Reasons for your rejected posting

[Edward Mullaly]

At 09:18 AM 4/28/2000 +0000, Richard Sutherland wrote:
>I have been a member of the Candrama list for a number of years. I don't
>understand why my message has been rejected, although I guess it's related
>to changing my service provider in the last year or so. Could you tell what
>I have to do to get my message posted?

I'm responding to Richard's problem via the Candrama list because it is a
problem that about a dozen or so of our members run into in any given year.
I'll try to keep it brief:

- Richard is absolutely correct - it's to do with changing the service
provider.

- when an individual subscribes to Candrama (or to other discussion groups)
the 'listserv' program at the group's host university, in this case UNB,
notes the individual's e-mail address as well as his/her name. Then, when
an individual sends in a missive for the group, the 'listserv' program
automatically checks to make sure that the message sender's name and e-mail
address match the name and e-mail address of a subscriber. If the e-mail
address of the would-be contributor does NOT match anyone on the
subscribers' list, the 'listserv' program automatically presumes the
missive is being sent from outside the list and rejects it.

- why does it do this? Suppose someone decided to post something nasty to
the group, and to disguise himself by using the name of someone who
actually belonged to the group. (For instance, suppose I wanted to say
nasty things about Ches Skinner and, to remain anonymous, tried to sign
myself as Richard Plant.) The 'listserv' program would see that, although I
had signed myself as a real member of the group, my message was not coming
from the e-mail address associated with the name of Richard Plant. It
presumes something fishy is underway, and rejects the message.

- In this particular case, Richard Sutherland subscribed to the group some
time back as "Richard_Sutherland at mindlink.bc.ca". When a message comes from
his new e-mail address: "richard_sutherland at pop.mindlink.net," the
'listserv' program has no way to match this new address to the old name.
And thus it rejects the message. (This doesn't happen at one's own
university because, when the university changes servers, the computer gurus
simply instruct the new server to continue to automatically accept messages
sent to the old server, and to send them to that person's address on the
new server. BUT the 'listserv' program at, say, UNB is not aware that a
university somewhere else has changed its server, and that the old e-mail
address should be updated in the discussion group's subscription list,
UNLESS the individual communicates this info to the discussion group's
'listserv' program.)

- About a year ago, there were howls of outrage from many of our
subscribers at U of Toronto, because U of T changed servers for everyone
(well, everyone at U of T subscribing to Candrama it seemed) and thus a
dozen or so subscribers were unable to send messages to Candrama from their
new server (because, to repeat myself) their subscribed server name didn't
match up with the name of the new server just put into use at U of T. This
is going to be a continuing problem.

-Anyway, what to do about it. I've found that the easiest response to the
howls of outrage from our long-time, law-abiding, and customarily gentle
membership has been to email the individual suggesting that I (as list
owner) simply delete that individual from the list (thus getting rid of the
old server information) and have the individual e-mail UNB's 'listserv'
program with a command to "subscribe candrama".  (I explain how, in
detail.) It's a quick and dirty solution. And it works with no more than a
minute's effort on anyone's part.

- In this case, finally addressing Richard's justified howl of pain, what I
can do is "delete" "Richard Sutherland" from the candrama subscriber's
list. (The irony here is that Richard can't delete himself, because the
'listserv' program has shown that it's not willing to accept anything from
this "Richard Sutherland" at "pop.mindlink.net" when the 'listserv' program
knows (by checking the subscribers' list) that the real "Richard
Sutherland" resides at -- now outdated server address -- "mindlink.bc.ca".

So Richard, if you will excuse me for carrying on our work in the public
gaze of the candrama membership, I will delete your old, inoperative, and
totally useless subscription address. Please resubscribe by sending to
listserv at unb.ca a simple four word message: subscribe candrama richard
sutherland    The listserv program will doublecheck your address by sending
a query back to yourself, you say "I do" and your union with candrama is
once again (with your new address) consummated.

I apologize for the problem, but I tend to agree with The Mikado (below).






_________________________________________________

Edward Mullaly                         I'm really sorry for you all.
Department of English               But it's an unjust world,
University of New Brunswick,      And virtue is triumphant
Fredericton, NB  E3B 5A3          Only in theatrical performances
CANADA  (506) 453-4676                                   -- Mikado
    fax: (506) 453-5069