1. LISTSERV LISTSERV Host Maintains Lists of E-Mail Addresses
You subscribe to a specific list
Messages posted to the list are mailed to you
You receive them in your ordinary system
Delivery
via
Posting
via
LISTSERV host

2. A LISTSERV Conference LISTSERV Host puka.org LISTSERV Program
GLOBAL-L Conference
CRIME-L Conference
There is a LISTSERV host computer with a host name (puka.org in this example)
A LISTSERV program manages conferences on the host (in this case, the program is named LISTSERV)
The program manages multiple conferences
(GLOBAL-L and CRIME-L in this example)

3. Subscribing to a LISTSERV Conference1.
Subscription message is sent to the list management program, LISTSERV, not to a specific conference
To:
Subject:
subscribe GLOBAL-L Ray Panko

4. Subscribing to a LISTSERV Conference2.
Subject field can be left blank; You can have a subject if you like, but it will be ignored
To:
Subject:
subscribe GLOBAL-L Ray Panko

5. Subscribing to a LISTSERV Conference3.
Body must read as follows:
subscribe conferencename yourname
Not “subscribe to”
No period at end
To:
Subject:
subscribe GLOBAL-L Ray Panko

6. Subscribing to a LISTSERV Conference
Nothing else may be in the body
In particular, you must NOT have a signature
To:
Subject:
subscribe GLOBAL-L Ray Panko

7. Common Errors
Sending the subscription message to a conference name, not to the LISTSERV manager program
It doesn’t work
It goes to everyone in the conference, annoying them
Not typing “subscribe conferencename yourname” (without the quotes) exactly
Adding a signature or any additional text in the body

8. Posting a LISTSERV Message1.
Post the message to the conferencename at the host, not to the LISTSERV manager program, LISTSERV
To:
Subject: Gigaplexe?
Is anyone using one of the new
Gigaplexe LANs in Europe?

9. Posting a Content Message to a Group2.
Always add a descriptive Subject field
To:
Subject: Gigaplexe?
Is anyone using one of the new
Gigaplexe LANs in Europe? 3.
Put whatever you like in the Body

10. Unsubscribing from a LISTSERV Conference
Send an unsubscribe message to the LISTSERV management program
In this case, LISTSERV
NOT to the conference!!!!!!!!!
Be sure to record the name of the management program when you subscribe so you can unsubscribe later
Body must read (exactly)
unsubscribe conferencename
Nothing else must be in the body
In particular, the message may not have a signature

11. Recap Subscribing (Supervisory Message) Posting (Content Message)
Send message to LISTSERV manager
Not to the conference name!
Body: “subscribe conferencename yourname”
No signature or anything else
Posting (Content Message)
Send postings to conferencename
Unsubscribing (Supervisory Message)
Must unsubscribe to stop getting mail
Nothing in body except “unsubscribe conferencename”