This page explains how your visitors can subscribe themselves to a Mailman mailing list. (To learn how to create a mailing list, please see creating Mailman lists.)
The following examples assume that you have created a list called listname; replace listname with the real name of the list that you created in the account control panel.
On this page:
There are three different ways that people can subscribe to your list.
One of the simplest ways for visitors to subscribe is by visiting the Mailman Web page for your list and submitting their e-mail address:
http://lists.example.com/mailman/listinfo/listname
Again, replace "listname" with the actual name of your list.
Another way to subscribe is to tell your visitors to send an e-mail message to the following address:
listname-subscribe@example.com
Again, replace "listname" with the actual name of your list.
You can also create a Web page on your site which accepts subscription requests. This can be integrated into your site and may look more professional than simply providing a link to the Mailman Web page.
To do this, add the following snippet of HTML code to one of your Web pages. The code will create a custom subscription box that your visitors can use to submit their e-mail addresses:
<form method="POST" action="http://lists.example.com/mailman/subscribe/listname"> Subscribe to our list: <input type="text" name="email"> <input type="submit" value="Subscribe"> </form>
Again, replace "listname" with the actual name of your list.
When people subscribe to your list using any of the above methods, they receive an e-mail message asking them to verify their subscription. The recipient must either reply or click on a link within the message to actually be added to the list. This step protects you against false spam accusations: when someone replies or clicks that link, it provides permanent evidence that the person at that address actually agreed to subscribe (and was not mistakenly added because someone mistyped their own e-mail address or something like that).
If we later receive spam complaints from verified addresses, we'll know the complaints are invalid and your list won't be affected. If people at verified addresses complain to other ISP or anti-spam blacklist operators, we can use the verification records to make sure the ISP or blacklist doesn't permanently block your mail.
The message that the recipient receives looks like this:
Subject: Verify your example.com ListName subscription
We have received a request to subscribe address@example.com to the example.com "ListName" mailing list.
To protect you from unwanted e-mail, YOU MUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW TO JOIN THE LIST. You will not be added if you ignore this message.
To join the list, just reply to this message. Your reply will be sent to a special address that adds you to the list. The text of your reply does not matter and will not be seen by a human being.
If you prefer to use a Web browser to confirm your subscription, please visit this Web page:
http://lists.example.com/SomeSpecialText...
If you don't want to subscribe to this list, please ignore this message. If you have any questions, please send a separate message to listname-owner@example.com.