More on privacy options.

The first defense against spammers signing on to your list is the
subscription=open,confirm command.  Before a person is signed on
to your list, they receive a confirmation message that they must
return with an "ok" in it.  That pretty much rules out the
spiders -- for now.

Subscription notices go to the listowner, but you could set them
to go to someone else.  Again, if many members of the list have
reason to be concerned, you could have a membership committee that
checks up on subscribers.

But the bottom line here is that if someone is so devious as to get
unto a list to see what you are saying -- then they are devious enough
to lie.  Are you going to be able to tell it's your boss writing the
messages if it's from "[log in to unmask]", his kid's address?  For
various reasons, I have access right now to five addresses, not
counting AOL's willingness to let me use five different names.
I could even get a sixth from L-Soft.  If someone is of ill intent,
these things are easy to do.

The computer doesn't ask for thumbprints when it asks for your name,
you know.

I do run a list that we want to keep very private, and the only
thing we've figured out to do is to require that people fill out
a membership form before they are subscribed.  It asks for some
personal details, and we also require that they sign an agreement
not to pass along any information from the list without express
permission of the original author of the post or -- if it involves
more than just the author -- the listowners and/or others involved
in the thread.  People make mistakes.  But it is a clear message
that this list is intended to be private and if you use it for any
other purpose you are breaking your word.  It is, of course,
unenforceable -- but if we had to, we would use it in court and at
least it is a statement of intent with clear suspicion of fraud if
someone were to falsely portray who they were in an effort to do
damage to someone on the list.

Neither list is archived for the same privacy reasons (we archive
them privately on home computers).

Keeping track of members via membership forms is also more or less
difficult depending on how many members you have -- and how often the
subscription list "churns".  That is, if you have high turnover --
if a lot of people drop in for a while, and then drop out -- even if
you have a small subscriber list keeping track of membership forms will
drive you nuts.  Conversely, if you have a large list but little
turnover,
then it is still possible to use membership forms.  The only list I do
it on is a small list with moderate turnover, and the forms are not a
problem at all.  (Technically, it's an "organization" anyway.)

The "walls have ears" on internet.  If you are really afraid of your
boss, use a pseudonym and don't use an account he/she would recognize.
if you are really REALLY afraid of your boss, don't post on internet.
But that seems a rather sad solution.

Other than that, there are levels of security for your subscribers
that correspond with levels of inconvenience.  It is up to you and
your subscribers to choose what balance you want to maintain.

But it is my experience that OPEN subscription lists are useless in
terms of keeping ill-meaning lurkers out.  They far more often
serve the opposite purpose.

Mary Schweitzer