LISTSERV® is a software program used to manage and distribute messages to an electronic mailing list. It can be used for online discussion groups, truncated email updates, or as a central point of contact. L-Soft offers LISTSERV® for sale, but there are free alternatives. The program fights spam and viruses.
LISTSERV® is a software program that typically helps organizations and individuals create, manage, and distribute messages to an electronic mailing list. For the most part, the software maintains the list automatically, allowing members to opt in and out via email. These lists are usually collections of email addresses that all receive the same communications. The program can allow members to communicate with the entire group or it can be used just as a distribution list for a newsletter or announcement email.
The term list serve has become, in some circles, a generic term used to describe any email distribution list. However, LISTSERV® is a trademark referring to a particular software program created by Eric Thomas in 1986. The messaging system is currently offered for sale by L-Soft, a software company founded by Thomas. There are many other companies offering software packages that do similar tasks and some of these alternatives are free.
There are several ways to use LISTSERV®. First, it can facilitate an online discussion group or email forum. Members often send emails to the primary email address, and the program automatically forwards messages to all group members. This allows members to email everyone else without having to acquire all of their email addresses themselves.
Secondly, LISTSERV® may offer the possibility for members to receive a truncated list of e-mail messages. For example, if a member chooses this option, you may receive an update showing highlights of the week’s activities in your group email. This feature can help prevent a user’s inbox from potentially receiving many individual messages.
Third, LISTSERV® can be useful simply as a central point of contact where members can automatically activate or deactivate a mailing list. The program can then be used by organizations to send information only to people who have opted in. When used this way, list members typically do not communicate with each other. Newsletters and announcement pages can be sent to the whole group at once.
According to L-Soft, LISTSERV® fights both spam messages and viruses. When the software recognizes spam in a message, the program usually blocks it on all available servers. This can help reduce the amount of spam sent through the mailing list. Also, the program usually scans messages for known viruses and prevents infected messages from scrolling through the list.
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