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Listservs

UVa does not, at the present time, support listserv mailing lists so if you receive mail only from UVa mailing lists, you do not need these instructions.

Subscribing to Listservs

If you have the name of a listserv mailing list that you would like to join, you will need to subscribe to it. For most listservs, you will use the following process.

For the examples herein, assume you want to subscribe to a mailing list named hoos-r-best that comes from system former.hoo.com.

To join the list, compose an electronic mail message to:

listserv@former.hoo.com

where

former.hoo.com is the place where the list to which you want to subscribe originates, in other words, you replace former.hoo.com with the name of the place where the list to which you want to subscribe originates

Subject lines are ignored by most listservs, so you may omit this or you may put something like:

subscribe hoos-r-best

so that you will recognize this message should you see it again.

In the message text, put:

subscribe hoos-r-best your name

where

hoos-r-best is the name of the list to which you want to subscribe. Note: you put the real name of the real list to which you want to subscribe here instead of putting hoos-r-best

your name is your real name, first and last

You should receive a message from the listserv about the success of this process. Note: this message is automated so do not reply to the message you receive. This message usually contains information on how to leave the list, so you may want to save it for later use.

After you have joined a list, read it for a few days before you try to participate. After you know the types of messages that are encouraged, introduce yourself to other list members and begin to participate.

Note: participation in lists is a privilege, not a right. If you cannot participate within the charter for which the list was created, you will be removed from this list. Should this happen, you should refrain from participating in the list until you are given permission by the list owner to rejoin and participate.

You can send a message to a listserv list by addressing it to:

hoos-r-best@former.hoo.com

where

hoos-r-best is the name of the list you have joined
former.hoo.com is the place where the list originates

Should you need to contact the listserv owner, you can usually do this by addressing a message to:

hoos-r-best-request@former.hoo.com

where

hoos-r-best is the name of the list you have joined
former.hoo.com is the place where the list originates

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Help Desk at (434) 924-3731 or send electronic mail to: consult@Virginia.edu

Unsubscribing from Listservs

If you are:

• leaving U.Va. (even if only for a break, a holiday or the summer)

• are migrating/being moved from one electronic mail system to another within UVa

These instructions will work only if if you send your message to leave the list from the same system you were using when you joined the list. If you joined a list by sending a message from the Central Mail Service, you must send your unsubscription request from that system as well. Remember that you are communicating with an automated computer program that does not reconcile messages that arrive from two different addresses.

For the examples herein, assume you have subscribed to a mailing list named hoos-r-best that comes from system former.hoo.com.

When you first join a mailing list, the list administrator usually sends you an introductory welcome message that includes information about unsubscribing. Use those instructions if you still have them.

Do not send your request to unsubscribe to hoos-r-best@former.hoo.com because that goes out to all the list subscribers. This action is considered very rude.

If you have no idea how to unsubscribe from the listserv that sends messages to you, here are three methods that often work. Try them in the order listed. Remember: for the purposes of these examples, the listserv mailing list is named hoos-r-best. (The To: line of a message from the list may show the message as being addressed to: hoos-r-best@former.hoo.com)

Method 1:

Compose an electronic mail message to:

listserv@former.hoo.com

where

former.hoo.com is the place where the list you want to leave originates

a one-line message whose content is:

signoff hoos-r-best

where

hoos-r-best is the name of the list you want to leave

Method 2:

Compose an electronic mail message to:

hoos-r-best-request@former.hoo.com

where

hoos-r-best is the name of the list you are trying to leave
former.hoo.com is the place where the list originates

and ask the human who will receive this message to be removed from the hoos-r-best mailing list. Remember, a message to a -request address usually goes to a real person, so it may take awhile to get an acknowlegement. On the other hand, the address may not exist, resulting in a rejection.

Method 3:

Compose an electronic mail message to:

postmaster@former.hoo.com

where

former.hoo.com is the place where the list you are trying to leave originates

and politely ask the postmaster for help leaving the hoos-r-best list. Almost every site has a postmaster, who is usually a real person and may have time to help you out. Alas! Sites that send spam via lists sometimes disable their postmaster address ...

If none of the above work for you, please contact postmaster@Virginia.edu and ask for assistance with leaving the list. It will help the U.Va. postmaster if you will include a copy of a message you have received from the list, with its full headers, as well as what you have done to try to leave the list.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Help Desk at (434) 924-3731 or send electronic mail to: consult@Virginia.edu