• What is is a listserv?
• What is BCPost?
• What are list owners, privileged owners and moderators?
• What is the best way to prevent Spam from being sent to my list?

How do I?

Subscribers and List Owners

• create a new mailing list?
• log in? 
• post a message? 
• delete a list? 
• access and read archived messages? 
• pause receipt of email messages when I go on vacation? 
• change my BCPost password? (not your BC Password)
• select how I would like to receive posts? 
• navigate BCPost on the Web?

List Owners

• remind people of the list and that hey are subscribed?
• manage subscribers? (add single address, bulk add addresses, remove a subscriber, view subscriber's settings)
• add additional owners? 
• transfer ownership to someone else? 
• allow others to help me moderate posts (add moderators)? 
• moderate messages? 
• work with addresses that are bouncing messages back to BCPost? (not being delivered)
• download or delete archived messages? (archives have a 100 MB limit)

What is a listserv?

A listserv is an email-based discussion group that allows members to post email messages to a large number of people at the same time. When you use a listserve you do not need to know who all the members of the group are or their individual email addresses. A mailing list or listserv is often referred to with the shorthand of "list".

When you send mail to a mailing list, you address the mail to the mailing list's name. When the mailing list server receives the message, it expands the name of the mailing list into each of the individual addresses currently on the list and it redirects your message to each of those people, called subscribers. Then, should the membership of the list change, there is only one file containing the addresses of the subscribers which must be updated.

What is BCPost? 

Boston College Information Technology Services (ITS) uses technology from a company called Sympa to manage mailing lists at BC.  BCPost has a web interface which allows you to access and read archived messages, manage the lists you are subscribed to and/or manage lists you own or moderate.

What are list owners, privileged owners and moderators? 

In the BCPost service there are two different types of owners: privileged owners and regular owners. When you request a new list, you are by default the privileged owner. List owners migrated from the Majordomo system are privileged owners in BCPost. A list owner, privileged or regular, does not necessarily need to be subscribed to the list. Learn how to add owners or transfer ownership of a list. 

A list owner is a person who handles subscription and unsubscription requests and manages the list's settings and permissions. Privileged Owners have additional privileges beyond regular owners, including:

• the ability to add and delete other, non-privileged owners
• the ability to add and delete list moderators
• the rights to change who can view the list's subscribers
• the rights to change who can send email to the list

A list moderator is someone who approves or declines messages sent to a moderated list. A list can have more than one moderator. For lists that are very active, it it a good idea to have multiple moderators. Being a list moderator does not necessarily mean you're a subscriber. 

Important Note: If you are the sole owner of a moderated list, you are by default a privileged owner and a moderator. If you add additional moderators, you must then also add yourself as a moderator if you are interested in continuing to serve in that capacity. Learn how to add moderators.

How do I create a new mailing list?

New mailing lists can only be requested by members of the Boston College community. You must be logged in with your @bc.edu email account. The Request a List link will be visible in the banner at the top of the screen. Learn more.

Can I send commands to my list?

You can run some commands via an email message. All commands must be sent to the following address: sympa@listserv.bc.edu with nothing in the subject line and only the command typed in the body of the message. Available commands, include:

What is the best way to prevent Spam from being sent to my list? 

1. Reduce the chances that spammers will find the address of your list by preventing your list from displaying in the Index of Lists to non- subscribers and non-BC users. Learn how. 
2. Configure your list so that only subscribers may post. Learn how. 
3. Make your list a moderated list. Although, this requires work by list moderators, spam may be stopped before being distributed to subscribers. Learn how. 
4. You may also limit who can view the email addresses of subscribers. Viewing the list of all subscribers is only possible after login. Learn how.