Listserv Administrators – FAQ Collection

This article provides information for frequently asked questions by listserv administrators including how to create, configure and maintain Lyris listservs.

Lyris is the name of the List Server software that UNC uses for its listserv service. A listserv is an email-based mailing list that uses one address to distribute mail to all members of a specified group. A list enables members to communicate with or reply to the whole group without typing a lengthy list of email addresses and without maintaining a large address book. 

The UNC List Server site can be accessed by visiting the ListManager. Mail can be sent to a list by addressing an email message to: listname@listserv.unc.edu. List commands, such as  subscribe  or  review, may also be sent directly to the server for processing with an email to listmanager@listserv.unc.edu. 

What is the UNC List Server Policy? 

For more information on list server policy, see the help document List Server Practices. 

How do I manage a list? 

To List or Not to List 

If you need to send mail frequently to a number of people, probably the simplest solution is to set up an address book group in your email client. This will allow you to send information to a class of students or other groups of individuals easily; however, it will not allow them to send mail among themselves easily.

If all your members in your group are internal UNC accounts a better solution would be for you to have the service desk create an o365 group for you.

If you wish to send mail to a group of 500 or more members a better solution would be for you to review other email options out there such as iContact.

If, however, your goal is to better facilitate communication back and forth among a group of people–e.g., a class, a committee, or a special interest group–you may wish to set up a list. A list is an email address that distributes mail to all members of a specified group. A list enables members to communicate with or reply to the whole group without typing a lengthy list of email addresses each time. 

Automatic List Deletions

ITS deletes newly created lists that remain inactive for a period of thirty (30) days or contain only a single member. Once a list has multiple members and has been used to send mail with, that list will fall under the existing list policy.

ITS deletes existing lists that remain inactive for a period of thirteen (13) months, contain no members, contains only a single member, or are being used to promote commercial organizations. The list owner is notified and has thirty (30) days to follow the instructions from the notification. In the last case, the list owner’s Onyen services may also be suspended. 

Performing List Functions

There are several different types of software to manage lists. The software ITS uses to manage lists is called Lyris ListManager from Aurea Technologies, Inc. The facilities and commands described in this document are for managing lists using Lyris. Lyris has a very rich set of commands that allow you to configure your list in many different ways. This document describes what we feel are the most common and useful commands for managing your lists.  You can also submit a Service Request for assistance. All of the functions described here can be performed via the Lyris web interface. Some of these functions can also be executed via email, but the web interface offers a great deal of flexibility and power in managing your list. The Lyris web interface tool allows you to set up and administer your list via the Web. 

A Word on Privacy 

Email sent to a list on the list server is redistributed by the list server software to all of the subscribers on the specific list. Messages sent to a list are sent in plain text. It is not secure, nor can it be encrypted. Unlike an email message that you send to an individual, email sent to a list is sent to many different people. You may not know all the people who are subscribed to the list, and if the list is a public or open list, anyone with email access anywhere in the world can subscribe to the list. It is possible to set up a list that is closed (meaning that the list manager(s) must approve all subscriptions and/or all postings sent to the list), but that does not prevent a member of the list from forwarding mail that they received from the list to whomever they chose. You might want to consider a list to be much like a bulletin board that everyone can see. Also, if your list is set up to archive mail, future subscribers would be able to read past postings. The point is, it is always wise to consider how what you put in an email message will be perceived by the person reading the message. The lack of body language and voice inflection sometimes makes it possible to interpret an email message in many different ways. This is particularly important in email sent to a list because of the large number of people who may read your message. As a list owner, you may want to remind your subscribers of these issues. 

Subscribing 

To subscribe to a list, go to the UNC Lyris page, click the Visit button, select the list you want to join, and click Join. On the next screen you’ll be asked to provide some information. If this list is closed, or private, you will have to submit the request for subscription. You may also subscribe via email by sending a message to listmanager@listserv.unc.edu. Leave the Subject: line blank. In the Body: of the message, type subscribe listname your name. For example: subscribe mylist John Doe.

Managing Your List 

If your list is open and unmoderated, you are responsible for all email that goes through the list. You maintain a list by sending commands via the Lyris pages or via email commands to Lyris (listmanager@listserv.unc.edu). In this document we will focus on the Lyris web interface because it offers a much more flexible and powerful tool than does interacting with Lyris via email. However, you can execute some list administrator commands via email, though not all, and they are listed at the end of this document. 

Accessing Your List 

Go to the UNC Lyris Homepage and click the Manage button. You will be prompted to enter a username and password. Enter your admin email address and corresponding list password for the list that you want to manage and click OK to enter the Lyris administrator interface. You will be automatically logged into one of the lists that you manage. To choose another list, click on the name of the current list in the Current List Field, and you will get a list of lists that you manage with the address and password that you logged in with. If you would like to get to other lists you manage, and that you do not see in this list, click on your email address in the Logged In field and then choose to login as a different user. You can then login with the appropriate email address and password for the list you want to access. You may want to consider using the same email address and password for all lists that you manage so that they all appear under one login. 

List Administrator Options

To access the list administrator options, click the Utilities tab and you will be presented with several options: 

List Settings: Choose this option to view and/or modify the settings for your list.  

List Information and Documents: Here you can modify the values for List name, description, enable archives, set documents (hello, goodbye, confirm, and held), control subscription/delivery reports, and enable the child list feature. 

List Security and Membership Confirmations: This is where you can set subscription/unsubscription confirmations, change the security of the list (Open, Closed, Private, Password), and set a global list password. 

Automatic Maintenance: This is where you can set the properties for error mail and the holding/purging of bad addresses. Archive purging settings are here as well. 

Users Web Interface: Here you can set whether the list is hidden, if non-members can read messages through the web forum interface, make the list available as a newsgroup, set new subscriber requirements, and set a WWW URL and graphic for the list. 

Message Rejection and Advanced Settings: This is where you can set digest headers and footers, control anonymous and non-member postings, control membership listing access, control actions for cross-posted and duplicate messages, and other posting rules. 

For Programmers: Advanced programming options, for Pro Version users (which we do not have). 

Map of all Settings: Having trouble finding a particular option? You may be able to find it easier here. 

Members: This is where you can add, remove, and modify members of your list. Modifications you could make to members include granting or revoking administrative privileges, setting passwords, and switching to and from digest modes. For more information on adding members to your list, see Adding/Removing Addresses to/from Your List below. 

List Documents: This is where you can edit or delete documents unique to your list. Documents can include a “hello” document sent to new list members and a “goodbye” document sent to departing listmembers. 

Incoming Messages: Here you can review all messages and email commands sent to the list. 

Outgoing Messages: Here you can review all messages sent from the list address. You can filter, sort, and display the outgoing mail so that you can find the specific message(s) you’re looking for. 

Autoresponders: Here you can set up autoresponder messages for your list. 

Administration: This is another place where you can add and edit list admins. You can also do this through the Members section referenced above. 

Other: Here you can define action phrases for message content filtering, subscribe and unsubscribe forms, change your current login status, and some other features. 

About: There is info here about the Lyris ListManager product. 

When you enter one of the above administrator options note that there is a help link on the screen. If you click this link, it will take you to a page with information specific to the page from which you clicked help. 

How do you create a list? 

1. Visit the Self Service site and log in with your Onyen and password. 
2. Click on the List Manager link. 
3. Click on Admin Tools ---> Create List. 

How do you add/remove addresses to/from your list?

The beauty of using the listserver is that it gives people the ability to subscribe and unsubscribe to a lists. The list owner can be involved as much as they choose to be, but even if the list is open, people will sometimes ask the list owner to help them subscribe. We advise all list owners of open lists to encourage people to subscribe and unsubscribe themselves so they will learn how to use the list. When the list owner needs to intervene, they can subscribe the person to the list from the Lyris web interface or via email commands. 

Getting to the Edit Members Utility

1. Click the Manage button from the UNC Lyris homepage.
2. When prompted, enter your list admin email address and password. 
3. See if the value is set to be the list you want to manage. If it is not, click that listname for a list of other lists that you administer, and choose the appropriate list. 
4. Click the Utilities tab, and choose Members. 

Removing Member Addresses from the List

To delete a member, find their address listing in the list, and click the delete option that corresponds to that address. If you want to delete multiple members at once, pull down the drop-down list at the top of the member listing and choose Delete Many Members and click the Go button. You can then enter in a large group of addresses to delete, each on a new line. You can also choose the Delete All in this View option from the drop-down menu to delete all members that are currently displayed on your screen. Always make sure to not delete your own address from the list! 

Adding One or More Member Addresses to the List

To add a single list member click the Create New Member button and enter the necessary information. To add a group of members click the Create Many Members from the drop-down list and paste their addresses into the available window. Make sure that the list includes at least a valid email address for each entry, and if you’d like, the name of the member, separated by at least a space. For instance: 

• Jeff Something jsomething@email.unc.edu 
• Bob Somewhere bsomewhere@email.unc.edu 
• Joe Somewhere jsomewhere@email.unc.edu 

Remember to click Save at the bottom of the screen to finalize your changes. 

What is list moderation? 

Moderating a list means that you oversee which messages actually get posted to the list. Every message sent to the list is first routed to your email address for your approval. Moderated mailing lists are set up using the Lyris web interface. Lists are typically set up this way to prevent unsolicited mail from being delivered to all subscribers. You will be acting as a email filter for the list members. 

Making Your List a Moderated One

1. First you need to enter the Edit Mailing List page: 
2. Click the Manage button from the UNC Lyris homepage. 
3. When prompted, enter your list admin email address and password. 
4. See if the Current list value is set to be the list you want to manage. If it is not, click that listname for a list of other lists that you administer and choose the appropriate list. 
5. Click the Utilities tab, choose List Settings, then Email Submitted Content, and finally the Approval tab. 

Activating Moderation

Under Lyris you have three types of moderation: 

Not moderated no messages ever need approval. 

Moderated all messages require approval. 

Number Moderated members have a set number of postings moderated. 

Approval Numbers (Approval # for Number Moderated)

If you set your list as Not Moderated the approval numbers should be set at 0 No approvals needed. If your list is set as Moderated your approval should be set at Always Needs Approval. If your list is set as Number Moderated you will need to specify the number of messages new members will need approved before they will no longer be moderated (options range from 1 message to 100). You can also set an approval number for a specific list member on the Members page. 

You go on vacation, but the List Stays at Work

If your list is moderated, you should make plans for when you’re not around to maintain the list. One option is to send a message to the list announcing that the list will “close up shop” until you return. But if you want the list to continue in your absence (and most people do), you have a few options. Let the mail pile up, or change the list to unmoderated, or find someone else to be the temporary moderator. 

Assigning a Substitute Moderator

1. Go to the Members page of your list (login in to your list, click  Utilities, click  Members). 
2. Once on the members page, locate the list member you want to be your temporary moderator and click on the address to get to the Edit Member section. 
3. Click the  List Admin  tab and set Receive moderation notifications to Yes. 
4. Click Save at the bottom of the screen. 

 For more information on managing lists, visit the Lyris help web pages.

Who can own a list on the UNC List Server? 

Lists on the  UNC List Server  must be owned by a current UNC affiliate. A list owner must use his/her  Onyen  as an administrative e-mail address. Aliases, shared mailboxes, service accounts, external accounts are not allowed. 

An example of a permissible administrative e-mail address might be: onyen@email.unc.edu 

Examples of invalid administrative e-mail addresses would be: onyen@myisp.com 

Lists without a valid UNC Onyen as the list admin will be disabled and deleted.

How do I add/remove list members? 

Visit the  ListManager, then: 

1. Click the  Manage Lists  link. 
2. When prompted, enter your list admin email address and your list admin password. 
3. Go to  Members > View Members . 

To add a single member to the list: 

1. Click the  Create New Member button. 
2. Enter the subscriber’s information. 
3. Remember to click  Save  at the bottom of the screen to finalize your changes.  

To add a group of members to the list: 

1. Go to  Members > Add Members > Add Many Members . 
2. Copy your list of members from your personal database or address book. 
3. Paste the member addresses into the available window. 
4. Remember to click  Save  at the bottom of the screen to finalize your changes. 
5. Optionally you can select  Import Members from a Text or CSV File  to add multiple members from a file. 

To remove a single member from the list: 

1. Click  Delete  at the far right of the membership entry you wish to remove. 
2. Click the  Delete  button again. 

What is the maximum number of subscribers I can have for a newly created listserv? 

The subscriber cap is set at 250 for newly created listservs. Course listservs are exempt from this policy. The subscriber cap is in place both to prevent abuse of very large discussion lists, and also to maintain the viability of the license UNC has for our list manager server software. If you wish to have more than 250 subscribers for your listserv, please submit a Service Request to have the cap removed. The UNC Listserv is not designed to be a mass mailer. If you require a group over 500 members, we recommend that you review what kind of group that is and explore other options such as iContact.

How do I export & import members on my list? 

Exporting Members

• Once you have logged into the  UNC Listserver, you can view all members by clicking  Members >View Members . 
• You will see a box containing a list of the members of your listserv. To export that list to a file, click the small  Microsoft Excel  icon in the upper right-hand corner.
• You will be given a prompt. It will give you the filename for the list of members ( members- listservname.csv ) and will ask if you want to save the file. Click  Save  to save the list of members to your computer. 

Importing Members 

• To import a list of members in a  CSV  file, go to  Members > Add Members > Import from CSV File .  
• Click  Browse  and select your CSV file that contains the list of members. Click Import  in the lower right-hand side to import the members from the file. 

Deleting the Old List 

Visit  the ListManager  and on the right-hand side in the  Admin Tools  section, click Delete A List. Finally,  click  Delete List  to delete your old listserv. 

How do I get my list Passwords? 

Visit the  ListManager. 

• In the  Visit or Manage a Single List  section, choose to  Visit  a list that you are currently subscribed to, that requires a password to access. 
• When prompted to do so, enter your email address that you are subscribed to the list with, and click  OK. 
• When prompted for a password, type a few random characters, to give an incorrect password, and click  OK. 
• On the next screen, you will be able to click an  Email Password  button. Upon clicking, you will be sent a link via email which will allow you to change your password for all of your subscriptions. 
•  

How do I designate a new list administrator? 

Visit the  ListManager then: 

• Login to manage your list via the  List Administrators  link (you can either click the link that’s located to the left, in the  Admin Tools  area, or use the  Visit or Manage a Single List  box in the center of the page). 

If the new list administrator is a current member, then: 

• Click on the address for the member that you want to edit. 
• Click the  List Admin  tab; set  Is list admin?: to YES and  Receive list admin mail?: to YES. 
• Click the  Save  button at the bottom of the page. To continue, refer to the section below that begins “To verify that your change was saved…”. 

If the new list administrator is not already a list member, then: 

• Click the  Create New Member  button to create a membership for the new list admin. 
• Click the  List Admin  tab. Set  Is list admin?: to YES and  Receive list admin mail?: to YES.  
• Click the  Save  button at the bottom of the page. 
• To verify that your change was saved, go back to the Members page. Open the drop-down box, and choose  Show: list administrators, and click the Go button. The member listing will only display the members who are list admins. You should see both your email address and the new list admin’s email address listed. To remain a member of the list but not be a list admin: 
• Click on your email address to edit your settings. 
• Click the  List Admin  tab. Set  Is list admin?: to No and  Receive list admin mail?: to No.  

• Click the  Save  button at the bottom of the page. 

To remove yourself from the list: 

• Remove your administration privileges as described above. 
• Click the  Log out  link at the top right of the window to leave the admin interface. 
• Unsubscribe yourself  from the list. 

How do I import many listserv members from a file? 

1. Click the  Manage Lists  link. 
2. When prompted, enter your list admin email address and your list admin password. 
3. Go to  Members > Add Members. 
4. Choose either  Import members from text file, or  Import members from CSV file and import in the one of the formats below:
   • bob@unc.edu 
   • bob@unc.edu Bob Shelby 
   • bob@unc.edu (Bob Shelby) 

How can I delete all members from my list without removing the admins? 

• Click the  Manage Lists  link. 
• When prompted, enter your list admin email address and your list admin password. 
• Go to  Members > View Members. 
• Click the Delete All Results button.

• Click the Delete button. 

How do I get a printable list of my list members? 

1. Login to your list on the ListManager, and click on  Members > View Members. 
2. Click the green  Microsoft Excel  icon on the right to download a comma separated (.csv) file of your list. Open this file in Microsoft Excel or a similar program for printing and formatting. 
3. When prompted, choose  Save  to download the file. 
4. Save the file to your  My Documents  folder or  Desktop  to find it easily. 

How do I automatically update the membership list for course lists that I already own? 

Visit the  ListManager and choose the Admin Tool named  Course List Update. Make sure you choose to delete the current non-admins (students) from the list before submitting this request, if this is for a new semester. Also, make sure that you do not delete yourself (the admin) from the list. 

Can list subscriptions be enforced? 

There is no mechanism on the UNC List Server  to prevent subscribers from removing themselves from any list membership. 

List administrators can, however, view subscriber information for their lists including anyone who has unsubscribed. To view subscriber information,  login to your list, select  Reports > Members > Subscriber Activity. 

Another option is to turn on subscription and removal confirmations for the list. These settings can be adjusted via the admin interface under  Utilities > List Settings > New Subscriber Policy > Confirmation. 

How can I download a membership listing from my list into a file? 

Visit the  ListManager, then: 

1. Click the  Manage Lists  link. 
2. When prompted, enter your list admin email address and your list admin password. 
3. Go to  Members > View Members . 
4. Click the green  Microsoft Excel  icon at the upper-right of the window to download a csv file with all the members, and their respective information for the list. 
5. After you save the file to your computer, you can open it with Excel or most any spreadsheet program. Within the program you can sort the data based on the columns (Name, Email, etc.). 

How do I stop my list members from receiving error mail? 

You and/or your list members are receiving error mail because their list membership setting for  receive error mail is set to YES. You do not have to be a list admin to have this option activated. If you would like to change this setting for a member, follow these instructions: 

1. Visit the  ListManager.
2. Click the  Manage Lists  link. 
3. When prompted, your list admin email address and your list admin password for the list. 
4. Click Members > View Members. 
5. Click the member you wish to edit. 
6. Click the List Admin tab and set  Receive error mail to NO. 
7. Click  Save. 

What is the best convention for naming lists on the UNC List Server? 

The best practice for naming lists on the UNC Listserver is to name lists with strictly alphanumeric characters. Special characters (like $, @, !, etc.) should not be used in list names. Uppercase characters cannot be used. Lower case only. The dash and underscore characters are permissible though. 

An example of a best practice list name might be: my_list_2003 

An example of a list name to avoid would be: my_l!$t_2**3 

How do I delete my list? 

Visit the  ListManager  and choose  Delete a List  under  Admin Tools. 

How long are list membership, settings, and archives retained? 

Backups of listserv memberships are retained for thirty (30) days. 

If you need the above information restored for your listserv please include the list name, your administrative username, and the date you lost your data in a  Service Request.

Do I have to use subscription confirmation with my listserv? 

Only lists with non-UNC subscribers must use subscription confirmations. Some of the benefits of having subscription confirmation turned on are: 

• Helps to avoid mistyped email addresses from being added to a list. 
• Helps to prevent addresses being blindly added to a list without the owner’s knowledge. 

To turn on subscription confirmation, login to manage your list at the ListManager, and go to  Utilities > List Settings > New Subscriber Policy > Confirm Subscribes. 

As a listserv owner why should I close my list? 

Open listservs by definition are listservs that allow non-subscribers to post messages and/or allow anyone to join. Open listservs are increasingly used by spammers, and the spam emitting from them causes other sites to reject legitimate listserv messages. Open listservs adversely impact your list members getting their mail delivered. 

Closed lists, conversely, allow only subscribers to post and require the listserv owner to approve new subscriptions. Closed lists maximize and ensure listserv message deliverability and minimize SPAM.  

What are the default listserv settings for newly created lists? 

Note that the settings below are only the settings that differentiate these different types of lists: 

Open List: 

• Who Can Join?:  Open — anyone can join 
• Reject posts from non-members?:   No, anyone can contribute to the list 
• Hide the existence of this list?:   No 
• Archive Messages?: No, do not keep archives (digest and index mailings will not be available) 

Closed List: 

• Who Can Join?:   Private — An Administrator must approve new members 
• Reject posts from non-members?:   Yes, only members are allowed to post 
• Hide the existence of this list?:   Yes 
• Archive Messages?:   No, do not keep archives (digest and index mailings will not be available) 

Course List: 

• Who Can Join?:   Private — An Administrator must approve new members 
• Reject posts from non-members?:   Yes, only members are allowed to post 
• Hide the existence of this list?:   No 
• Archive Messages?:   Yes, save and archive messages sent on this list 

How do I update the Reply To: field? 

The University has made a change to automatically set the  Reply To:  field in Listserv to Author. Setting this field to Author will allow members of the list to reply back to the original author of the list instead of replying to the entire list. In order to change the reply address in the  Reply To:  field, please submit a Service Request.

How do I enable cross posting/duplicate postings for my list? 

Cross Posting: A cross-posted message is a single message sent to more than one mailing list on a server. For example, in the  To: field of an email message, the author can list several mailing lists and deliver the same message to several lists. 

If  Allow Cross-posting?  is set to  No, ListManager will catch a cross-posted message, see that it has already been posted to another list, and reject any further attempts to post the identical message. If the message is modified slightly  (i.e., an extra space, a carriage return, an extra sentence, etc.) it will not be considered a cross-posting. Note that Archives must be kept for at least one day for cross-posted messages to be removed. 

In general, cross-posting to mailing lists is considered bad Internet etiquette. Occasionally it is a method used by spammers to disseminate inappropriate email. However, there are many circumstances where it is appropriate. For instance, if there are two mailing lists or segments that deal with related topics, and messages appropriate to both groups are written, the author may want the message to be distributed to both mailing lists. 

Duplicate Postings: A duplicate posting occurs when one person attempts to post a seemingly identical message to the same mailing list more than once in one day.

Note: Archives must be kept for at least one day for duplicates to be detected. 

ListManager looks at the first 200 characters to determine if a posting appears to be a duplicate. The reason for this is that some  automatic answer  programs (such as the  vacation  program) will automatically reply to anything they receive by adding a  I’m on vacation  sentence to the top of the message and quote the rest of the message. ListManager will catch the duplicate posting, since the top of the message will be identical. 

Normally you will want to leave this default setting as it is since there usually is no good reason why your list members would want to receive the same message twice. Also, this feature is quite effective as a mail-loop prevention technique, when people attach a misbehaving automatic email answering program to their email address. 

If you find it necessary to change either of these settings from their default, you may make changes from within the Listserv Web interface. First,  login  to manage your list. Select the  Utilities  tab. Click List Settings > Discussion Group Features > Message Rejection Rules. Select the  Same Message Rules  tab. Make your selection and then click  Save  when you are finished. 

How do I set up a Parent/Child listserv relationship? 

To set up a Parent/Child listserv relationship you will need to submit a ticket to the service desk. Due to the implementation of DMARC, certain settings need to be put in place which the List Admin has no access to. You can add a child list under a parent list to send to, however you can no longer nest multiple child lists under one another. In order for a sender to be able to send to a child list by sending to the parent list, the sender must be an approved sender on both lists.

How do I change my list from Open to Closed? 

• To setup your list as Closed instead of Open, login to the list as the admin and go to  Utilities > List Settings > Discussion Group Features > Security  and set  Reject Posts from Non-Members  to Yes. Click the  Save  button. 
• Go back to  List Settings > New Subscriber Policy > Security and set  Security  to Closed or Private. Click the  Save  button. 
• If you would like to set your list so that only administrators can post via email, please submit a Service Request. 

Once your list is closed only subscribers will be allowed to post. If you have subscribers who want to post from more than one e-mail address, you can simply add their alternate e-mail address(es) in the Members section as if you were adding a new member. These additional members should just be set to  nomail  mode, to prevent receiving duplicate messages. When editing a member, you can set this under  Members > View Members> Settings > Membership Kind. 

How do I filter mail sent to my list? 

A filter is set up by creating a  Match Phrase. To create a match phrase for your list, follow these steps: 

1. Login to manage your list.
2.  Go to  Utilities > Automated Messages > Match Phrases > Create new match phrase . 
3.   Fill in the first field for the  search phrase  or text that you are filtering. 
4.  The next field,  Reject this message, should be set to Yes otherwise it will not stop the message from being sent. 
5. If you would like an auto-response to be sent back to the sender of the matched message, choose a  Response Document  to use for the response. 
6. If you do not already have a document you would like to use, create one at  Utilities > Automated Messages > Document Content .  
7.  On the  Advanced  tab,  Rule  should define where in the email message it should search for this phrase. For example, it could search for free supplies only in the subject line and not in the body of the message. 
8. The rest of the options should be left at their default setting except for  Notify. This field is used to notify someone when the filter has stopped a message from being sent. We strongly recommend that you put your email address there so that you will know when mail has been filtered so that you can verify that the filter isn’t being too strict. 

How do I set up my list for Moderation? 

Submit a Service Request, then:

• Go to  Utilities> List Settings> Email Submitted Content > Approval 
• Make sure  Is List Moderated  is set to the desired setting. 
• Make sure you click  Save. 

Now you must set up some Moderators. 

• Go to  Members > View Members 
• Select yourself and/or the subscriber that you are making the moderator, click the member, select the  List Admin  tab and set their option for  Receive Moderation Notifications  to  YES. There is another option here named  Bypass  that allows the user to automatically bypass moderation. This may be helpful so that the moderator does not have to approve/reject their own messages.
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How do I stop SPAM and/or Viruses from going to my list? 

SPAM or unsolicited email and viruses are problems that bother most email users. When these messages are sent to a list they not only affect one person, but the entire list of subscribers. There are many ways to deal with spam and viruses at the list level so that you can prevent or limit them from reaching your users. The following options can only be set up by the list admin and may affect the way your list currently works. 

1. The only lists that have real problems with spammers are Open lists, which are set up so that subscribers and non-subscribers can post. Obviously, one way to prevent spammers from emailing your list is to make the list Closed. However, if you make the list closed then subscribers will only be able to send to the list with the email address that they are subscribed with. For example, if you are subscribed to the list with your UNC email address, but when you are at home you send from your personal account, you may have problems.
2. Unfortunately, spam isn’t the only type of message that you want to prevent from going to your subscribers. Viruses are also a major problem that is exacerbated by listserves. Setting up your list so that only members can post will help stop SPAM but viruses are spread by the subscribers. One remedy to this problem is to setup Moderation on your list. Moderation means that the Moderator, normally the admin, but can be multiple subscribers, must first approve messages before they are sent to all of the subscribers. If your list has very high traffic (ie. 10+ messages are sent per day) then moderation may not a good idea, otherwise the moderator will be busy all day approving/rejecting messages.
3. Instead of changing the way your list operates you can also setup filters. This option is useful only if you know what to filter. So, it’s tough to filter for spam or viruses that you’ve never received. However, if the same virus or spam has been sent many times then a filter is a good idea. 

Why do random characters show up in my mailing that I sent from the admin web interface? 

You may have pasted the text in from Microsoft Word. Word (and possibly other word processing programs) encodes certain characters in a way that is not compatible with the listserv interface. It is recommended that you use a more simple text editor such as  Wordpad  when composing a message to be pasted into the New Mailing section of the web admin interface. If you have already composed the message in Microsoft Word, follow these steps to adjust the formatting: 

1. Go to  File -> Save As  and save the file as type  Plain Text. 
2. In the File Conversion window that appears, make sure that  Windows (Default)  is chosen. 
3. Place a check in the box next to  Allow Character Substitution, and click  OK. 
4. Close the file, and re-open it. 
5. Paste the text into the Lyris admin interface. 

How can I view my member list sorted by last name in the web interface? 

There is not a simple way to do this in the web interface since the full name is kept as a single field in the database. One workaround would be when a list of many members is added to the list, to add them in this format: 

• (janeuser@test.com) User, Jane 
• (joeuser@test.com) User, Joe 

If you then do a sort by name in the web interface, it will be based on last name, as they will appear first. 

Another option is in  Members > View Members , click the green  Microsoft Excel  icon to download a csv file with all the members, and open that in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel to manipulate the data and then do a sort. 

What is Document Association?

In order to associate the document that was created to send to new subscribers: 

1. Go To Utilities : Automated Messages : Document Associations. 
2. Click on Create New. 
3. The drop down will show the following fields:

• Applies To: Will be the list name 
• Language: Default is English 
• Message Type: Message sent when a private list subscription is approved by an admin 
• Document: Content Name 
• Is Default?: yes 

       4. Click on  Save. 

Once the content document is saved, each time a new subscriber is approved by the admin, the listserv will send the default confirmation emails along with the welcome message. 

 How Can I Link Directly to My List Webpage?

Linking directly to a web page for a specific list is not supported since internal application URL formats are subject to change without notice. 

Currently, you can link to your lists in the following formats: 

• by visiting the list. 
• by subscribing to the list. 

How long can my list remain dormant before it is deleted? 

ITS deletes newly created lists that remain inactive for a period of thirty (30) days, contains the word test in it or contains only a single member. Once a list has multiple members and has been used to send mail with, that list will fall under the existing list policy.

Can a subscriber to a list get unsubscribed because of an email message sent to the UNC listserver by a virus like Klez? 

Yes. Although the likelihood of this occurring is very low, it can happen. Klez and viruses like it will send email messages to addresses found in the Windows address book and in local files of the computer they infect. For the scenario mentioned in the question above to occur, a subscriber to a UNC mailing list would have to save copies of messages to their local computer, and the individual’s computer would have to subsequently get infected by Klez or a similar virus. The virus could then send “unsubscribe” requests to the UNC list server by using the “unsubscribe” address that appears by default in the footer of messages sent by the list server because these messages would be saved in local files of the infected computer. 

One way to safeguard against your users against being unsubscribed without their approval is to set the list to require confirmation for unsubscribe requests. You can adjust this setting by logging in to the  UNC ListServer, and going to  Utilities > List Settings > List Security and Membership Confirmations > Confirmations . 

Why are list message replies defaulting to the list address instead of the sender? 

In some cases, the default “Reply-To:” address of a mailing list is the email address of the list. However, if you prefer that your list members reply to the original sender, then open a Service Request and the Service Desk will be able to assist by changing the “reply-To” with “author”.

Why can't I send a message to more than one list at the same time? 

The Allow Cross-Posting option is set to "NO." To change this: 

1. Log In as the list administrator. 
2. Go to Utilities > List Settings > Discussion Group Features > Message Rejection Rules.
3. Click the Same Message Rules tab.  
4. Set Allow Cross-Posting to YES. 

Do List Moderators have to approve their own messages? 

Yes, unless you have  Bypass List Moderation  set to YES for each list moderator. The Bypass List Moderation feature allows the list admin to grant members the right to contribute messages to the mailing list without being moderated, and it has to be set for the list admin just as it does for any other member. 

You can turn the Bypass List Moderation setting on for a member by logging in to manage your list at the  ListManager, and go to  Members > View Members > select the member address > List Admin . 

Why won't my list receive messages from another list? 

If you have a Child/Parent list relationship (where one listserv is subscribed to another listserv) you should make sure that the child list is set to allow postings through from other Lyris ListManager lists. 

To enable this setting, Log In to your list. Click  Utilities > List Settings > Basic Information > Enable Features, and set Enable this list as a child list to Yes, to allow postings through from other lists. Click Save when you are finished. 

How can I verify who did and did not receive a mailing from my list? 

Login to manage your list.

1. Go to  Mailings > Mailing Status > All Outgoing Mailings By Date . 
2. Locate your message, and choose it by clicking on its  MessageID. 
3. Click the  Recipients  tab, and choose the appropriate viewing option, based on how you would like to look at the recipient information. 

Another option is to turn on Delivery Reports, which will send you recipient information via email for each message that is sent to your list. You can find this option in  Utilities > List Settings > Basic Information > Reports > Delivery Reports . 

Why do I get the error “Your message posting was rejected because the “LYRIS-” header was detected in the body of the message you sent”, when I try to forward a list message to another list? 

This header is usually only included by automated email programs such as “vacation” programs. For this reason, Lyris does not accept messages which contain this header because it is highly likely that they are automated messages and are not appropriate for a mailing list. If you are receiving this message, it means that you accidentally set off this safeguard by including the “LYRIS-” text in the body of your message. Please resubmit your email message without including the headers of a previous message (specifically, do not include the Message-Id line). 

If the sender’s email client is configured to forward messages inline or quoted, then this is not a problem, but if the client is configured to forward messages as attachments, or if full headers are on, then the List Server sees the messageID tag and rejects the forwarded message. The program Messenger seems to experience this problem more than others. If the person is viewing full headers and forwards the message, then it is easy to edit out that line, but if the person is forwarding messages as attachments, then the headers are not easily edited. 

Here are some suggestions: 

• Change the configuration so that the client forwards inline or quoted 
• Use reply instead of forward, and then change the To: address. 

Regarding the second suggestion, that workaround works because when replying, the full header is not included — as it is by default when forwarding as an attachment. Replying with the original text is basically forwarding inline or quoted with the To: field already populated, so one might as well change that preference to inline or quoted and then be able to forward instead of having to remember to reply and to change the To: because the client is configured to forward as attachment.

Why didn't my message get sent out to the UNC Listserver? 

There are several reasons that a message sent to a listserv might not be delivered. Here are a few to consider: 

• You sent an e-mail command in the first few lines of your listserv message. 
• Your listserv is part of a multi-layer  parent/child  list relationship. Child lists must be enabled before they will receive message from a parent list. 
• The list is moderated.