Set Up a New Mailing List
To own/maintain a mailing list on the LISTS.USU.EDU server (currently running Mailman 2.1.7) you must be a Utah State University employee.
To request a mailing list/listserv, call the IT Service Desk at 797-HELP (4357) or email Steve Funk at steve.funk@usu.edu with the following information:
- List name - your desired list name may contain undescores (_) or dashes (-) but may not contain other characters or spaces. Due to poor readability when used in hyperlinks, underscores are discouraged. Examples of acceptable lit names include: Treelist, Tree_List and Tree-List.
- Administrator email address - the usu.edu email address of the list administrator/owner.
- Moderator(s) email address(es) - email address(es) of anyone authorized to post to the list. If the list administrator will post to it, include the administrator email address again here. To provide additional security against spam, moderator postings can require administrator approval prior to posting. If your moderator potings should require prior approval, please indicate here.
- Target audience - a short description of your target audience. Examples of target audiences include USU student body officers, Utah river guides and tree surgeons who are members of the Utah Arbor Society.
- Purpose - a short description of the list purpose. For example, the purpose of the tree surgeon list is to facilitate communication among members of the Utah Arbor Society.
- Description - your brief (a few paragraphs at most) list description will be included at the top of the public list information page. A sample list description is available at http://lists.usu.edu/mailman/listinfo/mailman under "about mailman." Your list description may include a list contact email address.
- Subject line - the subject line (if desired) of email messages sent from the list. You may chose not to include a subject line.
- Non member posts - indicate whether or not you want to allow people who aren't signed up for your list to post to it. Allowing non-members to post to your list will leave it vulnerable to spam messages and is discouraged by IT.
- Contact information - department, email, phone number, office location and UCM of the university employee sponsoring the list.
All list names will be in the form "listname@lists.usu.edu." Your mailing list will be given a name that does not conflict with a currently assigned list name. There is no charge for mailing lists used for university purposes.
Add List Members
Once your mailing list is created, you will enter the names and email addresses of the list members. To mass subscribe people to your list, you can upload your list from a text file to the mailman server. The names must be in the format described under "List Format" below.
List Name Formats
If you keep your membership list in a separate file on your PC, it can have a few different formats:
- The name may be in quotes, followed by the email address in angle brackets:
"Lastname, Firstname" <somebody@somewhere.com>
- The name may be listed without quotes, but followed by the email address still in angle brackets:
Absolutely Noone <abolutelynoone@cc.usu.edu>
- The email address can be listed without an accompanying name, enclosed in angle brackets:
<nobody@cc.usu.edu>
- The email address can be listed without an accompanying name, without angle brackets:
theodoreroosevelt@deadpresidents.com
- The email address can be listed first, in angle brackets, followed by the name not enclosed in quotes,
but this form will not cause the name to be detected by the mailman software:
<youraddress@yourdomain.com> Firstname Lastname
Your file cannot contain commas in the name field UNLESS THE NAME IS IN QUOTES. The names may be last name first or first name first. Periods after initials are acceptable. Email addresses must be enclosed in angle brackets, i.e., <email@address.here> if the line also contains the real name of the person.
List Maintenance
Through a web interface on lists.usu.edu, you will be able to edit the welcome message, goodbye message, mailing list membership (subscribers) and other information.
