPASSWORD (without quotes) in the body or subject of your A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided Appendix B, Commands Quick Reference, password, below. Turn Password Reminders On/Off (reminders options) If you don't wish to continue receiving the monthly password reminder , you can disable it from the member options page. You can always retrieve your password in an at any time. See Passwords, Retrieve Lost Password, above for instructions. To use the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 2. In the section labeled "Your SSWLHC-List Subscription Options, you will see a box labeled Get password reminder for this list?. 3. Change the value accordingly and press the Submit Changes button at the bottom of the page. 4. If you belong to multiple SSWLHC lists, you can make this change for all lists at the same time by checking the Change globally box before you press the Submit Changes button. See Other Options, Change/Set Options Globally, below for information. To use the interface: 1. Send an message to sswlhc-list-request@mailman.proaccess.net with the command password OLDPASSWORD NEWPASSWORD (without quotes) in the body or subject of your Set it to "on" to receive reminders, and "off" to stop receiving reminders. 3. A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided Appendix C, set reminders on set reminders off, below. 9

10 Mail Delivery Turn Mail Delivery On/Off (delivery options) You may wish to temporarily stop getting messages from the list without having to unsubscribe. If you disable mail delivery, you will no longer receive messages, but will still be a subscriber and will retain your password and other settings. This can be handy in a number of situations. For example, you could be going on vacation or need a break from the list because you're too busy to read any extra mail. To use the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 2. Find the section labeled "Mail delivery" and select "Disabled" to stop receiving mail, and "Enabled" to start receiving mail. 3. If you belong to multiple SSWLHC lists, you can make this change for all lists at the same time by checking the Set globally box before you press the Submit Changes button. See Other Options, Change/Set Options Globally, below for information. 4. Press the Submit Changes button. To use the interface: 1. Send an mail to sswlhc-list-request@mailman.proaccess.net 2. To stop receiving posts, include the command set delivery off (without quotes) in the body or subject of your To start receiving them again, include the command set delivery on (without quotes) in the body or subject of your A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided Appendix C, set delivery on set delivery off, below. Avoid Duplicate Messages (duplicates option) Mailman can't completely stop you from getting duplicate messages, but it can help. One common reason people get multiple copies of a mail is that the sender has used a "group reply" function to send mail to both the list and some number of individuals. If you want to avoid getting these messages, Mailman can be set to check and see if you are in the To: or CC: lines of the message. If your address appears there, then Mailman can be told not to deliver another copy to you. This option has been set to Yes by default for all SSWLHC-List listserve. To change this option using the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 10

11 2. Find the section labeled "Avoid duplicate copies of messages?" and change the value accordingly. 3. If you belong to multiple SSWLHC lists, you can make this change for all lists at the same time by checking the Set globally box before you press the Submit Changes button. See Other Options, Change/Set Options Globally, below for information. 4. Press the Submit Changes button. To change this option using the interface: 1. Send an mail to 2. Include the command set duplicates on (without quotes) in the body or subject of your to begin receiving list copies of messages already sent to you (not recommended). 3. Include the command set duplicates off (without quotes) in the body or subject of your to avoid receiving these duplicates (Default setting). 4. A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided Appendix C, set duplicates on set duplicates off, below. Change Subscription Address To change this option using the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 2. Find the section labeled "Changing your SSWLHC-List membership information" in the top half of the page and enter your new address. 3. If you belong to multiple SSWLHC lists and wish to change your address for all subscriptions that use the old address, select the "Change globally" box before you press the Submit Changes button. See Other Options, Change/Set Options Globally, below for information. 4. Press the Submit Changes button. Note: If you have subscriptions under another address or for lists on a different domain, these will have to be done separately. There is no command available for this option. If you are unable to use the web interface, contact the list administrator for assistance. Stop/Start Getting Copies of Posts (myposts option) By default you will receive a copy of each post you send to the list. Some subscribers prefer this option default, since it lets them know when the post has gone through and provides them with a copy of their own words, along with the rest of the discussion. On the other hand, some subscribers do not want to receive copies of their own posts. 11

12 Also see Confirm That List Receives Posts by List, below, which discusses acknowledgement s for posts sent to the list. Note: This option has no effect if you are receiving digests. To use the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 2. Find the section labeled "Receive your own posts to the list?" in the Your SSWLHC-List Subscription Options section. 3. Select "Yes" to receive copies of your own posts, and "No" to avoid receiving them. 4. Press the Submit Changes button. To use the interface: 1. Send an mail to 2. Include the command set myposts on (without quotes) in the body or subject of your to receive copies of your own posts. This is the default setting for the SSWLHC- List listserve. 3. Include the command set myposts off (without quotes) in the body or subject of your to avoid receiving copies of your posts. 4. A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided in Appendix C, set myposts on set myposts off, below. Digests Start/Stop Receiving Posts Grouped Into One Large (digest option) Groups of posts are called "digests" in Mailman. Rather than get messages one at a time, you can get messages grouped together. On a moderately busy list, this typically means you get one per day, although it may be more or less frequent depending upon the list. See Receive MIME Versus Plain Text Digests, below for a discussion of MIME versus plain text. To use the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 2. Find the section labeled "Set Digest Mode" in the Your SSWLHC-List Subscription Options section. 3. Select "On" to receive messages bundled together in digests. 12

13 4. Select "Off to receive posts separately. This is the default setting for the SSWLHC-List listserve. 5. Press the Submit Changes button. To use the interface: 1. To set the digest options using the interface, see Receive MIME Versus Plain Text Digests, following. Receive MIME versus Plain Text Digests (digest option) MIME is short for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. It is used to send messages containing content that is other than simple plain text. (For example, MIME would be used if you were sending a picture of your dog to a friend.) A MIME digest sends each message as an attachment inside the document, along with a summary table of contents. A plain text digest is a simpler form of document, which should be readable even in mail readers which don't support MIME. The individual messages are included, one after the other to display as one large text message. Most modern mail programs do support MIME, so you only need to choose plain text digests if you are having trouble reading the MIME ones. Note: This option does not affect whether or not you will receive messages as a digest. (See Digests, above for more information on receiving mail as digests.) To use the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 2. Find the section labeled "Get MIME or Plain Text Digests?." in the Your SSWLHC-List Subscription Options section. 3. Set the option to "MIME" to receive digests in MIME format. 4. Set the option to "Plain text" to receive digests in plain text format. 5. If you belong to multiple SSWLHC lists, you can make this change for all lists at the same time by checking the Change globally box before you press the Submit Changes button. See Other Options, Change/Set Options Globally, below for information. 6. Press the Submit Changes button. To use the interface: 1. Set it to "plain" to get posts bundled into a plain text digest, or "mime" to get posts bundled together into a MIME digest. 2. Send an mail to sswlhc-list-request@mailman.proaccess.net 13

14 3. Include the command set digest plain (without quotes) in the body or subject of your to receive your posts in plain text digest format. This is the default setting for the SSWLHC-List listserve. 4. Include the command set digest mime (without quotes) in the body or subject of your to receive your posts in MIME digest format. 5. Include the command set digest off (without quotes) in the body or subject of your to turn off digest format. 6. A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided in Appendix C, set digest plain set digest mime set digest off, below. Other Options Change/Set Options Globally For some of the options available in your member options page, there is a check-box which is labeled "Change Globally" or "Set Globally." This means that if you change this option, you can also apply the change to any other future SSWLHC listserve to which you are subscribed. This can be quite handy if, for example, you want to make sure all your passwords are the same, or you are going on vacation and want to temporarily turn off mail delivery for all your lists. Change Name Viewed by List Members To use the web interface: 1. Log in to your member options page. See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions. 2. Find the box labeled "Your name" in the Changing your SSWLHC-List membership information section. 3. Enter the new name you wish to use for this list. 4. If you belong to multiple SSWLHC lists, you can make this change for all lists at the same time by checking the Change globally box before you press the Change my address and name button. See Other Options, Change/Set Options Globally, below for information. 5. Press the Change my address and name button. There is no command available for this option. If you are unable to use the web interface, contact the list administrator for assistance. Note: SSWLHC requests that you use your real full name for all SSWLHC listserves. 14

15 Common Questions How do access the archives to find information from previous SSWLHC-List posts? The SSWLHC-List archives organize all posts from January 2007-present. Posts are added daily to the archives. You can search by author, subject, or thread. To access SSWLHC-List archives: 1. Go to 2. Enter your SSWLHC-List password and your address that is registered for SSWLHC-List use. 3. Click the Submit button and you should be re-directed to the archives page. Trouble shooting My password doesn't work. Use your SSWLHC-List password, not your password for the SSWLHC members' only page. Your SSWLHC-List password is unique to the SSWLHC-List listserve. If you have not subsequently modified it, an initial password was randomly generated and included within your automated "Welcome" message. You received this message from SSWLHC-List at the time you were initially subscribed. I forgot my password. 1) Go to the SSWLHC-List options website 2) Enter your address 3) Click the Remind button at the bottom of the page. 4) Your password will be ed to you. I tried "tumble" as the password and nothing happens. Tumble was the universal password for our old archives system. Effective January 2007, our new server randomly assigned unique initial passwords to each member. You have been encouraged to use the options page to change your password to something you can remember more easily. This is your password for all SSWLHC-List functions, including archive access. I don't seem to be getting mail from the list. What should I do? There are a few common reasons for this: No one has sent any mail to the list you're on for a little while. The list may have recently become dormant. Consider composing a regular message to the list on a legitimate list topic. Note: It is generally considered impolite to send test messages to the entire list. As an alternative, if you want to test the list to determine that it is in fact working, send a help message to the list request address at 15

16 and confirm that you receive a reply. A quick reference of the available subscriber commands and instructions for their usage has been provided in Appendix C, set digest plain set digest mime set digest off, below. You may also contact the list moderator to ask if the list has been dormant. Contact information for these individuals can be found in Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts, below. You were bouncing mail and have had mail delivery (temporarily) disabled by the list software. If your mail provider "bounces" too many messages (that is, it tells Mailman that the message could not be delivered), Mailman eventually stops trying to send you mail. This feature allows Mailman to gracefully handle addresses which no longer exist (for example, the subscriber has found a new internet service provider and forgot to change their address), as well as addresses which are temporarily outof-service (for example, the subscriber has used up all of the allotted space within their account, or the subscriber's mail provider is experiencing difficulties). Even if you are unaware of any difficulties with your mail provider, it is a good idea to check this. Some popular webmail providers and internet servers are not as reliable as one might assume. You may also want to send yourself a test message from another account or ask a friend to send you a test message to make sure your subscribed address is working. To check if this may be the reason you are not receiving messages, log in to the member options page (See List Interfaces, Web Interface for detailed instructions.) and look at your options. Find the option labeled "Mail Delivery" in the Your SSWLHC-List Subscription Options section - if it is set to "Disabled," set it to "Enabled" to start receiving mail again. (For more instructions on disabling or enabling mail delivery, see Mail Delivery, Turn Mail Delivery On/Off, above.) Note: Even if mail delivery has not been disabled at the time you check, you could be bouncing messages and not have reached the threshold for your subscription to be disabled. You may need to check again. If the problem continues, contact the list administrator. Contact information can be found in Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts, below. There is a delay or break in the networks between you and the list server. We all know that the internet is not 100% reliable, nor is it always fast. Sometimes messages simply take a long time to reach you. In these cases patience is required, especially if the daily traffic load is heavy or if the server is forced to link through many locations before it reaches your internet service provider. To check if this might be causing your problem, you or your network administrator can try pinging the list server or tracing the route between you and it. Instructions on how to do this vary from platform to platform and can be found by doing a search on the web. The Mailman installation on the list server is not functioning or not functioning properly. To determine if this is the case, send an message to sswlhc-listrequest@mailman.proaccess.net with the command "help" (without the quotes) in the Subject: line. If you do not receive a reply within a reasonable length of time, this may be the problem. In this case contact the list administrator. Contact information can be found in Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts, below. 16

17 What does Mailman do to help protect me from unsolicited bulk (spam)? SSWLHC wants to prevent its SSWLHC-List listserve from being abused by people who send spam. It uses the wide range of options provided by Mailman listserve software in an ongoing attempt to prevent such abuse. Many of the software s configuration settings are optional to the list administrator and will be employed as security risk levels dictate. List administrators must continually balance protecting the security of subscribers against their ability to easily communicate with one another on the list. Subscriber lists o o o Membership in this is restricted to SSWLHC-List members only. The subscriber list has been set to private and is viewable only by the list administrator. The subscriber list is shown with the addresses obscured to make it difficult for spam harvesters to collect your address. Limited posting to the lists o o o o Only subscribers can post to the list. The Moderator reviews and approves all non-member posts before they are posted to the list. List member posts must meet the etiquette guidelines set forth in the SSWLHC Listserve Etiquette FAQ. Members who flagrantly violate these guidelines are subject to having their posts moderated. The topic and content of list member posts generally fall within the stated purpose of the list. Members who flagrantly post off-topic or off-subject posts are subject to having their posts moderated. Of course, many address-obscuring methods can be circumvented by determined people, so be aware that the protections used may not be enough. Note: Please immediately report any suspicious posts to the list moderator. Contact information can be found in Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts, below. I need to communicate with a human! SSWLHC believes its SSWLHC-List listserve offer valuable member networking benefits and wants to insure that your participation is a rewarding experience. If you have any difficulty using this listserve, and have been unable to resolve the issue by reviewing this Guide and the SSWLHC Listserve Etiquette FAQ, contact the list moderator for assistance. Please remember that the listserve moderator is a volunteer who is donating their spare time to manage the list, and like all SSWLHC members, they are very busy people. This list administrator is also available to assist you with technical issues. Contact information can be found in Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts, below. 17

18 Appendix A SSWLHC-List Listserve Links and Contacts List Name: SSWLHC-List Subscriber Preferences: Create a New Posting to the List: sswlhc-list@mailman.proaccess.net Base Commands: For a complete listing of commands, sswlhc-listrequest@mailman.proaccess.net. Include the word help in the body or subject of your . You will receive a complete list of commands by reply . For an abbreviated list, see Appendix B Commands Quick Reference, below. List Moderator: list-moderator@sswlhc.org List Administrator: sswlhc-list-owner@mailman.proaccess.net SSWLHC Office: membership@sswlhc.org Note: When you send an message to one of the listserve contacts, we ask that you always include the following contact information in the body of your message: List name (sswlhc-list) Your name Phone number Time zone Best time to reach you The following are the addresses used in the operation of the listserve. A detailed description of these addresses can be found in Listserve Interfaces, interface, above. sswlhc-list@mailman.proaccess.net - this is the address to use for new postings to the list. sswlhc-list-leave@mailman.proaccess.net - by sending a message to this address, a member can request unsubscription from the list. sswlhc-list-owner@mailman.proaccess.net - This address reaches the list administrator (owner) directly. sswlhc-list-bounces@mailman.proaccess.net - This address receives bounces from members whose addresses have become either temporarily or permanently inactive. sswlhc-list-confirm@mailman.proaccess.net - This is the address for an robot that processes confirmation messages for subscription and unsubscription requests. sswlhc-list-request@mailman.proaccess.net This address reaches an robot that processes commands that can be used to set member subscription options, as well as process other commands. 18

19 Appendix B Commands Quick Reference When you submit an command, you do not need to include the caret symbols (< >). As an example, to submit a change password command, your message body might look like this: password turtle frog In this case turtle is your old password and frog is your new password. (See password command options, below.) confirm < CONFIRMATION-STRING > Confirm an action. The confirmation-string is required and should be supplied within a mailback confirmation notice. end Stop processing commands. Use this if your mail program automatically adds a signature file. help Receive a copy of the help message. lists See a list of the public listserves on this Mailman server. password < OLDPASSWORD > < NEWPASSWORD > address= < ADDRESS > Retrieve or change your password. With no arguments, this returns your current password. With arguments < OLDPASSWORD > and < NEWPASSWORD > you can change your password. set (e.g.. set < OPTION >) Set or view your membership options. Use `set help' (without the quotes) to get a more detailed list of the options you can change. This list is also given in Appendix C. Use `set show' (without the quotes) to view your current option settings. unsubscribe < PASSWORD > address= < ADDRESS > Unsubscribe from the listserve. If given, your password must match your current password. If omitted, a confirmation will be sent to the unsubscribing address. If you wish to unsubscribe an address other than the address you sent this request from, you may specify `address= < ADDRESS > ' (no brackets around the address, and no quotes!) who < PASSWORD > address= < ADDRESS > See everyone who is on this listserve. The roster is limited to list members only, and you must supply your membership password to retrieve it. If you're posting from an address other than your membership address, specify your membership address with `address= < ADDRESS > ' (no brackets around the address, and no quotes!) 19

20 Appendix C Member Options Quick Reference set help Show this detailed help. set show address= < ADDRESS > View your current option settings. If you're posting from an address other than your membership address, specify your membership address with `address= < ADDRESS > ' (no brackets around the address, and no quotes!). set authenticate < PASSWORD > address= < ADDRESS > To set any of your options, you must include this command first, along with your membership password. If you're posting from an address other than your membership address, specify your membership address with `address= < ADDRESS > ' (no brackets around the address, and no quotes!). set ack on set ack off When the `ack' option is turned on, you will receive an acknowledgement message whenever you post a message to the list. set digest plain set digest mime set digest off When the `digest' option is turned off, you will receive postings immediately when they are posted. Use `set digest plain' if instead you want to receive postings bundled into a plain text digest (i.e. RFC 1153 digest). Use `set digest mime' if instead you want to receive postings bundled together into a MIME digest. set delivery on set delivery off Turn delivery on or off. This does not unsubscribe you, but instead tells Mailman not to deliver messages to you for now. Using the set delivery off command is useful if you're going on vacation. Be sure to use `set delivery on' when you return from vacation! set myposts on set myposts off Use `set myposts off' to avoid receiving copies of messages you post to the list. This has no effect if you're receiving digests. set hide on set hide off Use `set hide on' to conceal your address when people request the membership list. set duplicates on set duplicates off Use `set duplicates off' if you want Mailman not to send you messages if your address is explicitly mentioned in the To: or Cc: fields of the message. This can reduce the number of duplicate postings you will receive. set reminders on set reminders off Use `set reminders off' if you want to disable the monthly password reminder for this listserve. 20