This document is intended to serve as a quick reference guide for mail list managers. It will briefly outline some of the more common tasks that are assigned to persons who "own" a list, normally a novice list administrator who only needs to know about a few of Mailman's features.

Access a PDF of this document here.

Accessing your list management screen.

When your list was created and you were designated the "owner" by the system administrator you should have received a welcome note informing you that your list was active, telling you the URL to visit for administrative functions, and informing you of your password.

If you did not keep this note, you should be able to find your list's administrative features by going to this URL (where YOUR.DOMAIN is the domain of your USO organization, for example "oar.net", "ohiolink.edu", or "regents.state.oh.us"):

https://lists.YOUR.DOMAIN/mailman/admin/YourListName

The screen that you access will prompt you for your list administrator's password. Enter it in the blank and then click the button to access your administration screen. If you do not know the password for your list then you will need to contact the system administrator to have it reset.

Changing maximum message size

Mailman places a limit on the size of message that it will deliver to prevent large messages from disrupting the list server of user mailboxes. In some cases the default value may not be large enough to allow messages and file attachments to pass through in a manner suitable for your list's purpose. To change the limit:

• Access your list management screen.
• In the General Options section, near the bottom, locate the field for "Maximum length in Kb of a message body" field. Change the limit to something suitable, or enter 0 for no size limit.
• Click the "Submit your changes" button at the bottom of the screen to put the changes into effect.

Removing a user from a list

Mailman allows the list manager to remove an individual from their mail list, but the method is not entirely intuitive.

• Access your list management screen.
• In the Membership Management section, find the line with the e-mail address of the individual that you would like to remove.
• The check mark in the first column by their address, labeled "subscr" indicates that they are subscribed to your list. Uncheck the box by the address that you would like to remove.
• Click the "Submit your changes" button at the bottom of the screen to put the changes into effect.

Add a member to your list

Mailman allows a list manager to add people for their mail list, but the method is not intuitively named.

• Access your list management screen.
• In the Membership Management section, scroll down to the area labeled "Mass Subscribe Users."
• Type the address of the individual that you would like to add into the text box. If you would like to add more than one person, enter each address on a separate line.
• If you would like to send a welcome message to the new members then make sure that the "yes" button is checked. This will send the new members their password and list configuration instructions.
• Click the "Submit your changes" button at the bottom of the screen to put the changes into effect.

Note: Network etiquette generally frowns on opt-out lists -- adding unsuspecting persons to a list and then telling them that they can leave if they want. Do not use Mailman for unconscionable activities such as sending Spam.

Keep unwanted persons from joining

Mailman allows you to prevent persons from joining your list without explicit approval of the administrator. To activate this feature:

• Access your list management screen.
• In the Privacy Options section look at the second field, labeled "what steps are required for subscription."
• Set the option to "require approval" or "confirm+approval" and click the "Submit your changes" button at the bottom of the screen.

Future subscription requests will cause Mailman to send you an e-mail message telling you that someone has tried to join your list. Go to the URL in the message and then use the on-screen form to accept or reject their request. Tend to pending administrative requests

Tend to pending administrative requests

There are primarily three instances when you will need to tend to administrative requests. Whether the administrator is notified immediately for each request or just once per day is dictated by the switch in Mailman's general settings section. Note that if you have multiple requests pending you can work your way down the page clicking the appropriate action for each request before submitting them all at once. You do not need to click on the submit action on this page after answering individual requests.

• When a posting is held because it was posted by a non-member. If you are running a list on which only members can post, items that are being held for review will appear in this section for your review. As the list administrator you have four actions available on this screen.
• Defer the posting, leaving it for a later time or for another list administrator to look at.
• Approve the posting and forward it to list members.
• Reject the posting: the original poster will be sent notification of the rejection along with the explanation that appears in the message box on this screen. You may customize the message as you see fit or leave it empty.
• Discard the message with no notification sent to the poster. This is particularly useful for spam.
• When choosing the action you will have two additional options:
• Preserve message for site administrator: this will keep a copy of the message in the admin requests section even if you choose an action other than defer.
• Additionally forward this message to: allows you to take action on the note and forward a copy of it to another person.
• When you operate a moderated list, you will use this feature to accept or reject postings following the same guidelines as for non-members postings above.
• When you operate a list where subscription requires administrator approval, user petitions to join will be listed on this page. You should click accept or deny as appropriate.