Help:Subscribing

A mailing list is a shared email conversation. After you subscribe, messages sent to the list arrive in your regular email inbox. You do not need a new email application or a UVLists account to join.

There are two ways to subscribe:

• Use the subscription form on the list's website.
• Send a subscription request by email.

In both cases, you must respond to a confirmation message before your subscription can be completed.

Before you subscribe

Start in the UVLists list directory and select the list you want to join.

Read the list's description and posting guidelines before subscribing. Each list serves a particular community or purpose and may have its own rules about appropriate topics, commercial announcements, and who may post.

Make sure you subscribe with the email address where you want to receive list messages. If you use more than one email address, Mailman treats each address as a separate subscription.

Subscribe through the website

This is usually the easiest way to join.

1. Open the list's page in the UVLists list directory.
2. Select the subscription link in the Join or leave section. If you reached the list through a go.uvlists.org page or QR code, select Subscribe.
3. On the Mailman page, scroll to the subscription form.
4. Enter the email address where you want to receive list messages.
5. Enter your name. The name is optional in the form, but using your real name is encouraged on community lists.
6. Select Subscribe.
7. Check your email for a confirmation message from the list.
8. Follow the instructions in that message. You will usually confirm by replying without changing the subject.

You can use the subscription form without signing in or creating an account. The Mailman page may offer a Sign In button near the top, but the form for subscribing without an account appears farther down the page.

Subscribe by email

You can also join without using a web browser.

1. Send an email from the address you want to subscribe to:

   list-name-join@lists.uvlists.org

2. Replace list-name with the actual name of the list. For example:

   strafford-discuss-join@lists.uvlists.org

3. A blank subject and message are sufficient.
4. Check your inbox for a confirmation message.
5. Follow the instructions in the confirmation message. You will usually confirm by replying without changing the subject.

The list's page includes the correct subscription address, often as a Join by email link.

Do not send your subscription request to the list's regular posting address. The -join address is used only for joining.

Confirm your subscription

Mailman sends a confirmation message to make sure that you control the address being subscribed. Your subscription is not complete until you confirm it.

Open the confirmation message and follow its instructions. Depending on the message, you may be able to confirm by replying, opening a confirmation link, or both.

When replying:

• Reply from the same address you are subscribing.
• Do not change the confirmation address or subject line.
• You do not need to include a message.

If the confirmation request has expired or produces an error, submit a new subscription request.

Administrator approval

Some lists allow confirmed subscriptions immediately. Others require approval from a list administrator.

If approval is required, Mailman will hold your request after you confirm your email address. You do not need to submit another request. The list's administrators will review it, and you will receive another email when they approve or reject the subscription.

Approval may not be immediate because many lists are managed by volunteers.

After you join

Mailman normally sends a welcome message when your subscription becomes active. Keep this message for reference; it may contain the list's posting address and other useful information.

To participate:

• Send messages to the posting address shown on the list's UVLists page.
• Send from an address that is subscribed to the list.
• Follow the list's posting guidelines.
• See Send a message for step-by-step posting instructions.

Joining a list does not necessarily create an account on the Mailman website. You may create an account later if you want to manage subscriptions through the website. Create it with the same email address you used to subscribe.

Access to private archives may require signing in even after you have joined the list.

If the confirmation message does not arrive

Allow a few minutes for delivery, then check:

• Your spam, junk, promotions, or quarantine folders.
• That you entered or sent from the correct email address.
• Whether your email provider blocked or filtered mail from lists.uvlists.org.
• Whether the message was delivered to another inbox connected to the same account.

Search your mailbox for the list name, lists.uvlists.org, or "confirm."

If you still cannot find the message, submit the subscription request again. Repeating an unconfirmed request will not create duplicate active subscriptions.

Other common problems

Mailman says that you are already subscribed

The address is already a member of the list. If you are not receiving messages, check your spam folder and email filters, then see Missing messages?.

Also make sure you are checking the same address that Mailman says is subscribed. Similar addresses, aliases, and forwarded accounts can be easy to confuse.

You confirmed but did not receive a welcome message

Your request may be waiting for administrator approval. Allow time for a volunteer administrator to review it.

If several days pass without an update, contact the list administrators using the contact address on the list's UVLists page.

You subscribed with the wrong address

Submit a new request using the address where you want to receive messages. After the correct subscription is active, follow Leave a list to remove the unwanted address.

You can receive messages but cannot post

Make sure you send from the address that is subscribed. Mailman may treat messages from another address as messages from a nonmember, even when both addresses deliver to the same inbox.

Some lists also hold new-member or nonmember messages for moderator review. See Send a message for more help.

Leaving or changing a subscription

To stop receiving messages, see Leave a list.

If you are changing email addresses, subscribe the new address first. After it is working, unsubscribe the old address. This avoids an interruption in delivery.

Need help?

For problems receiving messages, see email delivery help.

For other assistance, see contact UVLists.