at the University of New Hampshire

How do I set up an electronic mailing list?

To request the creation of an electronic mailing list, send a message to the List Server Admin via e-mail (of course!) to:

               List.Admin@unh.edu

You should include a simple description of what it is you want to accomplish with your list and how you envision it being used. Based on your description, the Admin will send back a recommendation as to which general type of list would be best suited for your particular situation and other pertinent advice. After this preliminary consultation, you will be directed to a web page which will guide you through a step-by-step process for applying for your new list.

Before requesting a list, however, you should be aware of some of the limitations of such lists and what responsibilities you will have in sponsoring such a list on the UNH ListProc list server:

The most important feature of an electronic mailing list that is managed by a list server program, such as ListProc, is that the list of addresses can be shared by more than one person. If what you want to do is maintain a list of e-mail addresses for your own exclusive use, then what you need instead is a "e-mail distribution list". In general, such a list is much easier to create, maintain, and use, than an electronic mailing list. See the web page:
```
              http://www.unh.edu/NIS/Docs/E-mail/local-list-how2.html
```
for more information on creating your own e-mail distribution list using either Pine or VMS EMAIL.
While creation of electronic mailing lists is offered as a free service by CIS, please keep in mind that a non-trivial amount of effort is needed to create or remove a list on the list server. Because of this, please do not request a list that you plan to use for only 1 or 2 mailings.
Be aware that only members of the University Community, i.e. students, faculty, and staff, or recognized University organizations, may sponsor an e-mail list on the UNH ListProc server. The membership of the list itself, however, is not restricted in any way.
Lists may not be established as a support mechanism for any commercial enterprise or other for-profit activity or organization. For example, it's OK for an UNH individual who is a fan of a particular brand of skateboard, but is not otherwise acting as an agent for that company, to establish a discussion list for other enthusiasts of that particular brand. However a list maintained and used by the manufacturer of that skateboard to contact customers or distribute press releases would be prohibited, even if the owner of the company was a member of the UNH community.
The list-sponsor may delegate list-ownership, i.e. day-to-day management of the list, to another person. This person, however, must also be a member of the University Community as defined above and must have an e-mail account with a return address that is within the "UNH.EDU" domain.
You (or the person you designate as the list-owner) are responsible for maintaining your list of subscriber addresses. This includes: adding any initial list of names and addresses, removing addresses from the list that are no longer valid (i.e. cause mail delivery errors), and removing a subscriber's address from the list at that person's request. You are also responsible for answering subscriber questions about how to use your list, although you can look to the List Server Admin for help on questions outside your experience and knowledge of ListProc.
As the sponsor of the list, you will be expected to supply brief documentation about your list. This will include a brief description about your list as well as a short welcome message that will be sent to all new list subscribers as each is added to your list. Sample documentation is supplied during the application process to help you in composing your own text.

See the web page:

            http://www.unh.edu/NIS/Docs/ListProc/intro.html

for more information about ListProc and electronic mailing lists at UNH.

[11-JUN-1997 BC]