If only one person in hundreds is complaining, then unless that
person happens to be your boss (or someone who knows your boss ;-))
then this can't be a big problem.  Nevertheless, this kind of
challenge occurs on most lists.  My suggestion is to broadcast
the following _kind of_ announcement (taking other actions as
outlined e.g., creating or updating a WELCOME file)
 
Edit (and salt) to taste:
 
/Pete Weiss,
 Penn State
--
 
 
I co-operate xxxxxx-L in a purely technical (listserv/mail) capacity and
not as someone involved in xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.  I also co-operate
several other lists, including xxxxxxxx and xxxxxxx.
 
It has been my experience that the following steps will assist in
cutting down the time required to process list traffic.  These steps are
not done one-time, but from time-to-time (as appropriate):
 
1) Create and maintain a Welcome file sent to all new subscribers
   (and all subscribers when it is FIRST created).  In there,
   the e-mail netiquette rules are layed out e.g., don't reply
   in haste, don't say anything that you wouldn't want repeated, etc;
   how xxxxxx-L may be used (not for commercial advantage); how to
   subscribe/unsubscribe/search/fetch; when conducting a suvery
   of the membership, to include words to the effect "do not
   reply to this message, but instead e-mail your responses to ..."
 
2) Let folks know that they need not receive individual e-mails from
   xxxxxx-L, but can receive a daily Digest, or, an INDEX of postings
 
3) Remind folks from time to time, to make sure that when they
   reply, that the list default is set to reply to the entire
   subscribership (currently around nnn+ members) and that they
   should not reply to the list with responses such as "me too,"
   or libelous responses.
 
4) When they do reply to the list, to make sure they remove
   excess headers, signatures, and reduce any quoted material
   to a minimum (I get several automated bounces per week from
   people who don't do this: listserv software thinks that this
   is a loop and bucks it to me).
 
5) Only registered subscriber's exact e-mail addresses that
   match their subscription address can post directly to xxxxxx-L,
   otherwise I intercept it and deal with it manually (either
   posting it on their behalf if an alternative to their registered
   address or bucking it back to them so that they will subscribe first.)
   This prevents accidental SUBSCRIBE requests or electronic "spams" --
   both offensive to list members.
 
Other lists have such statements.  You can see what one looks like by
e-mailing [log in to unmask] with body-of-text
 
get tqm-L welcome
 
s/