> From: Seth Dotterer <[log in to unmask]> > A couple of questions from a relative newbie to list-ownership..... > > 1) We're picking up hosting a list from an educational listserver that no > longer wishes to carry the list. Basically, a discussion group for users > of my company's products. They've told the list that they're discontinuing > it, but it's currently still functioning. I've offered our listserver to I just went through merging two lists. APHAMH-L was abandoned by the listowner. When I started posting several people wondered why they were getting mail. It had been so long since they had subscribed. People could not signoff the list because they had changed email addresses or other reasons. There were 200 people on the list. I contacted the systems programmer responsible for the list at the site it was on. I asked to become the listowner. Then I announced on the list that these two lists would be merged. I gave everyone who did not want to have the lists merged 24 hours to sign off the list. I then did a REVIEW, of the list getting all the email addresses. I used "QUIET ADD" for all 200 names (using my word processor of course - I did not type each on in individually). Then they were on my new list. I contacted the systems program and he deleted the old list, but put in am mail reflector so if anyone tries to subscribe to the old list the will end up subscribed to my list. Don't want to throw away all that goodwill and advertising ya know. Then the problems started. It was terrible for about a week as I explained over and over to people what had happened and how to get off the list. It just seemed like noone was reading the administrative posts. It was very frustrating. I lost about 80 out of the 200 subscribers that I moved over. I think it was worth it. If I had just asked them to resubscribe many of the lurkers would not have raised a finger to do so. If I had it to do over, I would have posted more messages on the old list over and over for maybe 3 days instead of 24 hours so everyone who wanted to could get off the list BEFORE I merged them. Make up your mind and do it. As the listowner you make the rules. Good Luck. -------- George Blake [log in to unmask] American Association of Psychiatric Technicians, Inc. 219-879-2911 ...Certifying Mental Health Workers Nationwide... 800-391-7589 336 Johnson Road, Michigan City, Indiana 46360 Fax 219-879-1887 MENTAL-HEALTH-WORKER is an unmoderated discussion list for those interested in entry level psychology, psychiatry, and mental health jobs requiring a bachelors degree or less. To subscribe to Mental-Health-Worker, send the following command: SUBSCRIBE MENTAL-HEALTH-WORKER yourfirstname yourlastname in the BODY of your e-mail to: [log in to unmask]