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Getting Started with ListManager 6.x
Part 10: Announcement list settings
If you requested an announcement or email marketing list, your list will already have the basic settings appropriate for that kind of list. Test your list, and see if these default settings are right for you. If there's something not quite right, you can use this section to help fine-tune your settings. Not all settings are covered here — just the ones that you'll find most useful.
If you have questions about any of the settings, click on the question mark in the corner of every list setting page.
How to adjust settings
Click on the Utilities tab, then List Settings:
You now have access to the numerous list settings that may be modified. See below for a description of the basic features and how you can adjust them.
"Hello" and "Confirm" documents
"Hello" and "Confirm" documents may be selected in Utilities: List Settings: Basic Information: Documents. For more information about these documents and how they work, see hello and confirm documents.
Security: who can join the list?
You can change the Security status of a mailing list at any time by going to Utilities: List Settings: New Subscriber Policy: Security. By default, your list is Open, meaning anyone can join. Generally, list owners want their lists to be open so that they can get as many members as possible. If you'd like to limit who can join your list, you have a number of other options:
A Private mailing list prevents anyone from finding the mailing list from joining immediately. When they attempt to join, (either by email or using the web interface) a List Administrator will have to approve their request to join before the person becomes a member.
A Password protected mailing list allows anyone who finds this mailing list can join (either by email or using the ListManager web interface) and will be automatically approved only if they know the password.
A Closed mailing list is one in which non-members are not able to apply for membership. If a request for membership arrives by email, it will be automatically denied.
For instance, you can start out as an Open mailing list (so that anyone can join) and then become a Private mailing list (so that new members must be approved by a List Administrator).
Security: who can post to the list?
By default, an announcement or email marketing list is set so that only list admins can post to the list. Furthermore, all mailings sent to the list must be approved by an administrator before being sent to the list. We STRONGLY recommend that you do not change this setting! Otherwise, someone could send to your list by "spoofing" your email address (changing the email address in their message to be yours). However, if you would like to change this setting, go to Utilities: List Settings: Email Submitted Content: Approval.
Mailing headers: From:, Reply To:, To: and Subject:
When you send or receive an email message, you'll notice that the message has information that helps you identify it, and helps the message get to you. This information is known as email headers. ListManager allows you to customize the header so that the message looks the way you'd like it to, and so that recipients' replies are routed correctly.
From:
This header identifies who the mailing is from. This setting may be changed in Utilities: List Settings: Email Submitted Content: Header Rewrites. By default, this field is left blank and the email address of the message's author is automatically inserted. If you'd like the message to look like it comes from someone else, enter that email address here.
If you create your message through the web interface, your email address will automatically appear in the mailing's From: field. You can then change it to another valid email address if you like. Note: You must have a legitimate email address in this field. Otherwise, many sites will not accept your mail because it looks like spam.
Reply To:
This setting identifies where replies to your mailing should go to. This setting may be changed in Utilities: List Settings: Email Submitted Content: Header Rewrites. The default setting is nochange, which leaves the Reply-To: to be whatever it is in the email message you sent to the list. If you create mailings through the ListManager web interface, no Reply-To: will be included unless you specify one here. All replies will go to the From: address.
Because announcement lists are set to only allow admins to post messages, any messages sent by non-administrators will be returned to the sender with an error. Therefore, a valid email address (not the list address or blank!) must be entered in this field.
If most people replying to your list are trying to unsubscribe, you might want to put the mail merge tag %%email.unsub%% in both the From: and Reply To: fields. This tag merges in each member's unique unsubscribe email address, so if a member replies to your announcement, he or she will be unsubscribed automatically. This configuration will satisfy list members' typical reply objectives, and also make your list administration easier.
To:
This setting may be changed in Utilities: List Settings: Email Submitted Content: Header Rewrites. By default, this setting is set to %%nameemail%%, which merges in the full name and address of each recipient. If blank, the email address of the list is inserted.
Subject:
By default, the Subject: line of email messages sent to your list is unmodified. If you like, you may modify it so that the list name is added to it by going to Utilities: List Settings: Discussion Group Features: Message Look.
Message wrapping (headers and footers)
Message Wrapping (Headers and Footers) is additional text that is automatically added to the beginning or end of your message when a mailing is sent to your list via email. You may edit this text in Utilities: List Settings: Email Submitted Content: Message Wrapping.
You may add additional information in the message wrapping, but you must keep the unsubscribe information that is already in the footers.
The message wrapping will NOT automatically be added to your mailing if you create it using the ListManager admin web interface. You must add unsubscribe information to your message when creating a mailing using Content or Mailings.
Delivery and subscription reports
You can see delivery and subscription information about your list in Reports. However, if you'd like to have reports emailed to you, you may select them in Utilities: List Settings: Basic Information: Reports.
Other settings
The settings discussed here are those of most interest to email marketing and announcement list owners. If you're curious about what other settings do, just click on the question mark in the upper right hand corner of most pages of the web interface.
What's next?
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