Chapter 10. Information Technology
Section 10.4. Distributed Computing Services

10.4.1.1. E-mail Lists

Electronic Mailing List: A nickname for a list of participants interested in discussing a specific topic using e-mail. At Michigan Tech, e-mail lists usually end in -l (dash ell) and are intended for groups of people that communicate on a regular basis on a particular subject. They are often used for distributing information to a department or a class, or among members of a working team.

Mass Mailings: Unsolicited text e-mail sent to a large number of person (standing e-mail lists are not considered mass mailings) or the total volume of the mail message (number of recipients multiplied by size of message) does not exceed a specified amount.

Majordomo: The name of the software the University uses to manage e-mail lists. An e-mail message is sent to a central address, referred to as the list-address. The Majordomo software then duplicates that message and sends one copy of it to the inbox of each person who has subscribed to the mailing list.

Campus Announcement Lists (alldepts-l): An announcement list, sent to one person in each department who in turn forwards the note to appropriate persons in the department. Typically, these messages are broadly informative in nature and include such topics as campus events, application deadlines, and event or departments schedule changes.

Campus Standing Lists: Mailing lists set up by IT-DCS on behalf of faculty and staff, and student organizations for use over an extended period of time. Uses include class, department, committee, or organization lists. This service is limited to University-related activities only. In general, these lists are voluntary, that is, the members have subscribed themselves or have given permission to be on the list roster.

Ad-hoc Mailing Lists: Lists set up for a one-time mailing to a specific audience for a specific purpose. Recipients, in many cases, do not know they will be receiving the information.

Mailing lists are not intended for one time mailings and should not be used for unsolicited mass mailings. There are three levels of list services offered at Michigan Tech:

Campus Announcement Lists (alldepts-l): Refer to chapter 27. University Relations (who moderates the alldepts-l list) or section 10.4.1.1.1. Campus Announcement List (alldepts-l) for more information.

Campus Standing Lists: Refer to section 10.4.1.1.2. Campus Standing Lists for more information.

Ad-hoc Mailing Lists: Refer to section 10.4.1.1.3. Ad-Hoc Mailing Lists and Mass Mailings for more information.