JISCMail

JiscMail user help documents

1. Introduction
2. Subscriber's corner
3. Register or change password
4. Change your email address
5. Institutional log on
6. Mailing list subscriptions
7. Advanced search
8. Posting to a mailing list
9. Contacting a list owner
10. Archives
11. FAQ
12. LISTSERV
13. Subscriber commands

1. Introduction

Introduction

What is a Group?

At its most basic level, a group is a mailing list (or electronic discussion list) with a list of people's names and email addresses. Everyone on the group shares a common interest and they use email to talk to each other. Belonging to a group is rather like sitting in on a discussion - you can join in the talk, start a discussion, or simply listen.
A group can serve a variety of purposes. It may be used to discuss work with other academics, share news, collaborate on projects and publications, announce conferences, arrange meetings or just to keep in touch with colleagues in your subject area. There are various tools to help you organise meetings, create surveys, store your files or bookmark your favourite content.

Who's in charge?

Each group is managed by one or more group owners, who are responsible for running the group. A group owner looks after the configuration of the group, its members and generally steers the direction and usage of the group. If you have problems joining, leaving or using the group, you can contact the list owner.

How do groups work?

Generally, you either find a group from our web pages or are invited to join one. Once you have been added to the group you will automatically receive messages sent to the group by other members. When you reply, depending on how the group is configured, it will be sent to the whole group or just the originator of the message. You can leave a group at any time.

What is LISTSERV?

LISTSERV® is the mailing list software that JiscMail uses and is produced by a company called LSoft. It was chosen for its high degree of configurability, web interface, and ability to handle large amounts of email.

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2. Subscriber's corner

Subscriber's Corner

Subscriber's Corner is a useful tool for managing your subscriptions, especially when you are subscribed to many groups. On this page, you can see all the lists you are subscribed to or all the public lists on the server. The list table can display selected subscription settings for each list.

From this page you can:

Subscribe to one or more lists.
Unsubscribe from one or more lists.
Change your subscription settings for one or more lists.

To access subscribers corner, go to www.jiscmail.ac.uk and click on 'Subscribers Corner' in the quick links box.

Select the "Show All Lists" option (please note this will only show public lists) and click the 'Search' button.
If you want to search for a particular list type into the 'Show Lists' box and click on the 'Search' button.
Check the boxes next to the lists to which you want to subscribe.
At the bottom of the List Names column, select the "Subscribe"
Press the "Submit" button.

Subscribers Corner

Unsubscribe

Check the box next to each list you want to leave.
At the bottom of the "List Names" column, select the 'Unsubscribe' option.
Press the "Submit" button.

Change subscription settings

Click on the 'My settings' tab.
Check the box(es) next to the list(s) for which you wish to change the settings.
Press the "Submit" button to refresh the list table; now there is a column for each
At the bottom of each setting column that you want to change, select the setting to which you want to set these lists.
Press the "Submit" button.

Alternatively, you can also view and change your subscription options for individual lists by clicking on the list name.

Here is a list of basic settings you can change:

Mail Style: Check this box to report on whether subscriptions are set to receive individual postings ("Regular"), or digest or index versions of the list.

Mail Status: Check this box to report on whether subscriptions are set to receive postings ("Mail") or not ("No Mail") from the list.

Restrictions: Check this box to report on what, if any, posting restrictions are in effect for the subscriptions.

Post - Normal posting privileges according to the list's configuration.
No Post - The subscriber is not allowed to post to the list.
Editor: Posts bypass moderation on a list that is configured for moderation as policy.
Review: All posts are sent to a moderator for approval before being permitted on the list.

Subscription Date: Check this box to report the date on which each subscription was registered.

NOTE: If this is blank, the subscription was registered before the LISTSERV server was upgraded to version 1.8c (which was released in 1997).

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3. Register or change password

Register a Password

We recommend that all JiscMail customers register a password on the JiscMail website.

Why register a password?

If you’re a subscriber you can manage your subscriptions and settings, post messages and reply to messages, join/leave lists, access Private list archives (that you are a member of) and view Files left in a list Files Area.

If you’re a list owner, as well as managing your own personal subscriptions (for lists you are a member of), post messages and reply to messages. You can also carry out list owner tasks, such as: add/remove subscribers, run reports on list activity, moderate messages (if applicable), upload files to their files area, create templates, delete messages, customise messages.

How to register a password:

These instructions will also help you if you forget your password or want to change your password.

Go to the Register Password page on our website
Enter your email address, and create a password, add it to the second box and click the Register Password button
The Confirmation Sent screen means that your request is being processed
Check your email: JISCMail will send you a confirmation email, you need to action the request made in the email, do one of the following:
- Click the blue link in the message
- Copy the blue link and pasting it into a web browser
- Reply to sender with the message OK
If you do not activate the request within 48hours the password will be reset and you will have to go through the registration process again (from step 1)
When you activate the request you will receive another email to confirm that it was processed successfully, and then you can log into the JiscMail website

If you do not receive your confirmation email promptly, contact help@jisc.ac.uk as we can confirm it for you. A request will expire if not confirmed within 48 hours.

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4. Change your email address

Changing your email address in JISCMail

As a JISCMail subscriber you might wish to change the email address that messages from your JISCMail subscriptions are sent to, whether it’s a change of circumstances, new/change of job, or personal preferences. You can do this yourself using the JISCMail website, or sending an email request or contacting the JISCMail Helpline.

Before you start

To make the change you need to have access to both email accounts (the current one and the one you want to change it to).

In addition, if you make the change on the JISCmail website you will also need to log into the website before you start, if you don’t have a password register a password now.

If you don’t have access to both email accounts then you will need to ask help@jisc.ac.uk to make the changes for you. Please include your current email address and new email address, plus the name of a JISCMail list that you are subscribed to (for verification purposes).

Changing your email address using the web interface

Log into the JISCMail website with your current email address and password
Go to the Command Interface
In the Command box type: CHANGE * NEW-EMAIL-ADDRESS
Replace the words NEW-EMAIL-ADDRESS to your NEW email address
click the Enter Command button
This will send an email called 'Command Confirmation request' to the NEW email address. In the email confirmation is a link which you need to click to complete the request. When the request is completed your subscription (and mail settings) will be updated to your new email address
You will receive one confirmation email for each list you subscribe to. You will need to click the confirmation link in each one.
You will need to register a new password on the JISCMail website with the new email address.

Changing your email address using an email command

Send a message from the email account that is currently registered in JISCMail:
To: listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk
Subject: email update
Body: CHANGE * NEW-EMAIL-ADDRESS
Replace the words NEW-EMAIL-ADDRESS to your NEW email address
This will send an email called 'Command Confirmation request' to the NEW email address. In the email confirmation is a link which you need to click to complete the request. When the request is completed your subscription (and mail settings) will be updated to your new email address
You will receive one confirmation email for each list you subscribe to. You will need to click the confirmation link in each one.
You will need to register a new password on the JISCMail website with the new email address.

If you have any problems carrying out this change, please contact the JiscMail Helpline help@jisc.ac.uk

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5. Institutional log on

Institutional Log On

JiscMail is institutional log on enabled. You can map your UK Access Management credentials to your JiscMail account. This process will allow you to authenticate against your home institution's IdP (Identity Provider) rather than authenticating against the JiscMail credentials database.

What is institutional log on?

Institutional log on allows you to log into multiple services or applications using just one user name and password. This is of great benefit as it helps acoid the need to remember multiple login details.

What do I need? Your home organisation needs to be a member of the UK Federation and you need a web browser that supports SSL encryption (all the major browsers do).

How do I use it? To use institutional log on, choose the 'Institutional log on' option at the top of the JiscMail home page at http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk. This will take you to the 'Where Are You From page' (the WAYF). If you are already authenticated, you may not see this screen.

Start typing your organisation name, select it from the drop down list, and click on the 'Continue' button. Enter your institutional user name and password.

If this is your first time using single sign-on with JiscMail, you will need to map your current JiscMail username to your institutional log on targeted ID. The Targeted ID is a unique identifier that is given to each service by the IdP. It differs for each service that you connect to in order to preserve anonymity, yet it will be the same each time you connect to the same service i.e. JiscMail. Therefore, we can tailor the response of the site specifically for you. There are no indicators as to your identity within the Targeted ID, so it is necessary to go through a process of mapping this identifier to the account that you normally use on JiscMail. It is vital that we do this securely, so that there is no abuse of this system. To that end, we ask that you enter your current JiscMail registered e-mail address and password, and then click on the 'Associate' button.

On subsequent visits, when you click on the 'Login via your home organisation' button, you will be recognised and logged in automatically.

For more information about single sign-on, visit the UK Access Management Federation on the Jisc website

Improvements to institutional log on: April 2019

JiscMail carried out improvements to its institutional log on. The improvements ensured that we continue to provide a robust and secure institutional login service.

Following the improvements to the institutional log on, users who continue to use the institutional log on will no longer have a JiscMail (LISTSERV) password. As a result when the work is complete, JiscMail users who use the institutional log on, will be required to follow the steps described below to ensure their institutional log on access is maintained.

Post-upgrade steps for existing institutional log on users

Everyone who uses institutional login to access their JiscMail lists will be required to complete the following steps

To ensure that you are logged out, visit the following URL https://jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?RESET-COOKIE
Visit https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/secure - the institutional login page on the JiscMail website, and log in through federated access.
Once logged in, you should see the "JiscMail Institutional Login - Migration page" here we need you to choose whether you wish to "Continue using the JiscMail Institutional Login?" By choosing "Continue" you will only be able to access JiscMail using Institutional Login.
If you do not see the "JiscMail Institutional Login - Migration page", then it might be that you have chosen the incorrect institution login, or that you have not used this feature, in which case you will be prompted to associate your account by entering your JiscMail (LISTSERV) password.

Please note, you should only need to do the post-upgrade steps once. In the future, if you no longer want to use the Institutional login for your JiscMail account, then simply register for a new password for your account - https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?GETPW1=OWNER

If you experience any problems completing any of these steps, please report them to help@jisc.ac.uk with full details.

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6. Mailing list subscriptions

Group Subscriptions

On JISCMail, you can subscribe to as many groups as you like. Each subscription is treated separately by LISTSERV®.
There are three primary ways that you can join or leave groups and manage your subscriptions:

By Visiting the Group Homepage
By Visiting Subscriber's Corner
By Email

Group Homepage

From the group's homepage at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/GROUPNAME (where 'GROUPNAME' is the name of your chosen GROUP), follow the link 'Subscribe or Unsubscribe'

Subscribe: Fill in your name and email address. If you are new to JISCMail, it may be best to leave the settings as they are by default. Otherwise, select which options you want to set for your subscription. Click on the 'Subscribe (groupname)' button.
Unsubscribe: Click on the 'Leave GROUPNAME.' button
Change settings: Adjust your settings and then click on the 'Update Options' button.

Subscriber's Corner

Subscriber's Corner is a useful tool for managing your subscriptions, especially when you are subscribed to many groups.
Subscribe Under 'Search Options', type in the group name, or part of the group name, in the 'Search for List' ' field. Change the 'Show All Lists' option from 'Show Subscribed Lists Only' to "Show All lists" and then click on 'Search'.
You should then see a table of one or more groups. Tick the box to the left of the group you want to join, at the bottom of the table, choose 'Subscribe' from the drop down menu and click on 'Submit'.
Unsubscribe Tick the box to the left of the group you want to leave, at the bottom of the table change the option within the drop down menu to "Unsubscribe" and click on 'Submit'.
Change settings Choose 'Subscribed Lists Only' from the 'Show All Lists' link, then choose 'My Settings' . From the drop down menus at the bottom of the table, select the relevant settings for any options you wish to change and click on 'Submit'.

Email

From the email address you wish to subscribe with, send one of the following options within the body of the message to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk

Subscribe SUBSCRIBE
Unsubscribe UNSUBSCRIBE
Change settings SET

Passwords

In order to log in to access previous discussions or JISCMail tools, or post from the web from any private groups you may belong to, you will need to register a password.

Notes on joining groups

Depending on the configuration of the group your subscription request may go to the group owner for approval.
You will receive an email asking for you to confirm your request. This is known as an "OK Confirmation". Either click on the link provided in the email, or reply to it with the word "OK" in the message body.

Note: Your subscription will not be activated until you have done this. If you do not receive this confirmation request promptly, email help@jisc.ac.uk and we will confirm it for you. The request will expire after 48 hours if it is not confirmed.

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7. Advanced search

Use our Advanced search tools to find new mailing lists to join.

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8. Posting to a mailing list

Posting to a Group

To send a message to a JISCMail group, address it to:

GROUPNAME@JISCMail.ac.uk

where GROUPNAME is the name of the group you wish to post to.

When the JISCMail servers receive your email, they will attempt to deliver it to all the subscribers subscribed group (apart from those who have set themselves not to receive mail). If delivery cannot be achieved you will normally be sent an email back explaining what the problem was.

The following points should be noted:

Nearly all of our groups require you to be a subscriber before you can post to them, and if this is the case, you must make sure that you send your email from the same email address that you are subscribed to the group with.
Some groups are set up so that all mail is sent to an Editor or Moderator for approval. It may take time before they get round to checking the pending mail, and they may reject your mail if they feel it inappropriate for the group.
If you have never posted to a JISCMail group before, the server may hold your mail for a few minutes before posting it. This is part of the LISTSERV® anti-spam mechanism and is perfectly normal.
Sending the same message to more than one group at the same time is not recommended practice on JISCMail, as your message may get mistaken for a spam and your posting privileges suspended for 48 hours.

CCs and Posting

A special note is worth making about CCs (Carbon Copies):
If you create an email addressed to a JiscMail mailing list and CC'd to someone else, when LISTSERV receives it the CC address will be removed and placed in a header field called "Comments:" which may not be readily viewable by recipients on the list. A similar thing occurs when you CC to a list - the original "To:" addresses will be moved to the comments field.
Therefore, it is always a good idea to mention in the body of your email that you have copied it to someone else and give their email address, if applicable.

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9. Contact list owner(s

Contact list owner(s)

How to contact the owner(s)

Each JiscMail list has as a unique email address which may be used by individuals wishing to contact the list owner(s). Emails sent to the address are sent to all of the list’s owners (i.e. all email addresses that appear in the list’s configuration ‘Owner=’ line), they are not sent to the list.

The format of the list owner email addresses is:

listname-request@jiscmail.ac.uk

When using this email address to contact the list’s owner(s), replace listname with the name of the related list. For example, JISCMAIL-NEWSLETTER-request@jiscmail.ac.uk would send your message to the owners of the JISCMAIL-NEWSLETTER list.

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10. Archives

FAQ for Subscribers

This FAQ section is designed to cover some of the more specific questions we get asked, that are not necessarily covered in other 'Using JiscMail' pages.

Last updated August 2019

Questions

Using JiscMail

Q. How do I join or leave a mailing list?

A. Go to the group homepage at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/groupname (where 'groupname' is your chosen group) and choose the 'Subscribe or Unsubscribe' link from that page. If the subscription requires the owner's approval, your request will be forwarded to the group owner, otherwise, you will receive a confirmation email which you will need to respond to.

Leave a group via the same link.

Alternatively, send the following command to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk :

subscribe/unsubscribe GROUPNAME
--

If you haven't already identified a suitable group to join, go to www.jiscmail.ac.uk and choose the 'Catagory Pages' option, or select a catagory from the tag cloud on the right hand side of the page. Scroll through the available groupnames and their descriptions, then click on a group name for a link to join it.

Q. What is the web address of a group's homepage/archive page

A. The format for all our groups is www.jiscmail.ac.uk/GROUPNAME
Fig 1: A typical Group Homepage

Q. Why do I need a LISTSERV password?

A. You will need a LISTSERV password for the following reasons:

To post to a group via the web
To read the archives of any private groups you belong to
To access the Files Area or Surveys of any private groups you belong to

Additonally as a group owner:

To manage the group

Q. How do I obtain or reset a LISTSERV password?

A. Go to www.jiscmail.ac.uk and choose the 'Register Password' option from the Quick Links menu on the left of the page and fill in your email address and chosen password. A confirmation email will immediately be sent to you. Open that email and click on the link within it. If the confirmation fails to arrive promptly, let us know at help@jisc.ac.uk as we can confirm it for you. A request will expire if not confirmed within 48 hours.

If you forget your password, simply register a new one as this will override any previous password you may have had.

Q. How do I post a message to a group?

A. Send your email to groupname@jiscmail.ac.uk (where 'groupname' is the name of your chosen group).
Alternatively, go to the group's homepage at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/groupname and send via the 'Post New Message' link. Please note that you will need to have a password registered to post via the web (see above).

Q. How much does it cost?

A. You do not have to pay to own or subscribe to a JiscMail group

Q. How do I create my own group?

A. See Creating a Group. Read the criteria, then fill out a new list request form

Q. How do I stop messages when I go on holiday?

A. If you are going away, and want to temporarily halt email from a group, change your 'mail status' setting from MAIL to NOMAIL. To do this send the following command to listserv@JISCMail.ac.uk

set * nomail
--

and when you return, send:

set * mail
--

Go to the homepage of your group. Choose 'Subscribe or Unsubscribe' and tick /untick the 'NOMAIL' checkbox within your subscription options.

Q. Which groups do I belong to?

A. Go to our homepage at www.jiscmail.ac.uk and choose the 'Subscriber's Corner' link. Log in using the email address you are subscribed with and your groups will be displayed.

Alternatively, send the following command to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk :

query *
--

Q. Who else is on my group

A. Depending on the privacy settings the group owner has chosen, you can find out by sending the following command to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk :

review groupname
--

where 'groupname' is the name of your group. An email will be sent to you containing details of who is subscribed to the group.

Q. Can I get messages in digest format?

A. Yes, you can set this option when you join a group or by logging in to Subscriber's Corner to alter your settings.

Q. How do I access the Files Area

A. Go to your group homepage at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/groupname and choose the Files Area link. If the group is private, you will need to login with your LISTSERV password.

Q. How do I contact a group's owner(s)

A. If you need to contact the owner(s) of a list, use the following address: LISTNAME-request@jiscmail.ac.uk (where LISTNAME is the name of your chosen group).

If you do not receive a response within a few days, please contact help@jisc.ac.uk

Problems

Q. Why have I been removed from the group?

A. If there was a problem with your mail system, email from JiscMail may not have been able to get through,which would result in error messages being returned to LISTSERV® or the group owner. Depending on the nature of the error, and how long it lasted for, you would then be removed from the group on the grounds that your email address appeared to be no longer valid. To re-subscribe, go to the group home page at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/GROUPNAME and choose the link to 'Subscribe or Unsubscribe'.

Q. Why can't I leave the group?

A. If you are logged in to the web interface, or are sending a command from a different address to the one you are subscribed with, LISTSERV will not recognise you. Contact help@jisc.ac.uk and we will do this for you.

Q. How do I change my email address?

A. If you know about the change in advance,send the following command from your subscribed address to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk :

change * newemailaddress
--

Alternatively, contact the group owner at the groupname-request@jiscmail.ac.uk address and ask them to update your details or contact help@jisc.ac.uk

Q. How do I change my name?

A. From the group homepage at www.jiscmail.ac.uk/groupname choose 'Subscribe or Unsubscribe' . Change your name details and then click the 'Update Options' button.

Netiquette

Q. Does JiscMail have a "netiquette"?

A. Yes. See Guidelines on Etiquette.

Q. How do I complain about an offensive message?

A. If someone sends a message that seems to be in questionable taste or of dubious relevance to the group, please do NOT send a complaint or comment to the whole group. Contact the group owner at the groupname-request@jiscmail.ac.uk address.

Q. I've received a spam message/phishing email from a mailing list, what should I do?

A. If you receive a spam/phishing email from a mailing list contact help@jisc.ac.uk to report it. Please don't open any links in the message, or forward it back to the list to report it.

Q. Can I send attachments to JiscMail groups?

A. Most groups accept attachments, but if you have a large document, we would recommend putting it into the files area. See File Area for more details. Please note that some groups reject postings with attachments, and some allow the posting through but strip the attachment off - this configuration is the choice of the group owner.

Q. Can I send a press release, promote my website or send a job advert to the group?

A. These types of postings are normally acceptable on a group. However, you should first check the group archives to see if they have been sent before and if you are in doubt, contact the group owner at groupname-request.ac.uk. If the message is suitable, the group owner will forward it to the group.

Q. Do you sell email addresses?

A. No. Although other members of your group may be permitted to see your email address, JiscMail WILL NOT pass on your email address to any other organisation, commercial or otherwise.

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12. Listserv

LISTSERV®

JiscMail uses LISTSERV® software to provide mailing list functionality to JiscMail. The LISTSERV® software is provided by L-Soft. LISTSERV supports all types of mailing groups, including moderated and unmoderated discussion groups, email newsletters and announcements lists.

LISTSERV web interface

The LISTSERV® Web Interface is the set of, often dynamic, web pages used to perform many tasks such as viewing and managing lists, managing subscriptions, searching and newsletter templates.

While we have customised its look and feel, the web interface is an entirely separate entity to the JiscMail web that you are reading now.

LISTSERV has extensive online help available in the form of: pop-up help, summoned via links on key words and phrases; the Help option on the navigation bar; various explanatory notes on the pages themselves (can be toggled by use of the 'Help' and 'Hide Help' buttons).

Logging in and Cookies

Many pages on the LISTSERV web interface require that you login in order to verify that you are permitted access to that particular page or feature.

When required to login you will be presented with a page like this:

Type in your email address and password in the fields provided and then click on the 'Login' button. LISTSERV will store your login details in a cookie, providing you are using a browser that supports/enables cookies, to prevent you having to login every time you use the web interface.

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13. Subscriber commands

Subscriber Commands

These are the most commonly used LISTSERV® commands for subscribers. Each command listed is followed by its syntax - angled brackets indicate a required parameter and square brackets an optional parameter. To issue a command via email, send an email to listserv@jiscmail.ac.uk with no subject and the command in the body of the email.

SUBSCRIBE groupname forename surname [WITH opt1 opt2 etc]

This subscribes you to a group. You can also use this to change your name if you are already a member of the group and you will receive a message saying that your subscription options have been updated. Please note that to do this, you must use the same email address you were originally subscribed with. You can specify options using the WITH command. Note: Your email address is automatically taken from your email.

Example 1: SUBSCRIBE JISCMAIL-NEWSLETTER Joe Bloggs

This is the standard subscription, in this case subscribing to the 'JISCMAIL-NEWSLETTER' with the name 'Joe Bloggs'.

Example 2: SUBSCRIBE JISCMAIL-NEWSLETTER Joe Bloggs WITH DIGESTS NOHTML

This subscribes you to 'JISCMAIL-NEWSLETTER' and specifies that you wish to receive postings in DIGEST format and want to avoid HTML. The full list of WITH options can be seen under the SET command below.