Discussion email list with Mailman

#1

Dreamhost seems to have some usability limitations on discussion email lists through limited customization. Usability is as important a factor in email lists as it is in Web design. This thread is about how to use Dreamhost’s free Mailman email lists well. This should be a separate Discussion Forum category but I do not know how to make it one so I have put it under Web Design. Now, let’s see how to get those discussion lists set up nicely… :wink:
(Newsletter list are easier to set up at Dreamhost and should be discussed in a category of their own because Newsletters and Discussion lists are handled quite differently from each other at Dreamhost.)

Email Discussion List Setup

  • Welcome Message
    . Dreamhost includes an inelegant text in your Welcome Message
    including a grotesquely complicated list address
    . Let’s find a way to remedy that

  • List Name

  • List Address
    . Dreamhost imposes an inconvenient address format
    . Create an Alias from a better address to the Dreamhost one

  • List Description (appears in Dreamhost directory of lists if you check that box during setup)

  • List Settings
    . moderation options
    . archive options

All of the above are important and need to be set up well. The complexity of this topic suggests it should be a Support Forum Topic of its own. Then each item could be discussed properly.

Could someone set this up as a Discussion Forum Topic of its own?

Thanks!

Roger :slight_smile:

#2

You may want to review past threads about discussion lists.

The short answer is that many of the issues you raise are known issues, and are being worked on. At this point, the newer version of Mailman is out of beta, and we’re working on getting it setup to work with our system.

Adding a list does give you a chance to add a shorter alias for the list; and this alias will work - however the address given by Mailman will still be the longer one.

I’m not sure that this warrants a category of its own, though… I don’t think that high a percentage of customers (overall) even uses this feature.

#3

[quote]I’m not sure that this warrants a category of its own, though… I
don’t think that high a percentage of customers (overall) even
uses this feature.

[/quote]

True, though to be fair a very small percentage of our customers even use this discussion forum. Doesn’t seem to prevent you and I from spending a lot of time here, though. :>

  • Jeff @ DreamHost
  • DH Discussion Forum Admin
#4

[quote]Where do the vast majority of DH customers go for user
discussions?

[/quote]

Nowhere, as far as I know. I know that some people go to webhostingtalk.com, but they’re vastly outnumbered by customers of other hosts.

I’ve been thinking of ways to bring more people to these forums (though I’ve been seeing a lot of new users here), so if you have any ideas let me know. :>

  • Jeff @ DreamHost
  • DH Discussion Forum Admin
#5

To be frank, these forums are the PRIMARY reason I came to dreamhost from pair. Pair was rock-solid on stability but I’m afraid at least half my problems are usually of my own making :frowning: and pair’s do-it-yourself support offerings (oriented toward usenet) was of no use to me in problem-solving during lunch breaks at work (behind a firewall). So this responsive forum makes all the difference for me. Plus, Dreamhost has a certain joie de vivre (sp?) that I find pleasant.

And “yes please” to all requests for Mailman enhancements, etc. :slight_smile:

#6

I would if it weren’t so damn ugly and made an email address that didn’t look like a mistake. . .I really would. What a pain. I mean, waste my time.

#7

I’ve just transitioned a client of mine from pair networks to Dreamhost. I must say, their front-end for Mailman is much easier to use and much more intuitive than the Mail panel here at Dreamhost … it’s hard to believe that it’s the same mailist management software being used.

Plus, we were able to make an announcement on the mailist simply by sending a message to the mailist e-mail address.

#8