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Options

This settings page is only available to domain administrators, mailing list moderators and system administrators with the proper permissions.

Mailing lists has a number of moving parts. As a result, we've separated each tab for creating/managing a mailing list into its own page:

  • Options - The configuration options for an individual mailing list.
  • Subscribers and Digest Subscribers - Add subscribers who will receive the standard mailing list postings or digest emails.
  • Allowed Posters - Whitelist email addresses or domains who can post to the mailing list
  • Banned Posters - Prevent specific email addresses or domains from posting to the mailing list
  • Messages - Configure the header and footer for postings as well as the replies sent to listserv commands
  • Custom Fields - Customize list postings with subscriber custom fields

Creating a New Mailing List

When creating or managing a mailing list, a modal window opens with the following fields:

  • Name - This is the name that will be used when sending to the list. A list name is similar to an email address: it simply needs to be whatever will be appended to the left of the domain name. For example, "MarketingNewsletter". Posters, then, send messages to "MarketingNewsletter@domain.com". Therefore, just as with accounts, list names should not include spaces, special characters, etc.
  • List Moderator - This is the existing Account that will act as the administrator of the list. Select a user from the dropdown. (NOTE: It is possible for the List Moderator to be a domain alias.)

Once the new list is created, or if a list is being edited, the first tab you see is the Options tab.

Options

  • Name - This is the name that will be used when sending to the list. A list name is similar to an email address: it simply needs to be whatever will be appended to the left of the domain name. For example, "MarketingNewsletter". Posters, then, send messages to "MarketingNewsletter@domain.com". Therefore, just as with accounts, list names should not include spaces, special characters, etc.
  • Status - New mailing lists default to a status of Enabled. To temporarily prevent postings to this list, change the status to Disabled.
  • List Moderator - The "owner" of the mailing list. This person will actively manage the mailing list, posts to the list and any replies. The administrator must be an active email user for the domain.
  • Show in Global Address List - There are times when you may want a mailing list to show up in the Global Address List so that all of your subscribers can send to it. If that's the case, enable this setting.
  • Description - A brief summary of the mailing list.

Message Options

  • List To Address - The email address that will display in the To field when a subscriber receives a mailing list message. Setting this to List Address means that the email address associated with the list will display as the To: address when recipients receive the message. The other option is to use the Subscriber Address, which means each subscriber will see their own email address in the To: field.
  • List From Address - The email address that will display in the From field when a subscriber receives a mailing list message. By default, this is set to List Address. However, the email address of the person who posts to the list can be used, or each message to list subscribers can come from a specific user.
  • List Reply To Address - The email address that will display in the Reply To field when a subscriber receives a mailing list message. When a subscriber hits 'Reply' to the message, this address will receive the reply. If a subscriber hits 'Reply All' all list recipients will receive the reply. By default, this is set to List Address, but just as with the From address, the poster's address can be used or replies can be sent to a specific user.
  • Text to show in unsubscribe link - The text entered here will be hyperlinked when using the Unsubscribe variable. If this field is left blank, the unsubscribe link will hyperlink the full URL.
  • Webmail URL - The URL for the SmarterMail login page. This setting can be used to override the server's configured hostname for mailing list communications. Note: URLs should include the https:// prefix. For example: https://mail.example.com/
  • Send Subscribe Email - Select this option to automatically send an email to new subscribers confirming their subscription to the list. Note: This is not an opt-in message, only a confirmation email. This email is only sent when subscribe is initiated by the listserv command. If an administrator manually adds a subscriber to a list via the web interface, via the API or by importing via CSV, this email is not sent to the subscriber(s).
  • Send Unsubscribe Email - Select this option to automatically send an email response to unsubscribe requests. This email is only sent when unsubscribe is initiated by the listserv command. If an administrator manually removes a subscriber from a list via the web interface, via the API or by importing via CSV, this email is not sent to the subscriber(s).
  • Enable double opt-In - Select this option to automatically send an email to new subscribers that requires them to confirm that they are subscribing to the list by clicking on an activation link. Using double opt-in is a good way to confirm subscriptions to the list and to help reduce abuse complaints. This email is only sent when double opt-in is initiated by the listserv command. If an administrator manually adds or removes a subscriber from a list via the web interface, via the API or by importing via CSV, this email is not sent to the subscriber(s). NOTE: If Double Opt-in is disabled for a list, any unverified subscribers will be removed from the list. A warning appears noting this for list moderator prior to making this change.
  • Disable list error replies - Select this option to prevent the system from automatically replying to incorrect listserv commands.

Posting

  • Password - To restrict people from sending emails to a mailing list, type a password in this field. Note: To send emails to a mailing list that is password protected, you must add the password to the beginning of the subject line of the email, enclosed by brackets and colons. For example, if "password" is entered into this field, the subject line of the email would need to begin with [:password:].
  • Subject Prefix - The optional text that will appear in the subject line. SmarterTools recommends using a subject prefix for discussion lists to help subscribers easily filter through posts. For example, add a "List- " or "Discussion -" prefix so that users know that the message is posted to an email list. Recipients can then create filters to move those messages to a specific folder or manage them in some other way.
  • Allow anyone to post - When enabled, anyone can email the list, regardless of whether they are subscribed to the list or not. In turn, this sends an email to all members. Note: This setting can cause abuse if it is not closely monitored. Therefore, it is recommended to restrict the allowed posters to just subscribers, at the very least.
  • Allow subscribers to post - When enabled, allows the list subscribers, and only the list subscribers, to send and receive posts. This can cause abuse issues as well if you have an active list, so this should only be used for smaller lists or for digest mode only.

Regardless of which option is enabled, List Moderators will always have the ability to post to the list. For particularly large lists, or for very active lists, it is recommended that both options, above, be disabled so only the List Moderator can post to the list as this ensures only relevant information is passed along and there is less chance of abuse.

Commands

  • Mailing List Command Address This is the email address that is used when sending a list command.
  • Enable SUBSCRIBE Command - Select this option to allow people to subscribe to the mailing list by emailing a listserv command to the command address. For more information, refer to Listserv Commands. Note: If this option is disabled, only list moderators can add new subscribers to the mailing list.
  • Enable LIST Command - Select this option to allow people to receive a list of the mailing list subscribers by emailing a listserv command to the command address. For more information, refer to Listserv Commands. Note: It is recommended that you leave this option disabled, as people or automated systems could use the user list for malicious purposes.

Throttling

Throttling limits the number of messages sent per hour and/or the amount of bandwidth used per hour to send messages. Domain administrators can use this feature to ensure a mailing list does not send out massive amounts of email throughout the day, thereby possibly getting the domain blacklisted.

  • Outbound Messages per Hour - The number of messages sent by the mailing list per hour. By default, the number of outgoing messages is 500.
  • Message Throttling Action - When using either message or bandwidth throttling, administrators can select an action for SmarterMail to take once the particular throttling level is reached. Domain administrators can elect to do nothing at all, or they can either Delay or Reject messages until the amount of mail being sent falls beneath the throttling limit that is set. By default, mailing lists are set to Delay messages once the threshold has been reached.
  • Outbound Bandwidth MB per Hour - The total number of MBs sent by the mailing list per hour. By default, the outgoing bandwidth is 50MB.
  • Bandwidth Throttling Action - This is the action to take if the throttling limit is reached. Administrators can elect to do nothing, delay the messages, or reject them outright.

Digest Settings

To reduce the number of emails mailing list subscribers receive, domain administrators can allow subscribers to sign up for digest mode or normal mode. Essentially, digest mode condenses all the messages sent to the list into a single email that is sent to subscribers on a monthly, biweekly, weekly, daily, or other defined basis. This is especially useful for very active lists or lists with a larger number of subscribers.

  • Enable digest mode - Enable this setting to view and modify the remaining Digest settings.
  • Subject - The subject line for the digest email.
  • Trigger Type - The frequency of the digest emails: Daily, Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly or Manual. If Manual is selected, digest emails will only be sent when using the Send Digest button.
  • Digest Format - The format (HTML, text, etc.) in which digest emails are sent.
  • Disable non-text attachments in digest - Select this option to remove non-text attachments from the digest email.
  • Send Digest - Allows an administrator the ability to send the Digest manually.
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