Set Up Your Own Mailing List
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A frequent question about Mailing List Manager’s is ‘Can I run one on my Mac?’ Or, ‘What’s available for a PC?’ (asbestos shorts time) To me, Mailing List Manager’s for Mac-OS and DOS are like piano-playing poodles — I’m reluctant to evaluate them in terms of performance because it’s remarkable that they work at all.
– Aleks N.; Mailing List Management Software FAQ; V1.1; 1995-01-24. |
There are several ways you can set up your own mailing list: autoresponders, Majordomo, Listserv, or a free mailing list site:
- Autoresponders. If you just want to distribute a copy of a standard message to users on request, you can use an autoresponder to automatically provide information to anyone on the Internet that emails the autoresponder. For example, the information could be a FAQ, a list of products available from your company, a list of song lyrics, a recipe, or a standard data sheet. Some companies will provide you a free autoresponder in return for inclusion of advertising in the headers or footers.
- Majordomo. If you have a Unix based computer, you can use Majordomo shareware.
- Listserv. You can join the lstsrv-l mailing list and send a message describing the list you would like to set up. If the idea is interesting to one of the list owners, they may host the list for you. You can also use the Listserv lite software for personal and hobby requirements at no cost.
- Free lists. The following references provide free mailing list services:
Resources. The following resource can help with managing your mailing list once it is up and running:
- RFC 3934; M. Wasserman; Updates to RFC 2418 Regarding the Management of IETF Mailing Lists; October 2004.