Title: How do I create and manage moderated lists?

Question: I want to set up a list where any message that is sent has to be 
approved before it goes out to everyone.  How can I do that, and how do I 
maintain this list?

Answer:

Mailman has the ability to hold messages for owner or moderator approval
prior to distributing them to list subscribers.  Moderation is not a
list-wide setting, but rather a per-user setting.  This means that you can
choose who can send messages directly to the list, and who has to wait for
approval.  If you prefer to have all messages moderated, there are ways
you can easily do this.

Go to your list's administration pages at

	http://mailman.u.washington.edu/mailman/admin/listname

(where "listname" is replaced with the actual name of your list) and log
in with your UW NetID.

If you decide that you would like members to have their messages moderated
by default, go to "Privacy Options" then "Sender Filters."  Locate the
"default_member_moderation" setting and select "Yes."  Then choose the
action you want taken on messages sent by members. The
"member_moderation_action" setting has three options: Hold, Reject, and
Discard. "Hold" will hold the message for approval by the owner/moderator.  
"Reject" and "Discard" will both prevent the message from reaching the
list, but "Reject" will send a notification to the sender, whereas
"Discard" will not.

You can also set moderation for messages from non-member addresses.  The
"generic_nonmember_action" setting gives you four options: Accept, Hold,
Reject, Discard.  "Accept" means no moderation (the message will be
delivered to the list members without requiring owner approval).  "Hold,"
"Reject," and "Discard" are the same as described above.

When you have finished making changes on this page, click the button at
the bottom that reads "Submit Your Changes."

If you have existing members that you would like to make moderated, go to
"Membership Management."  This will bring you to a screen that lists all
the members of your list.  The "mod" option allows you to specify whether
a member's postings are moderated or not.  If you would like to change the
moderation setting for all members of the list, you can do so under
"Additional Member Tasks" by selecting "Off" to set everybody to
unmoderated, or "On" to make everybody moderated. After selecting the
option you want, click the "Set" button. This changes everyone's
moderation option, including the list owners if they are subscribed, so
don't forget to turn off moderation for your own address by unchecking the
"mod" box next to the owners' addresses and submitting your changes.

To manage a moderated list, you should go to your list's administration
pages, then click on the link in the upper right: "Tend to pending
moderator requests."  Or you can access the pending moderator requests by
going directly to:

	http://mailman.u.washington.edu/mailman/admindb/listname

where "listname" is replaced with the actual name of your list.  Use the
"log in" link to log in with your UW NetID and password if you have one.

Date: 07/2002   Author: D. Wong