[SoCoSA/discuss] Mailing list preference question

[Eric Eisenhart]

On Sun, Feb 12, 2006 at 10:21AM -0800, Steve S. wrote:
> Can this be automated?  Can the Notify-list be configured to bounce a
> message having certain criteria (e.g. it's a "Reply"), with the
> error-message "Discuss this on the discuss-list,
> http://socosa.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss".  Or just make it
> Moderated...

The notify list already sets Reply-To to the discuss list, and it's
moderated.  (Even I have to get approval for messages I send to notify) We
can also automatically insert boilerplate headers and footers for messages
to either list; right now it's just footers that identify each list.

> Managing 2 mailing-lists to belong to one organization just seems so
> awkward; I'm particularly annoyed when I have to move a thread to

Well...  The way I see it, these are the basic options:

1) A single mailing list that announcements and discussions all go to; if
   you want to see announcements but not discussions too bad.  (or try to
   use mailman's topics stuff so that it's possible to sort of split the
   mailing list up)
2) Separate lists for announcements and discussions, with announcements
   going to both places.  Members sign up for one list or the other, but
   not both, depending on whether they want to see discussions.
3) Separate lists for announcements and discussions, with announcements only
   going to one list.  Everybody signs up for notify and people who want
   discussions also sign up for discuss.

There's also a "massmail" option in our content management system (drupal)
that can be used to email everybody that's signed up on the website.  And
from what I can tell, it shouldn't be too difficult to automatically send
"invites" to either or both mailing lists when somebody signs up on the
website.

Oh, also, an alternative for discussions: http://socosa.org/discuss
(there's a gateway between that and the discuss mailing list.  Delay of up
to an hour for messages to go from the mailing list to the web forum
currently, but that could be shortened)
-- 
Eric Eisenhart <freiheit at SoCoSA.org>
SoCoSA Founder and President
IRC: freiheit on irc.socosa.org
AIM: falschfreiheit