[38458] in APO-L
Subscription probe and general information for APO-L
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (LISTSERV@listserv.iupui.edu)
Thu Apr 19 06:00:08 2012
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:00:02 -0400
From: LISTSERV@listserv.iupui.edu
To: Alpha Chi Chapter <apo-l-incoming@mit.edu>
Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:00:02
This message is a "probe" for your subscription to the APO-L list. You do
not need to take any action to remain subscribed to the list, and in
particular you should not reply to this message. Simply discard it now,
or read on if you would like to know more about how this probing
mechanism works. A recap of key information about APO-L is also found at
the bottom of this message, complete with instructions for subscribing
and unsubscribing.
First, here's the techincal "probe" stuff:
A "probe" is a message like the one you are reading, sent to an
individual subscriber and tagged with a special signature to uniquely
identify this particular subscriber (you can probably not see the
signature because it is in the mail headers). If the subscriber's e-mail
address is no longer valid, the message will be returned to LISTSERV and
the faulty address will be removed from the list. If the subscriber's
address is still valid, the message will not bounce and the user will not
be deleted.
The main advantage of this technique is that it can be fully automated;
the list owner does not need to read a single delivery error. For a large
or active list, the manpower savings can be tremendous. In fact, some
lists are so large that it is virtually impossible to process delivery
errors manually. Another advantage is that the special, unique signatures
make it possible to accurately process delivery errors that are otherwise
unintelligible, even to an experienced technical person.
The drawback, however, is that this method lacks flexibility and
forgiveness. Since the Internet does not provide a reliable mechanism for
probing an e-mail address without actually delivering a message to the
human recipient, the subscribers need to be inconvenienced with yet
another "junk message." And, unlike a human list owner, LISTSERV follows
a number of simple rules in determining when and whether to terminate a
subscription.
In particular, a common problem with automatic probes is mail gateways
that return a delivery error, but do deliver the message anyway. LISTSERV
has no way to know that the message was in fact delivered, and in most
cases the subscriber is not aware of the existence of these "false" error
reports. If this happens to you, LISTSERV will send you another message
with a copy of the delivery error returned by your mail system, so that
you can show it to your technical people.
----
Now, as promised, here's the recap of key points about APO-L and common
commands, such as how to unsubscribe if you wish to leave the list during
aacademic breaks or when graduating. (Not that I'm pushing! And if you do
leave temporarily, be sure to come back!)
And with that said, you've been probed. Didn't hurt a bit, did it?
Fraternally,
Charlie Zimmerman APO-L Moderator charliez@aol.com
=================
APO-L: For Alpha Phi Omega, a service oriented fraternity which has
chapters on many campuses in the United States. The list will provide an
opportunity for members to compare notes on their chapters, discuss
organizational issues and communicate with members at distant chapters.
APO-L is an unofficial list and the postings reflect the opinions of
individuals and not the official policy of Alpha Phi Omega. The list does
not take the place of normal lines of communication within the the
fraternity, though it may be used to supplement official channels.
To send a message to the list, send mail to APO-L@IUPUI.EDU - Messages
should be sent in plain text format only - no HTML - Attachments are not
allowed.
Please note that messages from non-subscribers and new members are routed
to the list moderator for approval. All new members will be automatically
granted full posting privileges shortly after joining; no further action
is required for this to take place.
::COMMANDS -send all commands to LISTSERV@IUPUI.EDU -do not send commands
to APO-L -send commands interactively or by placing them in the body of a
mail message with no subject line or other text -commands can be grouped
in a single message by placing each command on a separate line
Here are some useful commands: SUBscribe APO-L <full name> REVIEW APO-L
{receive a list of APO-L subscribers} INDEX APO-L {receive a list of
files available to APO-L users} GET APO-L * {have the LISTSERV send the
file APO-L whatever(*)} UNSUB APO-L {sign off of APO-L} HELP {receive a
list of LISTSERV commands}
::DIGEST MODE If the number of messages from APO-L is overwhelming, you
can choose to receive each day's postings as a single message or
'digest'. To get the list in digest form, send the command:
SET APO-L DIGEST
to LISTSERV@IUPUI.EDU after you have subscribed to the list.
To return to receiving the messages individually, use the command:
SET APO-L MAIL
::CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS If you want to change the e-mail address where
APO-L is sent, you can (1) unsubscribe and resubscribe with the new
address, (2) use the web-based tool mentioned below, or (3) send me a
note at the address above and I'll take care of it for you.
::WEB-BASED SUBSCRIBER CONTROLS AND ARCHIVES Alternatively, you can
access online subscriber controls (as well as list archives) at:
http://LISTSERV.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe
