Committee Listserv Set-up
AAPT's listserv (mailing list) software is used by many of the Area Committees for communication among committee members and friends of the committee. Listservs are a convenient and effective way to make sure that Committee business is carried on throughout the year, and to encourage participation in Committee discussions from people who aren't official members of the Committee.
Generally, the chair of the Area Committee serves as the list administrator and is responsible for adding committee members and others to the list.
Listserv Set-up and Maintenance
- Think of a name. If your committee does not already have a listserv set-up, this is the first step. The name must be a single word (such as "phystalk"), though it can include a hyphen (-), underscore (_), or number (0-9). Limit your list name to 15 characters or less, and be sure to choose carefully. Once the list name is set up, it cannot be changed! (A list of current committee listservs is included below.)
- Email AAPT's List Manager with your request. Your request should include your full name and e-mail address, along with the list name you selected. In your request, you may specify certain custom security settings (please see Configuring the List, below), although most committees find that the default AAPT settings work well.
- Wait for the List Manager's email response. This response will contain your temporary password, as well as further instructions on setting up the list.
- Sign in as an administrator. You will need your temporary password, which will be contained in the List Manager's response to your request.
- Set up your member list. Your initial list will include your Committee's members, as well as any friends of the committee you decide to include. As more people hear of the list, you will receive additional subscription requests, so it is a good idea to bookmark the Member Set-up page.
- Start posting! You can post messages to most of the lists in any of the following ways:
- By e-mail: listname@lists.aapt.org
- Over the web: http://lists.aapt.org/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=listname
- Via newsgroup: news://lists.aapt.org/listname
Please refer to the Listserv Participation Guide for a complete set of participation instructions.
Configuring the List
Although most lists are set up AAPT's default list settings, you have the option to customize the list configuration. You can customize the settings initially by including your requests in your email to the AAPT List Manager. Once the list is set up, you may also decide to change the settings later. At either point, you may specify membership and access criteria such as:
- Must someone be a member of the list to read messages?
- Must someone be a member to post messages?
- Who is eligible for list membership?
- Will your list be available as a newsgroup?
- Will your list be Web-accessible?
The default setting is for your list to be available to outside visitors on a read-only basis, meaning that they can read messages that are posted to the list, but cannot post messages themselves. If you wish to close your list to non-subscribers completely, you can do this under the List Administrator menu. AAPT recommends, however, that you consult with the AAPT List Manager before changing any list settings. Some of the settings affect the software's ability to process incoming and outgoing messages, so care must be taken when customizing your options.
Current Committee Listservs
Questions
For questions about listserv administration and participation, you may refer to the online guides below:
You may also contact the AAPT List Manager with any questions.
