From the PFLAG-Talk/TGS-PFLAG Virtual Library

Majordomo is *not* a person

by Maggie Heineman -- <maggie@critpath.org>

Basic information and vocabulary for newbies unfamiliar with email lists

Majordomo is not a person. Majordomo is a software program that redistributes email to the subscribers of the email list.  This kind of software is its called a listserver. An email list is often called simply "the list." When you write to majordomo or listproc or any other listserver, you must give commands that these sofware programs understand.

One-way lists do not need a listserver, but they can use them. If a list does not use a listserver, you may simply send a request to a person using ordinary English. However, to receive messages from a list operated by a listserver, you must subscribe to the list by sending a message to the listserver. Listservers accept very specific commands. Each command is written on a separate line in the body of the message. Some listserves take commands in the subjectline, but majordomo and listproc do not.

To learn what commands a listserver knows, send the command help to the listserver. To learn about a specific list, send the command "info ListName" to the listserver. Majordomo and listproc both understand "help," "info ListName" and "unsubscribe ListName." However, they have different syntax for subscription. Majordomo requires "subscribe ListName." Listproc requires "subscribe ListName [your name]." For [your name] use either your email address or your real name.

The following message would provide you with information about pflag-announce and pflag-talk and give you a help file with all the commands for majordomo.

The following message would return information files about some of the lists on critpath.org and return a help file with the commands for major domo

Note that majordomo and listproc do not have the same syntax for subscriptions.

When your subscription is complete, the listserver will send you a "welcome letter." Save the welcome letter so you know how to unsubscribe. Pflag-talk is set for a 2-part subscription process. After you send the command message, you will receive a message explaining part 2.

Moderated and Unmoderated Lists. Lists may be moderated or unmoderated. A person reads the messages on a moderated lists and decides whether they should go through. Pflag-talk, tgs-pflag, spouse-support, schools and religion are unmoderated lists. Pflag-announce is moderated. Some lists, for example marriage and queer-politics have a moderated version which is a subset of the messages sent to the unmoderated list. Marriage-edit is the moderated version of marriage.

List Digests. Many lists are available in digest form. A digest of the list is not really a digest. It is all the messages of a list for the day -- or sometimes less than a day if the list has "high volume.". The name of the digest for a list is always listname-digest, for example glbt-workplace-digest.

List Owners. Questions about a list should be addressed to the list owner. The email address for the owner should be given in the welcome letter. Always save the welcome letter. If the email list is not given, then try "owner-listname" for example in the case of the glbt-workplace list, send questions about the list to owner-glbt-workplace.

Newbies should also read Netiquette by Emily Rizzo
PFLAG-Talk/TGS-PFLAG homepage.

 

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