SMOOTHY-L Archives

From: "Sandra" <>
Subject: behind the scenes
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 09:18:54 +0800

1a. Mailing Lists: A Peek Behind the Scenes

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes when you subscribe to a
RootsWeb mailing list?

RootsWeb mailing lists use a mailing list software program called
SmartList, which has been customized by RootsWeb developers to meet the
specific demands of RootsWeb's system. SmartList actually lives up to
its name most of the time and handles the vast majority of list
functions automatically without a hitch -- subscription and
unsubscription requests, mailing list messages, and correspondence
intended for the list administrator.

The process of mail handling at RootsWeb begins with you sending an e-
mail to an address associated with a mailing list. Your e-mail arrives
at RootsWeb's mail hub where it is sent on to a list server, much in the
same way that post offices sort incoming mail and deliver it to its
intended destination. When you first join (subscribe to) a mailing list,
you receive a confirmation message letting you know you are subscribed
and giving you information about the list -- how to post a message and
how to unsubscribe. Then from that point on you receive all messages
sent to the list by other list members. You can merely read those
messages and lurk or reply to them. You also can post queries and get
responses from others.

When a list subscriber's e-mail becomes invalid -- permanently or
temporarily -- SmartList sends the resulting bounce notices to the list
administrator for review. When you e-mail in your subscribe and
unsubscribe requests, the welcome and goodbye letters you receive as a
confirmation are handled automatically. Although the text of those
messages is often customized by the list administrator to fit the needs
of the specific list, the messages are sent out in an automated process
by SmartList. SmartList is even capable of generating a "Help" message
for you, if it doesn't understand what to do with a message you send.

RootsWeb has more than one list server to house its more than 28,000
lists. A server is much like a regular computer processing unit, but is
configured to handle an incoming and outgoing traffic load on a
continuous 24/7 basis. A list server is a server dedicated to the
processing of list mail.

At present RootsWeb has three main list servers -- lists5, lists2, and
lists8. The latter is the new server, established recently to take some
of the load off of the overburdened lists2 server. When you address your
messages to a list you don't need to know on which server the list to
which you are writing resides because the mail hub will know where to
send your message automatically.

So, why would you even care on which list server your favorite mailing
lists are located? Most of the time you don't need to know, but there
are rare occasions when that information can be useful, such as:

--If a list server is ever having problems or is down for service, you
will know whether your subscribed lists are affected.

--Occasionally an ISP (Internet Service Provider) will mistakenly block
mail coming from RootsWeb lists as being spam, usually due to the volume
of mail received from RootsWeb. When this happens, it is important for
you to be able to determine whether all list mail is being blocked or
just mail from one list server, so that you can file an informative
complaint report with your ISP and have the matter corrected.

If you suspect that you are not receiving mail from some of your lists,
the first thing to do always is check the yellow HelpDesk announcement
box at http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/ to see if there are technical
problems associated with a specific server on which the lists in
question reside.

By opening the full headers of any mailing list message you can see a
header field that tells you the list server name. To learn how to expand
the headers in most popular e-mail programs, go to
http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/listadmins/headersfull.html

So, while most of the time it isn't necessary to know about all that is
going on in the background involving RootsWeb mailing lists, it can be
fun to understand a bit about the process. Moreover, in certain
instances such knowledge can splash some light on a murky situation.

******************************************************************
REPRINTS. Permission to reprint articles from RootsWeb Review is granted
unless specifically stated otherwise, provided: (1) the reprint is used
for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice
appears at the end of the article: Previously published in RootsWeb
Review: 4 August 2004, Vol. 7, No. 31.
******************************************************************


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www.visionsplendid.homestead.com/familynames.html
MSN Messenger - Fedelmar
ICQ - Fedelmar (201309494)
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
Knowledge speaks and wisdom listens.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*

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