How do I create an email mailing list?

Creating an Email Mailing List

Email mailing lists allow you to send messages to multiple recipients using a single email address. This is useful for newsletters, announcements, discussion groups, or any communication that needs to reach multiple people simultaneously. dotCanada.com hosting accounts include built-in mailing list functionality through cPanel. This guide will walk you through the process of creating and managing email mailing lists.

Types of Mailing Lists

Before creating a mailing list, it's important to understand the different types available:

• Announcement List: Only designated administrators can send messages to the list (one-way communication)
• Discussion List: All list members can send and receive messages (two-way communication)
• Private List: Requires administrator approval for new subscribers
• Public List: Anyone can subscribe without approval

Creating a New Mailing List

1. Log in to your cPanel account at https://{hostname}.mysecureservers.com:2087
2. In the search box at the top, type "Mailing Lists" or navigate to the EMAIL section
3. Click on Mailing Lists
4. In the "Create a Mailing List" section, enter:
   • List Name: The prefix for your mailing list address (e.g., "newsletter" for newsletter@yourdomain.com)
   • Domain: Select your domain from the dropdown menu
   • Password: Create a secure password for administering the list
   • Password (Again): Confirm the password
   • Access Type: Choose from:
     • Public (anyone can join)
     • Private (admin approval required)
5. Click Add to create your mailing list

Configuring Your Mailing List

After creating your mailing list, you'll need to configure it:

1. On the Mailing Lists page, find your new list and click Manage
2. Enter the admin password you created for the list
3. You'll be taken to the Mailman list management interface
4. Here you can configure various settings:
   • General Options: List name, description, and basic settings
   • Privacy Options: Who can view, post, and subscribe to the list
   • Sender Filters: Control which senders can post to the list
   • Recipient Filters: Manage list membership
   • Message Handling: Control how messages are processed and delivered
   • Archives: Configure if and how messages are archived
   • Bounce Processing: Handle undeliverable messages
   • Auto-responder: Set up automatic responses
5. After making your desired changes, click Submit Your Changes at the bottom of each page

Adding Subscribers to Your Mailing List

You can add subscribers to your mailing list in several ways:

Method 1: Adding Subscribers as an Admin

1. From the Mailman management interface, click on Membership Management
2. Click on Mass Subscription
3. Enter the email addresses of subscribers, one per line
4. Choose notification options:
   • Send welcome message to new subscribers
   • Send notifications to list owner
5. Click Submit Your Changes

Method 2: Self-Subscription through the Web Interface

Subscribers can join the list themselves by:

1. Visiting the list information page at: https://yourdomain.com/mailman/listinfo/listname (replace with your actual domain and list name)
2. Scrolling to the "Subscribing to Listname" section
3. Entering their email address and name
4. Setting a password (optional)
5. Clicking Subscribe

Method 3: Email Subscription

Subscribers can also join by sending an email to:

listname-join@yourdomain.com (replace with your actual list name and domain)

Managing List Subscribers

1. From the Mailman management interface, click on Membership Management
2. Click on Membership List
3. Here you can:
   • View all current subscribers
   • Change delivery status for members (regular, digest, disabled)
   • Unsubscribe members
   • Change member addresses
4. Make your changes and click Submit Your Changes

Sending Messages to Your Mailing List

To send a message to all subscribers:

1. Compose a new email in your regular email client
2. In the "To:" field, enter the mailing list address (e.g., newsletter@yourdomain.com)
3. Write your message and send it as usual
4. The message will be distributed to all list subscribers according to your list configuration

Moderating Your Mailing List

If your list is moderated, you'll need to approve messages before they're distributed:

1. You'll receive an email notification when a message requires moderation
2. Follow the link in the email to access the moderation page
3. Or visit the moderation interface directly at: https://yourdomain.com/mailman/admindb/listname
4. Enter your admin password
5. For each pending message, choose to:
   • Approve: Send the message to all subscribers
   • Reject: Discard the message and optionally notify the sender
   • Discard: Silently discard the message
   • Defer: Make the decision later

Mailing List Security Best Practices

• Use Strong Admin Passwords: Protect your list management interface with a secure password
• Consider Moderation: For sensitive or professional lists, enable moderation to control what content is distributed
• Privacy Settings: Decide whether your subscriber list should be visible to members or kept private
• Anti-Spam Measures: Configure sender restrictions to prevent unauthorized posting
• Regular Maintenance: Clean your list periodically by removing bouncing or inactive email addresses

Common Mailing List Issues and Solutions

Deleting a Mailing List

If you no longer need a mailing list, you can delete it:

1. Return to the main Mailing Lists page in cPanel
2. Find the list you want to delete
3. Click Delete next to the list name
4. Confirm the deletion when prompted

If you need assistance with creating or managing email mailing lists, please contact our support team.