Mailman: Advice for List administrators

As an administrator of a mailing list managed by Mailman, you should be skilled in using e-mail and the web. You have the following functions:

• By setting it up, you have determined the purpose and certain guidelines of the mailing list. Intervene if subscribers misuse the list. You should therefore be a member of the list yourself.
• After creating the mailing list (and at any other time), you can change the properties of the mailing list. This is done via a web browser: https://mailman.tu-chemnitz.de/mailman/admin/...
  Add the name of your list to this address – or via this form:
  Name of the mailing list:

  Show administrator portal
• In particular, provide an up-to-date introductory text for new subscribers.
• If the mailing list is a closed list, decide on subscription and, if necessary, unsubscription requests.
• If e-mails come to the list that are not automatically distributed (e.g. because the e-mail does not come from a list participant), you decide which e-mails are sent to the list.
• You are the technical contact person, i.e. you should always be available at the email address listname-owner@lists.tu-chemnitz.de at all times. You can also add other administrators (e.g. in case of absence).
• You can get help from the Mailman admins, who can be reached via mailman@tu-chemnitz.de

Mailman will take care of the technical tasks for you, but for others you will need a certain intuition. The wealth of possibilities is of course reflected in the complexity of the web-based administrator interface. In the following you will find some assistance.

Usage modes of a mailing list

What is meant by this: Who is allowed to send e-mail to the list? The following scenarios can be realised with these settings:

1. Closed discussions among participants – list members only:

   Privacy options … → Sender filters:

   By default, should new list member postings be moderated? No
   Non-member filters: List of non-member addresses whose postings should be automatically accepted.: Must be empty>

   Membership Management:

   Turn „mod“ OFF for all members.

2. Distribution of information to participants, e.g. newsletter – allow only selected senders:

   Membership Management:

   Switch „mod“ ON for all members, then OFF for each member who is allowed to send.

   Privacy options … → Sender filters:

   By default, should new list member postings be moderated? Yes
   If sending should be allowed for non-members:
   Non-member filters: List of non-member addresses whose postings should be automatically accepted.:
   Enter addresses of non-members whose messages will be automatically accepted.

3. Discussion list – combination of 1. + 2. - all list members and additionally selected senders:

   Privacy options … → Sender filters:

   By default, should new list member postings be moderated? No
   Non-member filters: List of non-member addresses whose postings should be automatically accepted.:
   Enter addresses of non-members whose messages will be automatically accepted.

   Membership Management:

   Turn „mod“ OFF for all members.

4. Open list, e.g. contact address – allow any sender – beware of spam:

   Privacy options … → Sender filters:

   By default, should new list member postings be moderated? No
   Non-member filters: List of non-member addresses whose postings should be automatically accepted.:
   Enter ^.+

   Membership Management:

   Turn „mod“ OFF for all members.

FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions

My list is public and should appear in the overview on https://mailman.tu-chemnitz.de

Privacy options … → Subscription rules: Advertise this list when people ask what lists are on this machine? Yes

Some list members do not receive the mail attachments.

In the Membership Management, check whether "digest“ is set for these members (so that the subscriber only receives a summary of the mails once a day, generally without attachments) → Switch off.

The list receives a lot of spam mails.

Check the usage mode (see above). A list that is used for discussion among participants should only accept e-mails from participants (1.), enter exceptions if necessary (3.).

If an open list is necessary (e.g. if the address is to be used as a contact address):

Privacy options … → Spam filters:

Create spam filter rules with corresponding actions, e.g. use spam classification:
Spam Filter Regexp: x-spam-level: \*\*\*\*\*
Action: Discard
Caution - test well!

Only participants with an e-mail address of the TU Chemnitz should be allowed to register in my list.

Set in the administrator web access under "Privacy options … → Subscription rules":
List of addresses which are banned from membership in this mailing list: ^(?!.*tu-chemnitz\.de$)

My list is a member of another list. How can I get the mail from the parent list distributed automatically?

Privacy options … → Recipient filters:

Enter the name of this parent list as an alias or set No in the first question.

See also: How do I set up an umbrella list?

As subscription rule I have set "Confirm". But the user does not receive a confirmation email …

Check that in "General Options" the setting for the "umbrella list" (umbrella_list) is set to No.

Can an administrator of a (large) mailing list see all members of the list?

Unfortunately a bit cumbersome, but doable:

1. In the admin page at "Membership management …" you can see only some members, after all. You can set the number of members shown on one page in "General Options" – "Maximum number of members to show on one page of the Membership List." (admin_member_chunksize). ) If you set the number high enough, you will see all members on one page in the "Membership management". But this is not a good solution for very many members.
2. In the admin page top right on "Go to the general list information page", there almost below at "Subscribers" enter the admin password again, then "View Subscriber List". There you get the mail addresses on one page.
3. Send email to listname-request@lists.tu-chemnitz.de with content: who list-admin-password
   Then you get a reply mail with the members (if this is allowed).

I want to appoint someone else as list admin. What do I have to do?

Log in to the list admin page in your web browser (see above), enter the new admin's email address in "The list administrator email address " and save that (at the bottom). You will need to provide the new admin with the list password (set a new one first if necessary). At the same time you should provide some hints and experience.

If you want to set another resource owner for the list (e.g., hand over the list to someone else or enter a substitute), do that in the IdM portal under E-Mail → Mailing Lists: Click on the list name, then "Add Resource Owner" or "Manage Resource Owners".

Further Hints

• Mailing Lists with public archives ^[de]