Evolution of Mailing Lists and the Advent of Listserv

Explore the history of mailing lists from manual management to the introduction of Listserv, the first mailing list software. Learn about the limitations of manual lists and the features of Listserv that revolutionized list management, making it efficient and scalable.

• Mailing Lists
• Listserv
• Email Management
• Listserv Features
• Evolution

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1. LISTSERV Clients Services Workshop 2013

2. What is a mailing list ? A list of people and email addresses Messages are sent to all addresses on the list People on the list are called subscribers A list has one or more owners who manage the list A list generally has a set topic However general talk lists do exist

3. What is a mailing list ? A mailing list may be moderated The owners only allow relevant on-topic posts The owners only allow some subscribers to post A list can have various levels of access Public (anyone can join) Private (permission required to join) List posts may be archived Access to archives may be restricted

4. In the beginning manual lists First mailing lists were maintained on the list owner s workstation The list owner would redistribute posts The list owner would need to deal with issues (such as subscribers leaving a list) The owner had to manually moderate the list In the case of private lists, the owner had to check each post s source The owner had to maintain/publish archives

5. Manual list limitations Manual lists do not scale Only one owner, who may go on holidays Few options for list subscribers No way to pause delivery or get a daily digest No consistent backup Workstations are often not backed up Heavy workload on list owner We need a better solution!

6. Mailing list manager (Listserv) The need for a mailing list manager was recognised Listserv was the first mailing list software available First Listserv service setup Initially hosted by UCD, now hosted in HEAnet Listserv becomes popular Clients see the benefits Listserv remains well supported and maintained

7. Listserv Features Web based interface for management Manages lists and subscriptions Central archive of lists RSS Feeds for public lists API for managing lists Available over email and web Rich feature set Detailed usage and activity reports Anti-Spam / Anti-virus

8. Listserv and you Listserv is a useful service Example uses include managing projects and tenders/frameworks Requesting a mailing list is easy See https://listserv.heanet.ie/registration You need to read the listowner s manual! A few rules At least 2 list owners Topic must be relevant to the Irish Education and Research community, and must comply with the AUP

9. The future Listserv will continue as an important service We are the 3rdlistserv installation in the world And we have a certificate in reception to prove it \o/ For more information http://www.heanet.ie/services/applicationservic es/listserv

10. A few interesting stats Total number of mailing lists 171 public 1392 private Oldest Archives GAELIC-L (going back to May 1989) Newest List 15thJan 2013

11. Messages volume Year / Month Postings Recipients 2012/01 25524 540240 2012/02 24363 581110 2012/03 30347 541662 2012/04 26383 563206 2012/05 31708 554081 2012/06 26109 360662 2012/07 36897 379559 2012/08 22763 409533 2012/09 25538 455237 2012/10 26698 496195 2012/11 28120 495142 2012/12 24578 411677

12. Questions ?