IU Majordomo usage policy

(see also Master List of Messaging Policies)

Majordomo is mailing list software that resides on its own computer. It's meant to take the load of a mass distribution list off of workstations and central systems and place that load on a dedicated mail platform. Any IU user may create a shared mailing list. This allows the owner, as well as users abroad, to mail to the list as if the list were a user at IU (e.g.,  listname@indiana.edu ). Because of this behavior, it is necessary to place some restrictions on naming and usage of the lists:

• In most cases, list members must consent to being on your list(s). List administrators must comply immediately to requests from subscribers to be removed from lists, with one exception. Class instructors or IU offices may use Majordomo lists of students in a class, students of a particular major, staff in a particular department, etc., and in cases such as these, the list owner need not honor a request to be removed from a Majordomo list.
  
  
• Lists may not attempt to address the entire IU community, nor any large group of individuals for which you are not administratively responsible. No large unsolicited mailings are allowed.

For more information, see the Knowledge Base document What is Indiana University's policy concerning mass mailing via e-mail? Violations are subject to the sanctions mentioned in Computer Users' Privileges and Responsibilities.

To enforce responsible ownership of Majordomo lists (i.e., that they directly belong to one individual), all newly created lists begin with the username of the creator (e.g., username_listname). This allows each user to maintain as many lists, pertaining to as many topics, as the user sees fit, without conflicting with the lists of another user.

• The owner of the list must be an IU faculty or appointed staff member. Without exception, students wishing to have such a list must request that a faculty member or appointed staff member sponsor the list.
  
  
• The list must be used only for academic or institutional uses.
  
  
• List owners must work with the IU Majordomo administrators to ensure that the list name will not conflict with any existing lists, nor with any list requests that may come up in the future. For example, staff would not be an allowable name, but coas-staff would. The Majordomo administrators reserve the right to make the final decision on the list name.
  
  
• You must send your requests to  ithelp@indiana.edu  (the central address for assistance from UITS). The consultants responsible for that account are responsible for initially determining qualification for global list ownership.

While it is possible to use Majordomo for small, personal lists (e.g., ten or fewer addresses), Majordomo is not appropriate if such a list will be used only by the owner to mail to list members. Most mail systems available at IU (e.g., Pine, Microsoft Outlook) have built-in facilities for maintaining small lists, and are often much easier to use than Majordomo. However, for those who use multiple mail systems (e.g., both Outlook and the Shakespeare systems), Majordomo provides consistency across platforms.

Because many people often forget about old lists or fail to remove them when they leave Indiana University, it is necessary to reconcile the lists that the Majordomo server houses, and ensure that resources are wisely utilized. Each November, Majordomo list owners will receive a renewal notice via e-mail. To renew a list, owners must reply to this message by the date specified, or the list will be removed from the system.

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