1. What's a mailing list and how does it work?

2. How do I subscribe or unsubscribe to a list?

3. Should I select to receive "list mail batched in a daily digest"?

4. What if my class does not have a list set up?

5. How do I post a message to the list?

6. What settings are customizable and how do I change them?

7. How do I read the posted web archives?

8. How do I see who else is subscribed to my list?

9. How do I find my password?

10. I don't seem to be getting messages posted to the list. Why?

11. Why did my message get sent to the list, but my large attachment did not?

12. How do I properly type the name of a website in my message so that it automatically shows up as a link people can click on?

1. What's a mailing list and how does it work?

A mailing list is a single email address that has been set-up to distribute any message sent to it out to a list of many email addresses. This allows users to communicate without having to collect and manage all the individual email addresses of the rest of the collective group. (top)

2. How do I subscribe or unsubscribe to a list?

On the Mailing List Overview Page you will see all the names of the mailing lists available on Astro. Click on the name of the list you wish to subscribe to and follow the directions for doing so. You will receive a confirmation email that you will need to respond to in order to complete your subscription. To unsubscribe, go to the lists' page and find the field at the bottom that says "Unsubscribe or Edit Options". Enter your email address, click on the button, and the next page will give you instructions for unsubscribing. (top)

3. Should I select to receive "list mail batched in a daily digest"?

No - If you select to receive list mail as a digest, you will not receive it immediately when it's sent to the list. Rather, individual emails to your list will accumulate and will be combined into a single email that is sent to you each day. This means you could miss vital (and timely) information.

To change your existing subscription from "Digest" to normal, do the following:

1. Go to the Mailing List Overview Page, and click on your mailing list.

2. On your list's page, scroll down to where you see "<listname> Subscribers". You'll see a form for "To unsubscribe from <listname>, get a password...." Put your email address in that field and click on "Unscubscribe or edit options".

3. The next screen will ask for your password (that you got when you subscribed - see #9 for password help) enter it and click on "Log in".

4. On the following screen, scroll down to where you see "Digest options" and select "Off", and make sure Mail delivery is set to "Enabled".

5. Lastly, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on "Submit my changes" --if you don't do this the changes won't stick. (top)

4. What if my class does not have a list shown?

Ask your instructor to arrange to have a list configured through David Patschke. (top)

5. How do I post a message to the list?

To maintain security, only list members may send messages to class lists. Make sure you post your message to the list using the same email account you used to subscribe to the list. Some global lists are "Announcement Only" and only certain members have posting privileges. To send a message, create an email message using the address: listname@astro.ubalt.edu. Specifically, you can go to the Mailing List Overview Page, where you will see all the names of the mailing lists available on Astro. Click on the name of the list you wish to send an email to and you will see the lists' full name next to "Using <listname>". (top)

6. What settings are customizable and how do I change them?

You can change your email address, password, type of delivery and other settings by going to your lists' page, which is accessible from the Mailing List Overview Page. Once you've gotten to your list page you can scroll to the bottom and find the field that says "Unsubscribe or Edit Options". Enter your email address, click on the button, and the next page will give you all the settings that you can adjust. Typically you should leave them at the default settings. (top)

7. How do I read the posted web archives?

In order to maintain security, the archives are viewable only by list members. Go to your lists' page, which is accessible from the Mailing List Overview Page. At the top of your lists' page is a link to the archives. (top)

8. How do I see who else is subscribed to my list?

In order to maintain security, only list members may see a full list of subscribers to the list. Go to your lists' page, which is accessible from the Mailing List Overview Page. Towards the bottom you will see a field and a button to "View Subscriber List" Enter your name and password to view the subscriber list. (top)

9. How do I find my password?

You received a notice containing your password when you got your confirmation email for subscribing to the list, and, every month your are sent an email reminding you of your password(s). If you can't locate any of those emails, you can get your password resent to you. Go to your list's page on the Mailing List Overview Page. Click on the list and scroll down to the bottom where it says <listname> Subscribers. The second field there allows you to type in your email address and click on "Unscubscribe or edit options". The next page has a "Remind" button that sends you a password reminder via email. Click on the button to get the password resent to you. (top)

10. I don't seem to be getting messages posted to the list. Why?

Some email programs or email service providers may attempt to screen out emails from mailing lists as spam or junk mail, since they don't originate from an individual. Check your junk mail/spam/trash folder in your email program or adjust the settings in your email client so that messages coming from your list (or any messages from astro.ubalt.edu) will not be trashed, filed, or otherwise hidden from view. (top)

11. Why did my message get sent to the list, but my large attachment did not?

In order to maintain performance and not fill up list members mailboxes, messages are limited to a total of 2.5Mb per message. If your message exceeds that or contains excessive attachments, they will be clipped from the message. (top)

12. How do I properly type the name of a website in my message so that it automatically shows up as a link people can click on?

To properly send a link via email, be sure to precede the URL with http:// (example: http://astro.ubalt.edu). Most email programs will properly format this as a link and receipients will be able to click directly on it to go to the site. (top)