Here are some common FAQs to help familiarize yourself with LISTSERV management.
LISTSERV Owners
Creating a LISTSERV
How do I request a LISTSERV?
To have a LISTSERV created, please submit a request.
How do I establish a password on LISTSERV?
- Go to https://listserv.gmu.edu.
- Select Login at the top-right and Register Password.
- Enter your Mason email address and any password you choose. (Note: This password is internal to LISTSERV and is independent of your Patriot Pass password.)
- You will receive an email from listserv.gmu.edu with the subject beginning with Command Confirmation Request….
- To activate your password, follow the instructions in the e-mail.
How do I log into LISTSERV after I have created my password?
- Go to https://listserv.gmu.edu.
- Select Login from the top-right and enter your email address and password.
How do I populate my list with a specific demographic or a class roster?
- Fill out the data request form to gather a subscribers list: https://registrar.gmu.edu/facultystaff/data_requests/
- Then use the Bulk Add procedure below.
How do I add or remove owners from my list?
- Go to https://listserv.gmu.edu and log into LISTSERV using your email address and password.
- Under List Management select List Configuration.
- Select the desired list from the drop-down list.
- Navigate to the Administrators tab.
- On the Administrators tab, there will be a section with the keyword: Owner.
- Add or remove owners in the owner box. (One per line)
- Enter each owner’s full email address here on a new line.
- The email address can be optionally followed by a space then the person’s name.
- If you do not want the owner to receive error messages, add them to the Quiet box. There must be at least one non-quiet owner.
- Click on the Update button on the bottom right.
Managing a LISTSERV
How can I see who has subscribed to my list?
There are several options for seeing the subscriber list:
- Select your list and click Subscriber Reports. The subscribers will be listed in the Subscriber Names column.
- Select your list. Click Subscriber Reports | Report Format, click the down arrow, choose CSV format, and click Update. Choose Open or Save to get the list of addresses.
- You can view the subscribers list via email. Address an email to listserv@listserv.gmu.edu and put the following in the body of the message: review listname.
How do I add and remove individual subscribers from the web browser?
- Go to https://listserv.gmu.edu and log into LISTSERV using your email address and password.
- Under List Management (left navigation).
- Select Subscriber Management.
- Select the list you wish to manage (only the lists that you own will be shown).
To subscribe a person
- Lower on the page, under your list name, enter the new subscriber’s Email Address and Name: where prompted.
- Select the desired notification option.
- Select the Add Subscriber button.
To unsubscribe a person
- Enter the subscriber address in the Search for Subscribers field.
- Select the search button.
- Select the desired notification option.
- Select the delete button.
How do I remove individual subscribers via e-mail?
To subscribe or unsubscribe a person via e-mail:
- Using your regular email, address an e-mail to listserv@listserv.gmu.edu.
- Put the following in the body of the message. Optionally, add QUIET before to avoid notifications being sent to the subscriber:
[QUIET] ADD listname e-mail_address full_name
or
[QUIET] Delete listname e-maill_address
How do I add subscribers in bulk?
- Create a plain text file with the subscribers’ email addresses and names with only a space separating them. One address per line. (Note: You can use the email address without a name.)
Example:
jwhite@domain.com Johnson White
aborden@domain.com Ashley Borden
jmunsch@domain.com Jerome Munsch
jrussell@domain.com Jacki Russell
lvenson@domain.com Lillian Venson
Netid@domain.com (no name) - Save as a plain text file (.txt)
- Go to https://listserv.gmu.edu and log into LISTSERV using your email address and password.
- Select Subscriber Reports.
- Select the list you wish to manage.
- Select the Bulk Operations option near the top of the page next to Add Subscriber.
- Locate your input file using the Choose File button.
- Select the desired action.
- Select the Import button.
How do I remove subscribers in bulk?
You can use any of the following to remove users from a list:
- From the Subscriber Reports page: (Recommended)
- Select all subscribers from the table using the Check All option and Delete Subscribers before importing your new list.
- Export the current list to a CSV, use the bulk option to remove existing users, and then use the alternate bulk option to import your new members.
What information should I provide to subscribers?
Direct your subscribers to the LISTSERV Subscribers section of this FAQ page so they can learn more about managing and interacting with their LISTSERV subscriptions.
Training
L-Soft Resource Page for Owners
Here you will find helpful video tutorials about engaging your audiences with LISTSERV mailing lists, whether as a subscriber, list owner, or a site administrator for your organization. The goal of these tutorials is to help you get better at managing email lists and to avoid common mistakes.
- https://www.lsoft.com/resources/LearnLISTSERV.asp?filter=owners
- View All List Owner Tutorials on YouTube »
Note: Switch your Listserv profile to expert mode if instructions don’t match up:
- Click your email address at the top-right of Listserv (assuming you’re signed in).
- Edit Profile.
- Change Mode to Expert Mode.
- Save.
LISTSERV Subscribers
Training
L-Soft Resource Page for Subscribers
Managing Your LISTSERV Subscriptions
How do I establish a password on LISTSERV?
- Go to https://listserv.gmu.edu.
- Select Login at the top-right and Register Password.
- Enter your email address and any password you choose. (Note: This password is internal to Listserv and is independent of your Patriot Pass password.)
- You will receive an email from listserv.gmu.edu with the subject beginning with Command Confirmation Request….
- To activate your password, follow the instructions in the e-mail.
How do I subscribe to (join) a list from the web browser?
- Using the web browser Log in with the LISTSERV email address and password at https://listserv.gmu.edu.
- Use the Listserv Archives page to find the list you want to join.
- You can navigate to LISTSERV Archives from the left navigation menu, under Subscriber Options.
- Select the list you wish to subscribe to (join).
- It may be hidden if the list is not present in the table. You can search the list under Access Unlisted Lists if you know the name.
- Select the ☰ icon
- Select Subscribe or Unsubscribe.
- Enter your name and desired subscription options (select Show Advanced for more options).
- Click on the Subscribe button.
- Lists can be configured in several ways as they relate to subscriber management. Review any on-page responses or email notifications you receive for more information on the next steps.
You may automatically enroll in some lists, while others may require approval. The following may occur:
- Closed lists require list owners to add you.
- When the owner’s approval of new subscribers is required, owners approve or reject requests.
- Some lists require confirmation that you own the email address you are adding to the list. Following the subscription attempt click the link within the LISTSERV-generated email.
How do I subscribe to (join) a list from an e-mail?
- Send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.gmu.edu.
- In the body of the message enter the following:
-
subscribe listname yourfirstname yourlastname
(e.g., subscribe Disney-l Donald Duck).
You may automatically enroll in some lists, while others may require approval. The following may occur:
- Closed lists require list owners to add you.
- When the owner’s approval of new subscribers is required, owners approve or reject requests.
- Some lists require confirmation that you own the email address you are adding to the list. Following the subscription attempt click the link within the Listserv-generated email.
How do I unsubscribe from (leave) a list via the web browser?
- Log in with the LISTSERV email address and password at https://listserv.gmu.edu.
- Select the list you wish to unsubscribe from.
- Select the ☰ icon.
- Select Subscribe or Unsubscribe.
- Click on the Unsubscribe button.
How do I unsubscribe from (leave) a list via e-mail?
- Send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.gmu.edu from the account you want to
unsubscribe from. - Put the following in the body of the message: signoff listname.
- Do not include your name or e-mail address in the body of the signoff message (i.e., remove any email signatures).
Interact with LISTSERV Subscriptions
How do I post (send messages) to a list from the web browser via e-mail?
Once you have subscribed to a list, you can post messages to the list.
- Log in with the LISTSERV email address and password at https://listserv.gmu.edu.
- Select the list you wish to post to. You can narrow the displayed lists by navigating to Subscriptions under Subscriber Options or searching your list under Access Unlisted Lists on the LISTSERV Archives page.
- Select the ☰ icon.
- Click on Post Message.
- Select the type of message you wish to send—HTML or Plain Text.
- Click on the checkbox next to Send a copy of the message to yourself.
- Click Advanced if you wish to send an attachment with your message
- Type your message.
- Click Send Message.
Note: Lists can be set to:
- Public: Anyone can post to the list.
- Private: Only list members (subscribers) can send to the list.
- Editor: Messages will be reviewed by a moderator to be approved or denied. This is also used for Announce-only lists.
- Public, Auto-responder: The list responds with a set message.
How do I post (send messages) to a list via e-mail?
Once you have subscribed to a list, you can post messages to the list by sending an e-mail to listname@listserv.gmu.edu (where listname is the name of the list you wish to send to).
Using E-Mail
- Create a new message and type the listname@listserv.gmu.edu in the To field.
- Type the subject of the message
- Type the text of the message
- Click Send.
Note: Lists can be set to:
- Public: Anyone can post to the list.
- Private: Only list members (subscribers) can send to the list.
- Editor: Messages will be reviewed by a moderator to be approved or denied. This is also used for Announce-only lists.
- Public, Auto-responder: The list responds with a set message.