Listservs

Notice

The University of Southern Mississippi has relied on the Mailman Listserv software to manage large mailing lists for several decades. As this software has become a legacy service, no new "Mailman" lists are being created.

There are now several alternatives that provide similar or greater functionality utilizing Microsoft 365 Unified Groups can be utilized for this purpose, please see the Microsoft 365 Mailing Group page.

Service Description

A listserv is an application that distributes messages to subscribers on an electronic mailing list. Listservs are used to facilitate email communication within the campus community. Academic and administrative workgroups, student clubs and organizations, project groups and committees all use the service to create and manage lists and to send email to list members. You can manage a listserv as an administrator by reviewing the Manager's Quick Reference Guide and Administrator's Guide.

Services Offered

Anyone can utilize a list serve in conjunction with a Web site to send messages to a target audience.

Listservs have many different uses, such as:

Inter-departmental communications
Intra-departmental communications
Mailing addresses for departments
Student organization discussions
Conference discussions and planning
Research projects
Community service announcements
Special projects
Class discussions
Special interest discussions

The Mailman listservs are best suited for small to mid-sized audiences with a specific interest or as contact information for a department or organization.

Usage recommendations

1. Don't send large files to mailing lists when links to the file will do. If you want to send multiple files, be sure to follow the culture of the group. If you don't know what that is, ask.

2. Do not use mailing lists to distribute calendar invitations.

3. Be careful with monospace fonts and diagrams. These will display differently on different systems, and with different mailers on the same system.

4. Avoid sending messages which are no more than gratuitous replies to replies.

5. Norms learned in a particular e-mail environment may not apply in general to your email communication with people across the Internet. Be careful with slang or local acronyms.

6. Be aware of what you are sending (size, content, etc.) and to whom you are sending it. Sending someone mail may also cost them in other specific ways like network bandwidth, disk space, or CPU usage in ways that may or may not be costs that apply to you as a sender.

7. Consider that a large audience will see your posts. That may include your present or your next supervisor. Take care in what you write. Remember that emails are frequently archived, and your words may be stored for a very long time.

8. Assume that individuals speak for themselves, and what they say does not represent their organization (unless stated explicitly).

9. Messages and articles should be brief and to the point. Don't wander off-topic, don't ramble, and don't send mail or post messages solely to point out other people's errors in typing or spelling.

10. Attach a signature to your message. This will help ensure that mailers which strip header information will not delete the only reference in the message of how people may reach you.

Eligibility

Any full-time faculty or staff member at Southern Miss may request a listserv. If anyone needs to request a listserv for a student organization, please contact the faculty/staff advisor.

To request service

To request a listserv, enter a Help Desk work order.

It normally takes 2-3 days for a listserv to be created.

The owner will be contacted by e-mail or phone indicating the listserv has been created or to clarify any questions about the request. Once the listserv is created, the owner may call the Help Desk at 601.266.HELP (4357) to receive the password for the completed listserv.