The free Dada Mail mailing list software (previously known as "Mojo Mail") works well with our servers. Dada Mail is a good alternative to Mailman if:
Note that if you use Dada Mail, you must use certain settings to comply with our spam policy.
On this page:
To set up Dada Mail, follow the installation instructions that come with the program. The instructions tell you to change four things in the "Config.pm" file. Here are some hints about what to use:
It's very important to change the root password; if you don't, other people can send messages to your list.
For simplicity, we recommend using your FTP program to create a directory named "private_dada_files" at the top level of your Web site, then setting this variable to point to that directory. (There are other ways to do this that add more privacy if you prefer; see the Dada Mail documentation.)
The default "$MAILPROG" setting of "/usr/sbin/sendmail" is already correct for our servers, and does not need to be changed.
Change this to the address of the "mail.cgi" script on your Web site
After making those changes, you'll need to publish the "dada" folder so that it's inside your cgi-bin folder, then make the "mail.cgi" script executable.
You can configure Dada Mail to help track bounced messages by using a scheme called VERP.
Dada Mail does not use the VERP method by default. If you enable it (by setting verp_return_path to 1 in Config.pm), you will also need to make one other change to Config.pm. Dada Mail defaults to using a "-" separator when encoding the return path, but our servers require it to use a "+" separator instead.
To fix this, edit the Config.pm file. Look for a line which reads:
$MAIL_VERP_SEPARATOR = '-';
and change it to look like this:
$MAIL_VERP_SEPARATOR = '+';
If your mailing list has more than a few hundred addresses, you should configure Dada Mail to send messages in many small batches rather than all at once. This keeps the server load manageable and makes sure your Web site stays responsive.
The Dada Mail process that distributes the mailing can only run for a maximum of 30 minutes on our servers. If it runs for more than 30 minutes, our servers will think it's a "runaway process" and terminate it, and you'll have to start it again.
You can make sure Dada Mail doesn't run for more than 30 minutes by setting the number of messages to be sent in a batch and the number of seconds to wait between batches.
Our recommended settings are to send 5 messages per batch, then wait 2 seconds between batches. With those settings, Dada Mail will be able to send up to 4500 messages in 30 minutes (5 messages per batch, times 30 batches per minute, times 30 minutes). That should be enough for most lists. If you pick your own numbers, choose values that will send all of your messages within 20 minutes or so, just to leave your list room to grow.
To configure your batch timing options:
Dada Mail has a feature in the "Mailing List Options" screen marked "Send Subscription Confirmation Emails (Double Opt-In)".
This option is turned on by default when you install Dada Mail, and it must be left on for your list to comply with our spam policy. Do not turn it off under any circumstances. If you turn it off and we receive a spam complaint about your list, we will disable your ability to send mail from Dada Mail and other scripts.
As the Dada Mail documentation itself says, "This may seem like an unnecessary step, but it is almost essential that you use this option. Briefly, this option stops unwanted subscriptions (spoofed e-mail addresses), incorrectly typed in e-mail addresses, and spam complaints (real or misinterpreted)".
When you leave this option on, it proves that when an address was added to your list, the person at that address agreed. That gives you an ironclad defense against false spam accusations.
If you turn this option off, anyone can (accidentally or intentionally) subscribe a stranger to your list. If that happens, the strangers will probably complain that you're spamming them, and the strangers will be right: after all, you had an easy way to make sure strangers can't be added to your list, but you intentionally disabled it. What's worse, if the strangers complain to their ISP, the ISP might block all messages from your mailing list: then you won't be able to send mail to your legitimate subscribers at that ISP.
Don't risk it. Always leave this option turned on.
Dada Mail also has an option called "Send Unsubscription Confirmation Emails (Double Opt-Out)":
This option must be turned off. If it isn't, your list would violate the 2008 update to the U.S. CAN-SPAM law that requires that people can unsubscribe themselves by visiting a single Web page. Be sure to turn this option off if it's on.