Listserv Subscriber's FAQ

Overview

This document addresses some frequently asked questions regarding Listserv operation and management in the TAMU system. If you have any further questions, email helpdesk@tamu.edu or call us at (979) 845-8300.

Additional FAQs are available at the L-Soft Web site: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/owner-faq.stm

The complete List Owner's Manual is available at the L-Soft Web site:http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8e/owner/owner.html.

** Additional help is available on each screen of the Web interface by using the Help link. Complete documentation for the LISTSERV software is available at the vendor site:http://www.lsoft.com/resources/manuals.asp.

How do I send a message to the list?

To post to a list, send an email to listname@listserv.tamu.edu, where listname is replaced with the name of your list.

How do I subscribe to a list?

To join a LISTSERV mailing list, send an email to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following command as a single line in the body of the message:

     subscribe listname Firstname Lastname

where listname is the name of the list you want to join, and Firstname and Lastname is your real name. No "Subject" is required. You do not need to include your email address in your message. LISTSERV automatically uses the address from your email.
 

How do I unsubscribe or sign off from a list? 

To remove yourself from a list, send an email to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following command as a single line in the body of your message:

     SIGNOFF listname

where listname is replaced with the name of your list. Your email must come from the account you used when you subscribed to the list.

How do I get a LISTSERV password?

LISTSERV no longer uses list-based passwords. It now allows each list owner to have their own personal LISTSERV password, which they can use to interact with LISTSERV when they need to modify or maintain their list.

To get a personal LISTSERV password, visit the List Owner's Web Interface, or send an email tolistserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following command:

     pw add what-you-want-for-a-password
 

How do I change my subscribed address?

Changing your email subscription using an email command

The simplest way to change the email address you are subscribed to a list with is to send a command from your current email address. To change your email address from JoeAggie@tamu.edu to JoeAggie@email.tamu.edu, you will need to send the command from your @tamu.edu address.

1. Send an email to the address listserv@listserv.tamu.edu from the email address JoeAggie@tamu.edu.
    
2. Leave the subject line of your email blank.
    
3. There are two ways to change your sending address
    
   1. To change the subscribed address for all lists you are subscribed to, the body of the message should read:
      
             CHANGE * JoeAggie@email.tamu.edu
        
   2. To change the subscribed address for only one list you are subscribed to, the body of the message should read:
      
             CHANGE LISTNAME JoeAggie@email.tamu.edu
      
      NOTE: This will only change the subscribed address for the list you named in the LISTNAME section of the command.

4. A confirmation message will be sent to your new address. You will receive 1 confirmation message for each list you are subscribed to. You will need to click the confirmation link in each message to confirm the address change.

Changing your email subscription using the Listserv web interface 

You can change your subscribed email address through the Listserv web interface at http://listserv.tamu.edu/. This process only allows you to change your address for one list at a time, so if you are subscribed to many lists, this may be a time consuming process. Additionally, you will need to have a listserv password for the email address you are changing from. If you do not have a password for this address, simply go to the Listserv web interface, click on Manage Your Lists, then get a new LISTSERV password. To reset a current Listserv password, click on the “Change Password” button on the same screen.

This password set up process will require you to have access to the email you are changing from.

1. Go to http://listserv.tamu.edu/ and click the button that says Manage My Lists.
     
2. Log in with your current listserv address (for example, JoeAggie@tamu.edu) and the listserv password you have set up for that address.
     
3. Click the link labeled Subscriber's Corner at the top of the page.
     
4. You will see a list of the mailing lists your email address is subscribed to. Next to the name of each list is a link labeled "Settings." Click the Settings link.
     
5. This page will allow you to set a new email address for that list in the Email Address field. Once you have entered the new address, click the Update Options button at the bottom of the page.
     
6. You will be sent a confirmation message to the new email address. Click the confirmation link in that message.
     
7. After confirming the address change, click on Subscriber's Corner at the top of the page. The list you just changed your address for should no longer be listed, since you can only see lists that are subscribed to by your currently logged-in email address.
      

If you wish to see the lists subscribed to by your new email address, follow the Listserv password creation instructions for your new email address, and then you can log into http://listserv.tamu.edu/ with your new address. Clicking Subscriber's Corner while logged in with the new email address will display your subscribed email lists.

Contacting the list owner

If you are unable to use either option above to change your subscribed email address, you will need to contact the owner of the list you need to change your subscription for. To do this, send an email to LISTNAME-REQUEST@listserv.tamu.edu and request the subscription change. Replace "LISTNAME" with the name of the specific list you are needing to change your subscription for.

How do I confirm that my message was sent?

1. Send a SET listname REPRO command (where listname is replaced with the name of your list) to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu. LISTSERV will send you a copy of your own messages so that you can see that the message was distributed and did not get damaged. A drawback to this is your mail program may not tell you that the message is from you when it informs you that new mail has arrived from your list.
2. Send a SET listname ACK NOREPRO command, and LISTSERV will mail you a short acknowledgement instead of a copy of your own message, which will look different in your mailbox directory. With most mail programs, you will know immediately that this is an acknowledgement you can read later.
3. Finally, you can turn off acknowledgements completely by sending the command SET listname NOACK NOREPRO.

How do I change to digest mode?

Digest mode allows you to receive one message containing multiple posts per digest cycle (which is set by your list owner) instead of individual email messages. To be placed on digest mode, send an email tolistserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following line in the body of your message.

     SET listname DIGEST

where listname is replaced with the name of your list. Your message must come from the email account you used to subscribe to the list.

NOTE: Not all lists have a digest. If you are unsure if your list has digests, contact your list owner by sending email to listname-request@listserv.tamu.edu

While on vacation, how can I stop & restart list mail without having to unsubscribe & re-subscribe?

To suspend list mail delivery, send an email to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following command as a single line in the body of your message:

     set listname nomail

where listname is replaced by the name of the list for which you wish to suspend delivery. Your message must come from the email account you used to subscribe to the list. To turn list mail delivery back on, follow the same procedure but send following command:

     set listname mail

What are list archives?

List archives are a collection of past messages distributed to a list and viewable through the Web. Not all list owners select to archive their lists. It is extremely valuable to know how to check if your list archives.

You can check to see if your list has archives using the following URL format:

     https://listserv.tamu.edu/archives/[listname].html

• Where [listname] is replaced by the name of the list. (ex: https://listserv.tamu.edu/archives/tamu-opt-students-and-employees.html will take you to the archives of the tamu-opt-students-and-employees listserv list.)

NOTE: Few list archives are publicly accessible. To access most list archives, you must be a current subscriber of the list and log in using your subscribed email address.

If I am having trouble confirming a ListServ code, what do I do?

For your own protection, LISTSERV usually sends confirmation instructions when you execute a command. This is to ensure that someone is not attempting to maliciously subscribe you to lists or change your subscription options. There is a 24-hour time limit to confirm.

If you confirm via the Web, many people receive a message saying the confirmation code does not correspond to any pending command. This is usually caused by an accidental double-click of the address. The first click will perform the confirmation and flush the code from the system. The second click will try to use the code again, but since the number has already been flushed from the system, it returns the error message. Since this happens so fast, the person does not see the first successful result, but only the second failed result. In that case, the person really did confirm their command and nothing else needs to be done.

If, however, you are unsure if you double-clicked, the 24-hour time limit has expired, or you are having some other sort of problem, then the only way to resolve this is to re-issue your original command. You cannot hurt anything by doing this. Site managers cannot confirm for you, as they do not have access to command histories. The only way for you to get past this step is for you to perform it on your own by starting all over again.

Note to AOL users: Many people with America Online have trouble receiving confirmation messages. This is because the Spam filter on AOL deletes the message, thinking it is junk email. You must modify your default email filter to allow all email, then reissue your command to LISTSERV.

How do I place a list identifier tag into the subject?

Send an email message to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following command as a single line in the body of the message:

 set listname subjecthdr

where listname is replaced by the name of the list.

I have a password but cannot browse the archives. Why?

To browse most archives, you must also be a subscriber of the list.

I received a message stating I am not subscribed under this address, or my address now is different.

Try to unsubscribe using all known aliases for your email address. If you still cannot find the right address, try reading an email from LISTSERV in full header mode on your email client. In full header mode, a "Delivered-to:" line in the header usually shows the address as it is subscribed on the list.

My question is not answered here. How can I get additional assistance?

For questions about individual lists, your list owner should be able to provide help. Send email to listname-request@listserv.tamu.edu.

For other questions about LISTSERV or to report problems, contact the site administrators by sending email to listman@tamu.edu.

NOTE: Do NOT send questions or general email to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu. This address is only for sending commands and inquiries pertaining to LISTSERV operations. Sending general email will result in an error being returned to you if any other type of message is sent to this address. The LISTSERV software automatically manages email to this address. It is not viewed by a human.