IndigOz Mailing Lists

This page contains information about the mailing lists operated by IndigOz; how to join and leave them, their intended purposes and some guidelines for their use. If you can't find the information you are looking for on this page, or need some help understanding it, just mail us.


Current Lists

The lists currently available at IndigOz are: Other lists can be developed to suit specific purposes and your suggestions regarding possible new lists are welcome.

Joining & Leaving

To join or leave a list operated by IndigOz, just mail us at <postmaster@indigoz.com.au> saying which list you are interested in and whether you wish to join or leave.

Sending a Message

Simply send your message to the list that you want your message sent out on, e.g. <news@indigoz.com.au>. As long as you are currently subscribed to that list, and your message does not contain any attachments, it should be sent out automatically.

Don't worry if your message isn't sent out straight away. The lists only check occasionally for new messages and it may take some time. There is no need to send your message again as doing so will only result in multiple copies being sent to everyone.


Guidelines

The IndigOz lists have been set up with the intention of providing free exchange of information that will be useful to people. For this reason we want to encourage people to use them responsibly and in a spirit of respect for others.

In particular we would ask that people don't send the following to IndigOz lists:

Website owners are normally very keen to promote their site. We recognise this and accept that they may wish to occasionally advise a list of major developments at their site. However, we also ask that they do not treat IndigOz lists as de facto mailing lists for their own sites. In particular, frequent advice of site changes, or obviously commercial promotions are strongly discouraged. It would be preferable to offer IndigOz subscribers the opportunity to join your site's own mailing list.

IndigOz lists are not moderated which means that nobody checks messages before they are sent out to everyone. So, there is nothing to stop people from disregarding these guidelines. However, if people do cause complaints, it is possible to block their address from using a list. But we hope we never have to consider such action!


Questions & Problems

How did I get on this list?

If you didn't join this list yourself it could be that your address was passed on to us by a friend or colleague who thought you would be interested, or through being published on a web page or directory that suggested such a list would be useful to you.

If you have any concerns with being on an IndigOz list, please alert us and we will remove you immediately.

How do I get off this list?

See the section on Joining and Leaving lists above.

Why do I have to join a list just to send a message?

IndigOz lists are set up so that only subscribers can post. The reason for doing this is to ensure that advertisers and  people who send anonymous bulk e-mail (spam) can't get access without being identified. It also keeps out people who might want to send anonymous abuse.

It is possible to pass on a message without joining a list. Just send it to <postmaster@indigoz.com.au> and we will forward it for you, as long as it meets the guidelines above.

Why can't I send an attachment?

All IndigOz lists are set to reject messages with attachments.

There are several reasons why we won't allow attachments on IndigOz lists. Most importantly, attachments are the way that many viruses are spread these days. Some very clever viruses are even able to copy addresses out of your e-mail program and transmit themselves without you  knowing. Such a virus could send itself to everyone on a list and infect them all.

Attachments are usually much larger than e-mails and can take a long time to download, especially for people who use the Internet over a phone line. If the attachment is something they are not interested in, the waste of time (and money) can be very frustrating.

Attachments usually require that people have the same software as you to open them. If they don't have it, they can't read the attachment and sending it would just be a waste of time.

Some e-mail programs transmit formatting information by sending a hidden attachment. Others may use an attachment to send a signature or 'virtual card'. Some web browsers and Microsoft Outlook are known to use these methods.

If your email has any fancy formatting, colours, backgrounds, etc it will almost certainly be rejected by the lists.

If you think your messages are being rejected for these reasons try turning off any signatures and virtual cards and make sure that your message is all in plain text. Don't use bold, italic, underline or headings, or change sizes or colours. Stick to 'normal' text.

If you take all of these steps and your message is still rejected, send it to <postmaster@indigoz.com.au> and we will forward it for you, and check it to see if we can solve the problem for you.

How can I send the contents of a file without attaching it?

Simply open the file and copy and paste the text into the body of the e-mail. Don't include pictures as these are always sent as attachments.

To reduce the risk of your message being rejected because the text is heavily formatted it is also a good idea to select it all and change it to plain text before copying it.

Alternatively, you can send a message to the list telling people about the document and asking them to contact you directly if they want you to send them a copy.

Why doesn't a list accept my emails anymore?

The usual reason this happens is because the address you are sending from is not the same as the one you are subscribed at. Lists will only distribute messages if the sender's address is exactly the same as one on the list.

If you are using a different address to the one you normally receive mail at, try sending your message again from your normal address.

Sometimes large institutions change their e-mail handling arrangements and change everyone's address in the process. They often don't tell their users that this change has occurred and just set up arrangements to automatically handle the changed addresses.

If you think this might have happened you can check your address by sending yourself a message. When the message arrives check the addresses closely to see if the address the message came from is exactly the same as the one you sent it you. You could also ask your technical support staff if there have been any such changes recently.

If you think this might have happened to you, check the following section.

My e-mail address has changed. How do I change it on the list?

It isn't possible for you to change your address on a list. However, we can add your new address and remove your old one.

To add your new address, follow the steps to join a list in Joining and Leaving above.


If you would like any further information about IndigOz, or to make any comments or suggestions about it, just mail us!

Home