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There are a number of things that a List Owner[LO] can do to make sure that their list runs smoothly. They include:
In general, the administrator of the List Processor will configure each list so that a selection of error messages gets sent to the LO. The LO should read these messages and pay particular attention to those messages that seem to be repetitive.
It is very common to see rejected subscribe requests where the only problem seems to be that the user accidentally mis-spelled the word "subscribe". The user will get a copy of the rejected message as well, and it is reasonable to assume that the user will pick up on their error and try again, successfully. If, however, you see several errors from the same user come through, and they don't seem to be able to figure it out, it would make sense to send e-mail with a short explanation of the problem [and solution!] directly to that user.
Just by watching the error messages that get sent to the LO, you can usually tell what commands and actions present problems to the users. In general, you might want to include instructions for how to unsubscribe, how to get a list of subscribers using the "review" command, and how to get more help using the "help" command. It might be reasonable to send one of these out every month or two.
These are the commands that the list's subscribers will most often carry out, and with which they will most often require assistance. All of these commands are carried out via e-mail, and all are mailed to the address "listproc@mail.auburn.edu". The "Subject:" line should be left blank, and signature blocks should be omitted. If a signature block cannot be omitted for some reason, then adding a line after the listserv command with two dashes "--" on it will signal the system to stop processing at that point.
For the examples to follow, "testlist" will be the name of the list to be manipulated, and "Joe Public" will be the name of the user executing the commands. For each command, the syntax wil be shown, followed by an example of how the command would look if executed by Joe Public on the testlist. Additional comments may follow the Syntax and Example lines. Brackets [] will be used to indicate when a command parameter should be filled in by the user with a valid value.
A. Subscribing to a list
Syntax: subscribe [list_name] [Full Name]
Example: subscribe testlist Joe Public
Comments: It is very common to see people
spell subscribe as "suscribe" and
get an error from this command.
B. Unsubscribing from a list
Syntax: unsubscribe [list_name]
Example: unsubscribe testlist
Comments: Note that no Full Name is required when
unsubscribing from a list. The list server
picks this information out of the headers in
e-mail message.
C. Getting more help from the List Server
Syntax: help [command name]
Example: help
or
Example: help unsubscribe
Comments: Users can have the List Processor mail them
general help information with the plain
"help" command, or specific information on a
particular command with the "help command name"
command. The command name is optional.
D. Finding out who is subscribed to a list.
Syntax: review [list_name]
Example: review testlist
Comments: This command returns a list of all unconcealed
subscribers on the specified list.
E. Finding out what lists are available from the List Server
Syntax: lists
Example: lists
Comments: This command returns a list of all listss managed
by the AU List Processor
F. Getting Information on a specific list
Syntax: info [list_name]
Example: info testlist
Comments: This command mails back the contents of the
"info" file that applies to the specified list.
If the"info" file for the specified list is
empty, an empty e-mail message will be returned.
G. Setting your password [for an individual].
Syntax: set [list] password [current-passwd] [new-passwd]
Example: set testlist password 3829384 bongo
Comments: In the above example, "3829384" was used as the
"current-passwd" and "bongo" was used as the
"new-passwd".
There are a number of commands which you as a LO can carry out via e-mail to help in the administration of your list. Among the most important capabilities are subscribing and unsubscribing users. In most cases, the LO will be required to supply a LO password, which is differenet from the pasword which is supplied when someone subscribes to the list. If you are a LO and don't know your list's LO password, contact the List Server Manager [manager@listserv.duc.auburn.edu]. In the examples given below, the LO password will be "conga".
A. Subscribing a New User
Syntax: system [list_name] [LO password] [user address] #subscribe [list_name] [Full Name]
Example: system testlist conga publijq@duc.auburn.edu #subscribe testlist Joe Public
Comments: The above commands should be put on one line. They
are broken into two lines here because of column
width restrictions, but in "real life", they should
be put on one line. Also, more than one command
can be included in an e-mail message, so one
message can be sent to the List Processor with
multiple commands which will subscribe or
unsubscribe multiple users.
B. Unsubscribing a User
Syntax: system [list_name] [LO password] [user address] #unsubscribe [list_name]
Example: system testlist conga publijq@duc.auburn.edu #unsubscribe testlist
Comments: The above commands should be put on one line. They
are broken into two lines here because of column
width restrictions, but in "real life", they should
be put on one line. Also, more than one command
can be included in an e-mail message, so one
message can be sent to the List Processor with
multiple commands which will subscribe or
unsubscribe multiple users. Note: The user
address must be the address shown in the
list of subscribers as obtained by using the
"review" command.
C. Retrieving the "info" or "welcome" Files
Syntax: edit [list] [LO password] [filename]
Example: edit testlist conga welcome
Comments: This command will retrieve a copy of the curent
"info" or "welcome" file, to allow for editing.
After editing, the file can be sent back to the
List Processor using the "put" command outlined
below. The "info" file contains information that
is displayed when a user sends an "info" request to
the List Processor [see item 3F above]. The
"welcome" file contains text which will be
appended to the initial welcome message that new
subscribers are sent when the List Processor
acknowledges their subscription.
D. Replacing the "info" or "welcome" Files
Syntax: put [list] [LO password] [filename]
new text for the file to be changed
more new text for the file to be changed
final line for the text to be changed.
--
Example: put testlist conga info
Testlist is a new list that has been set up
for the purpose of illustrating command syntax
and structure for new List Owners.
--
Comments: This command is used to change the text which is
contained in the "info" or "welcome" files. The
"info" file contains information that is displayed
when a user sends an "info" request to the List
Processor [see item 3F above]. The "welcome" file
contains text which will be appended to the
initial welcome message that new subscribers are
sent when the List Processor acknowledges their
subscription.
The new text for the file to be altered should
begin on the line following the "put" command, and
should end with a line containing two dashes [--].
Send questions and comments to swangdb@mail.auburn.edu