Introduction     A ListServ is a special type of e-mailing list designed to broadcast a single message to everyone on a list. Typically, a ListServ is developed to allow people who share a common interest (history majors or members of a certain club, for instance) to share information with the group at large without having to maintain several separate mailing lists. Users subscribe to the list, and are able to unsubscribe at will.     A ListServ is managed by a moderator who performs the following mailing list functions:

manage list user attributes by sending commands through an e-mail client. add and delete users from the mailing list. receive and approve messages before they are sent on to the group at large.

Sending Commands to the ListServ Agent     The moderator of a ListServ can add e-mail addresses to or delete e-mail addresses from the list. This is done by sending an e-mail containing commands to the ListServ agent. The address of the agent is: listserv@listserv1.hofstra.edu. Commands must be sent from the owner or moderator's e-mail address. Each command should be on its own line for clarity.

Fig. 1: An e-mail from a moderator to the ListServ agent. Commands are listed in the body of the message.

Once an e-mail is sent to the ListServ agent, a confirmation message will be sent to the moderator with a summary of the commands performed.     It is important to note that commands are not sent to the address of the ListServ itself. Rather, they are sent to the ListServ agent, whose address is always the same: listserv@listserv1.hofstra.edu. Moderator Commands     Moderator commands are sent to the ListServ agent in the manner outlined on page 1. The only user executing administrative commands for a list should be that particular list's moderator. This is to maintain the security of the list as a whole. The following are commands that moderators can use to manage a list. Notes on Commands:

Each paramater is separated by a space. Each new command is placed on a separate line. Parameters in brackets ([ ]) are optional. All parameters are listed in the body of the e-mail message.

Add a subscriber to the list The ADD command adds a user to the ListServ, allowing them to participate in the list. The user is not required to subscribe to the list if he or she has been manually added by a moderator. The command is formatted as follows: ADD <list name> <e-mail address> [<full name>] PW=<password> Example: ADD mylist member@hofstra.edu John Smith PW=mypassword Delete a subscriber from the list The DELETE command deletes a user from the ListServ. The user is subsequently unable to participate in the list. The user will not need to unsubscribe from the list if he or she has been manually deleted by a moderator. The command is formatted as follows: DELETE <list name> <e-mail address> [<full name>] PW=<password> Example: DELETE mylist member@hofstra.edu John Smith PW=mypassword Change the moderator's password The PW command sets or changes the moderator's password. This password is used whenever the moderator performs an administrative function, such as adding or deleting members from the list. The command is formatted as follows: PW <list name> [ADD / CHANGE] <new password> PW=<old password> Example: PW mylist CHANGE mynewpass PW=mypassword Ban a user from the list The BAN command removes a user from the ListServ and keeps them from re-subscribing at a later date. A banned user cannot receive messages from or post messages to the mailing list. The user does not need to be unsubscribed in order to be banned from the list. The command is formatted as follows: BAN FOR <e-mail address> PW=<password> Example: BAN FOR badguy@hofstra.edu PW=mypassword You can reverse a user's banned status by substituting NOBAN where BAN is used above. Force a user's messages to be moderator-verified before posting The VERIFY command forces a user's posting to be approved by a mailing list moderator before they are passed along to the list at large. VERIFY FOR <e-mail address> PW=<password> Example: VERIFY FOR johnsmith@yahoo.com PW=mypassword A user's verify-only status can be reversed by substituting NOVERIFY where VERIFY is used above. Subscriber Commands Only two commands are available to standard list users. Standard users can either subscribe to or unsubscribe from the ListServ by simply sending an e-mail directly to the list (<list name>@listserv1.hofstra.edu). The command (SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE) is placed in the body of the message, and the subject line of the e-mail is left blank. The user is automatically subscribed to or unsubscribed from the ListServ once the e-mail has been received by the list.

Fig. 2: An example e-mail from a subscriber to a ListServ. Commands are listed in the body of the message.