Re: [Savannah-users] Question about Email Lists

[Bob Proulx]

Stephen H. Dawson wrote:
> I have never received a control message pattern like you reference.

I think the pattern is actually

  mailinglist-name post from address@hidden requires approval

I ignore these patterns (procmail rules):

  :0
  * 1^0 ^Subject: [-a-zA-Z0-9]+ post from
  * 1^0 ^Subject: [-a-zA-Z0-9]+ subscription notification
  * 1^0 ^Subject: [-a-zA-Z0-9]+ unsubscribe notification
  list-administrivia/

Although for my taste I never turn on subscription notifications but
some list owners do and therefore I ignore them too.

> I appreciate the offer for a fake email address,

You were not offered a fake email address.  Karl offered to replace
your email address with the group shared one that goes to the
listhelper-moderate mailing list.  Karl called it a placeholder
because that is the default address used when there isn't any other
address to put there.  It goes to the listhelper-moderate mailing
list.  It is somewhat recursive but as a mailing list it gets its own
anti-spam filtering because there is a lot of spam sent to the owner
addresses too.  But every message is read by Karl and myself at the
least.  It doesn't get ignored.  It doesn't go into a blackhole.

Regardless of what address is listed as the mailing list owner address
you would still be free to log into the mailing list web site and to
do whatever mailing list maintenance you wish to do.  But then you
wouldn't get the per message control message notifications.  The "post
from .* requires approval" message would not be sent to you.

> but I think we need to keep a live person involved.

Every message to listhelper-moderate is read and responded to
appropriately by a live person.  At least I think I am still a live
person.  :-)

> The pattern of GNU remotecontrol talking with real people in the
> world (ha) has been with academia and industry leaders. They want to
> talk to a real person, not a team out in WWW.

This reads as a non-sequitur to me.  A team of people "out in the WWW"
would also be real people too.  I am part of a team of people out in
the WWW.  I am "real people".  Really!

I think what you are really saying is that you would like to continue
to be the main contact for your mailing lists.  That is certainly
fine.  No one is trying to talk you out of it!  We are only reacting
to your complaints about the Mailman control messages being sent there
and trying to help.  Trying to help reduce mailing list owner workload
is the only reason we are suggesting anything different.

But if you want to continue to be the main contact then you are also
stuck with all of the Mailman control messages being sent there too.
That is just the way Mailman is and we have no ability to do anything
about it.  Sorry.  I am stuck with it just the same as anyone else.  I
would love to be able to hack on the Mailman installation and divert
them to a different address.

> I am working that interest with they talking to me and not the
> list. However, if this trend continues, and the industry keeps
> talking, it seems like the list for remotecontrol will take
> off.

Sounds awesome!

> That is the point I would like to find some help with administrating
> the list. Getting others up and running with their local email
> client spam filter could be some work. I am willing to try helping
> theme, but with all pain......their interest to help will be limited
> to the pain they are going to go through.

The easiest thing is to have them log into the web site and tend to
the pending messages waiting for approval.  That is the beginning and
end of it then.

> I hope the list takes off. Perhaps if I stop talking to real people, but
> that would stop other things. Chicken and the egg.

Yes, distractions...  I am the same way.  So much to do but here I am
answering mailing list messages!  If I didn't talk with people then I
might get more done!  :-) :-)

Bob