(David asked about converting a 1,000 member 200 message/day list).
Since you didn't mention your LISTSERV platform and I'm only familiar
with 1.8b on VM/CMS, I'll just offer some personal observations on
some list header keywords (your mileage will vary)...
* Review= Owner
Your subscription list can be used in so many BAD ways, keep it
confidential.
* Subscription= Open,Confirm
The OK mechanism is a wonderful LISTSERV feature. So many people
will spoof a subscription or mis-type their "From:" address or
can't receive mail at the same address from whcih they send ...
that Confirm is worth its weight in gold.
* Confirm-Delay= 96
I find the default 48 hours a little short, especially for M-F
"members".
* Send= Editor,Hold
This is good protection agains "spam", though other methods work also.
These options tell LISTSERV to automatically authorize any Editor to
post and to send any other attempted post to the Moderator.
* Notify= [log in to unmask]
This specifies that signon/signoff confirmations should be copied
to this address. On a list with many subscribers coming and
going, I make this address the name of another list and I
subscribe to a digest of that list (cuts down my mail volume, but
I still get to see the activity). This also lets other
administrators see this activity if need be. This other list is
probably confidential and has subscription by owner.
* Reply-to=Sender,Respect
If it feels like your list is high volume or you often see
personal replies on the list, try this option. If you're trying
to foster discussion, use "Reply-To=List,Respect".
* Files= No
When will this become the default or be removed from LISTSERV?
I'm ready now.
* Validate= Yes,Confirm,NOPW
This makes it difficult for people to enter commands "for" someone
else. Without some such option as this, almost anyone in the
world can signoff all your good posters ... at the least creating
some havoc.
* List-Address= LISTNAME@FQDN
* List-ID= Some_alias_for_your_list
Let's you have an alias name for your list, should you want it.
* Confidential= No
LISTSERV will place this list in it's list-of-lists.
* Default-Options= Repro,Review
These are completely a matter of taste. "Repro" tells LISTSERV to
a distribution to the article poster, if subscribed. Some of my
subscribers need the feedback :-)
"Review" says that this subscriber's post (a new subscriber) will
be sent to the Moderator. Presumably, you might reset the
subscriber to "Noreview" once s/he is shown to write within list
standards.
* Notebook= Yes,x,Weekly,Public
Are postings archived? Where? How? Are they publicly available?
* Errors-To= [log in to unmask]
Delivery diagnostic messages that can't be recognised by LISTSERV
are sent here.
* Digest= Yes,Same,Daily,05:00,Size(1500)
Are daily digests available? If so, when are they "cut" (time and
size). The size referes to total lines of postings since the last
digest. When a posting comes in to cause the total to exceed this
value (1500 here), a "special" digest is sent immediately and
including this last posting.
Some mail systems can't accept over 100,000 bytes per message
(1500*60 is 80,000). JUNO can't accept over 61,440 bytes :-(
* Sizelim= 500
Limit the size of outgoing messages in lines. If your list
accepts non- text information, this keyword should probably be set
very high or disabled.
* Auto-Delete= Yes,Semi-Auto,Delay(4),Max(250)
Pick your own values, but this seems to work. Good arguments can
be made for other values!
* Stats= Normal,Owner
LISTSERV won't win awards on stats it makes available, but luckily
its great in most other areas. :-)
* Daily-Threshold= 400
All my lists have such a statement, but in many years I've never
had a runaway list where this proved useful. Using this keyword
to limit postings on a list would be quite unsatisfactory (1.8b).
Hope this helps (or maybe leads to some discussion),
wayne
Wayne T. Smith mailto:[log in to unmask]
Systems Group -- CAPS University of Maine System
Co-owner of the College Hockey mailing lists
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