Email commands
and email list information
E-mail commands for lists
Date unknown
You can send the following commands via e-mail to lists@wordalone.org. Be sure to use plain text e-mail, as sometimes HTML or RTF e-mail may not execute the commands properly.
These commands may be placed in either the subject line or in the body of your message. You can combine several commands together in a single e-mail message.
Be sure to substitute the actual name of the list for the phrase "<listname>" below, and your actual first and last name for the <your first and last name> below.
- To subscribe yourself:
- unsubscribe <listname>
- join <listname> <your first and last name>
- or you can just send a blank e-mail to: join-<listname>@wordalone.org
- To unsubscribe yourself:
- subscribe <listname> <your first and last name>
- join <listname> <your first and last name>
- or you can just send a blank e-mail to: join-<listname>@wordalone.org
- To set your membership to digest
- (one big daily post containing all the day's posts):
- set <listname> digest
- To set your membership to index
- (one daily post with a listing of subject lines and authors for the day so you can decide whether you want to check out particular messages via the web interface):
- set <listname> index
- To turn on "vacation mode"
- (to remain subscribed to a list, but to temporarily halt delivery of messages)
- set <listname> nomail
- To turn off "vacation mode"
- (resume delivery of messages - note that command depends on your preferred mode)
- set <listname> mail
- set <listname> digest
- set <listname> index
- Acknowledgement:
- to receive a confirmation message when your posts are distributed:
- set <listname> ack
- to receive no confirmation messages
- set <listname> noack
- To determine your membership settings:
- query <listname>
- To post to the list:
- You must be a subscriber to post messages. Sending mail to this address will distribute it to all the members of the mailing list: <listname>@wordalone.org.
- To retreive the current version of the "welcome" letter:
- get <listname> hello
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I unsubscribe myself from a list?
- Just read the footer of any message sent from the list. It should contain a personalized e-mail address you can send a message to that will automatically unsubscribe you.
- How can I change the e-mail address I'm subscribed under?
- The best way to do this is to use the web interface mentioned above.
- How can I change my password for the web interface of a particular list?
- Just log in to the web interface for the list you'd like to work with (use these links from the questions at the top of this page). To verify your identity, just enter your e-mail address and current password (or ask to have your password e-mailed to you initially).
- How can I "go on vacation" (remain subscribed but temporarily suspend mail delivery) from a particular list?
- There are two ways, depending on whether you're more comfortable with e-mail commands or a web interface.
- If you like working with e-mail commands, then, when you're ready to go on vacation, just send a plain text message to
"<listname>-request@wordalone.org" with the following text as the body of your message:
- "Set delivery off"
- When you're back from vacation, and ready to resume delivery of your messages again, just send a plain text message to "-request@wordalone.org" with the following text as the body of your message:
- "Set delivery on"
- If you like working with a web interface, you can log in to the web interface for the list you'd like to work with (use these links from the questions at the top of this page). To verify your identity, just enter your e-mail address and password (or ask to have your password e-mailed to you initially).
- How can I change from receiving every message as it is contributed to receiving just a daily digest?
- If you're finding the volume of list traffic to be too high to manage, you might want to consider shifting to "digest" mode as an alternative to receiving each e-mail message as it is contributed to the list.
- In "digest" mode, you receive one giant email at the end of each day that contains all the posts for the day within it. At the top of the message will be a digest header that lists the subject lines of each message so you can decide which messages you'd like to scan and which you'd like to read more thoroughly.
- To move between regular mail mode and digest mode, you can use e-mail commands or the web interface.
- Using e-mail commands, just send a blank plain text e-mail to <listname>-request@wordalone.org" with the word help in the body and follow the directions.
- If you like working with a web interface, you can log in to the web interface for the list you'd like to work with (use these links from the questions at the top of this page). To verify your identity, just enter your e-mail address and password (or ask to have your password e-mailed to you initially).
- How can I read list archives?
- Log in to the web interface for the list you'd like to work with (use these links from the questions at the top of this page). To verify your identity, just enter your e-mail address and password (or ask to have your password e-mailed to you initially).