Create and Manage a Sympa Mailing List

This article explains how Faculty and Staff can request a new Sympa mailing list and manage common list settings, subscribers, moderators, and archives.
Eligibility: List creation is only available for Faculty and Staff. New mailing lists must be approved by the listmaster before they become active.
Sympa website: Go to https://lists.fau.edu to create and manage Sympa mailing lists.

Create a New Mailing List ▾

  1. Go to https://lists.fau.edu.
  2. Log in with your FAU account.
  3. If prompted, select Log in locally.
  4. In the email address field, enter your FAU email address.
  5. Select the Create list tab at the top of the page.
  6. Complete the list request form.
  7. In the List name field, enter the list name using lowercase letters.
  8. Select a List type.
  9. In the Subject field, enter the subject of the mailing list. This appears under the list name in the list directory.
  10. In the Topics field, select the topic that best describes the list.
  11. In the Description field, enter a description of the mailing list.
  12. Select Submit your creation request.
Approval required: Your mailing list will not appear until it has been approved by the listmaster. You will receive an email notification when the list is activated.

Mailing List Naming Requirements ▾

The list name you choose becomes the first part of the mailing list email address.

For example:

listname@lists.fau.edu

Naming guidelines

  • Choose a relatively short name.
  • Use common abbreviations if needed.
  • Use lowercase letters when entering the list name.
  • Only use letters, numbers, underscores, or dashes.
  • Do not use spaces.
  • Do not use periods.
  • Do not use special characters such as ampersands.
Important: The list name is part of the email address and will be typed each time a message is sent to the list.

Add a Subscriber to a List ▾

  1. Go to https://lists.fau.edu.
  2. Log in with your FAU account.
  3. Select the list under Your Lists.
  4. Select Admin.
  5. Select Manage Subscribers.
  6. In the Add a user field, enter the email address of the user you want to add.
  7. If you do not want the user to receive a welcome notification, check the quiet box.
  8. Select Add.

Add Multiple Subscribers at Once ▾

  1. Go to https://lists.fau.edu.
  2. Log in with your FAU account.
  3. Select the list under Your Lists.
  4. Select Admin.
  5. Select Manage Subscribers.
  6. Select Multiple Add.
  7. In the text box, enter the subscriber email addresses, one per line.
  8. Select Add Subscribers.
Tip: Review the list carefully before adding multiple subscribers to avoid adding incorrect addresses.

View List Members ▾

On some lists, members may be visible to subscribers. If allowed, you can review list members from the list information page.

  1. Go to https://lists.fau.edu.
  2. Log in with your FAU account.
  3. Select the list you want to view.
  4. In the List info menu on the left, select Review members.
  5. The members are displayed alphabetically by address.
Note: Member visibility depends on list settings.

Add or Remove a Moderator ▾

  1. Go to https://lists.fau.edu.
  2. Log in with your FAU account.
  3. Select the list under Your Lists.
  4. Select Admin.
  5. Select Edit List Config.
  6. Select List Definition.
  7. Go to the Moderators (editor) section.
  8. To add a moderator, enter the moderator’s email address. You may also enter their name.
  9. To remove a moderator, delete the moderator’s email address, name, and private information.
  10. Select Update at the bottom of the page to save the changes.
Note: The private information field is only visible to other list owners.

Review List Archives ▾

All messages sent to members of a mailing list are also saved to a list archive. The archive allows members of a list to revisit postings and discussions.

  1. Go to https://lists.fau.edu.
  2. Log in with your FAU account.
  3. Select the list you want to view.
  4. In the List info menu on the left, select Archive.
  5. Select the message you want to view.

You can also search for messages in the archive by date or by entering a word or phrase. Select Advanced search for additional search options.

Troubleshooting ▾

  • If you do not see Create list, confirm that you are eligible to create lists.
  • If your new list is not visible, it may still be waiting for listmaster approval.
  • If you do not see Admin for a list, confirm that you are logged in with the correct list owner account.
  • If a subscriber does not receive list messages, confirm that the correct email address was added.
  • If a moderator is not receiving moderation notices, confirm that the moderator’s email address is entered correctly.
  • If you need help with settings not covered in this article, select the Help tab in Sympa and review the Administrator Guide.

Still Need Help?

If you need help creating or managing a Sympa mailing list, please contact the Help Desk or submit a ticket request.

Submit a Help Desk ticket

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