Listservs (Mailing Lists) at Boise State University

Get Help with ListServs...

Details

Listserv "lists" are discussion groups to which users may subscribe (join).

Email messages are sent to one address (the "list"), which then sends copies to everyone subscribed to the list. This is a primitive version of newsgroups, which allow for discussions maintained solely on the news server.

While listservs allow for sharing of ideas and collaborative discussions, the amount of email traffic and organizational difficulties may make newsgroups a more attractive option.

Creating a List

Listserv creation requests are submitted online using Help Desk Self Service. 

Here's the information you'll need to have available when requesting a listserv:

Your request will be forwarded to a system administrator, who will then contact the owner when the list is created.

Deleting or Modifying a List

To delete a listserv that is no longer in use, or to change list owners, please submit a request online using Help Desk Self Service.

Subscribing to a List

To subscribe to a list, you send email to the listserv server and ask to subscribe to the list. The process may vary from server to server, so be sure to find out what your email message needs to say from the system administrator or list owner. For example, to subscribe to the list called COMP-BSU on BSU's listserv server, you would type the following in your message:

address: listserv@listserv.boisestate.edu
subject: (leave blank)
message: subscribe comp-bsu "your name"

After you subscribe you will receive a confirmation email which will contain several important pieces of information specific to the list (e.g., how to send messages, how to unsubscribe, etc.). Keep this email!

Sending a Message to a List

To send a message to the list, create an email message to its server as shown below (using previous example of COMP-BSU list):

address: comp-bsu@listserv.boisestate.edu
subject: (whatever you want)
message: (whatever you want)

Unsubscribe from a List

To unsubscribe from a list send email to the listserv server issuing the following command:

address: listserv@listserv.boisestate.edu
subject: (leave blank)
message: unsubscribe comp-bsu

Other Commands

Following are some other commands you can issue to the listserv server (not the list itself):

Need More Help?

Detailed ListServ information (including a ListServ Quick Start Guide) is available at http://listserv.boisestate.edu

For further assistance, please contact the OIT Help Desk by phone at 426-4357, via e-mail at helpdesk@boisestate.edu, or online at Help Desk Self Service.