Not to insult anybody's intelligence, but I thought I would share what I
came up with as a replacement for the default PROBE1 template (included in
default mailtpl file).  I thought it could head-off some whining by making
subscribers feel as though the message was being sent to them primarily for
their benefit.

>>> PROBE1 &LISTNAME Operating Instructions
&WEEKDAY, &DATE &TIME

This message is sent as an automatic, periodic reminder to &LISTNAME
subscribers letting them know how to manipulate their subscriptions for
maximum benefit.

Some common commands (which you should send to &MYNAMES if you wish to
invoke them):

SIGNOFF &LISTNAME

This ends your subscription to the list and stops list mail from being sent
to you.

SET &LISTNAME DIGEST

This causes the &LISTNAME to stop forwarding incoming messages to you as it
processes them.  Instead, it sends you one large message on a &KWD(DIGEST,3)
basis that contains any individual messages of the period strung together
end-to-end.  This is useful for subscribers who do not wish to be bothered by
the arrival of random messages, or who find it time-consuming to open, read,
and close individual messages.  To stop digest delivery and resume "instant"
message delivery, just send the same command except with the word NODIGEST
instead of DIGEST at the end.

SET &LISTNAME INDEX

This is very similar to DIGEST, except that the server sends only listings
of subjects of messages that have been posted to the list along with
instructions for retrieving messages that are of interest.  Send SET
&LISTNAME NOINDEX to turn off index delivery and resume "instant" delivery.
Note that digest and index are mutually exclusive -- setting one cancels the
other.

SET &LISTNAME NOMAIL

You would use this if you were going on vacation, for instance, and did not
wish to have messages delivered while you were away.  On your return, when you
wanted &LISTNAME to start sending you mail again, you would issue the same
command except with MAIL replacing NOMAIL at the end of it.

SET &LISTNAME DUALHDR

If your e-mail reading software does not reveal the senders' names on your
incoming e-mail, invoke this command.  It causes Listserv to include
relevant header information in the text body of incoming &LISTNAME messages
sent to you.

If you are interested in previous postings to &LISTNAME, they are available
at www.reference.com on the world wide web.

A Listserv subscriber "User's Guide" is available at the Listserv web site
at www.lsoft.com for those wishing to know more about the workings of
Listserv software.

Please note that this message is sent to all users not only as a brief
operational FAQ, but also as a &LISTNAME subscription "probe."  If this
message "bounces" on its way to a subscriber, or if a subscriber's mail
gateway generates an error while handling this message (and this can happen
even though this message eventually reaches a subscriber), the Listserv
software takes further steps to verify that the subscriber's e-mail address
is in working order (this can be of great benefit to a subscriber who is
unaware that his e-mail account is malfunctioning and possibly not
delivering his mail to him).  The probing mechanism automates error
processing and saves the &LISTNAME owners from having to deal with errors by
hand; for that reason, the &LISTNAME owners ask you to tolerate the minor
inconvenience of receiving this message on a periodic basis.

If you ever have questions or comments about the &LISTNAME list, please write to
the list owners at the generic address:

&OWNER

Thanks again for your interest in &LISTNAME.