Mailing lists are just what they sound like: lists of e-mail addresses to which messages can be sent. They are most often used for announcements and discussions. They are often managed by special "mailing list manager software" (such as listserv or Majordomo), though some lists are managed by human beings manually.

If you'd like to know what mailing lists exist, several indices of mailing lists are available to you:

• List of Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists (PAML)
• "Liszt" list of lists

To join ("subscribe to") a mailing list, unsubscribe, or enquire for information about the list, do not use the list address! Instead, use the "request" address, which will usually have one of the forms (assuming the list address is "listname@dom.ain"):

• listname-request@dom.ain
• majordomo@dom.ain
• listserv@dom.ain
• listproc@dom.ain

If you want to start a mailing list of your own, you may be in luck. Some members of the University community are entitled to use the Concordia Majordomo list manager. If you are not entitled to use our Majordomo, then you may not run a list from our facilities. However, many Internet Service Providers support mailing lists owned by their subscribers. There is a FAQ on internet mailing list service providers, too.

If all you need is a very small distribution list (not more than a dozen or so members), you can create one manually by setting mail aliases. See the manpage for your mail software (e.g. Pine or MH). In Pine, select "Addressbook", then "S" to create a list.

This is probably a good time to remind you that chain letters and other unwanted mass mailings are prohibited on Alcor, and will result in the suspension of your account. See the Alcor rules and regulations for more information.

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Copyright, © 2003, Concordia University, (IITS). Author: Anne Bennett Credits: none Maintained by: webdoc@alcor.concordia.ca Last update: 2002/10/23 -- Sheila Ettinger