Title:
Version:
Date of Issuance:
Author:
Database Reporting Mailman Mailing List Standards
1.1
4/28/09
Erin Becker
Revision History
Ver
No.
Date of
Release
Prepared or
Updated By
Reviewed By
Summary of Changes
1.0
12/20/07
Erin Becker
Kelly Smith
Updated former CIS Actuate Listserv
Standards document to reflect the list
conversion to Mailman
1.1
4/28/09
Erin Becker
Kelly Smith
Updated CIS references to SBCTC-ITD.
Also updated Actuate references to
Database Reporting.
Contents
DATABASE REPORTING MAILMAN MAILING LIST STANDARDS ............................................................2
GENERAL USAGE ........................................................................................................................................................2
SUBSCRIBING TO THE LIST..........................................................................................................................................2
USING THE MAILING LIST ....................................................................................................................................3
SUBJECT LINES ...........................................................................................................................................................3
EMAIL KEY WORDS....................................................................................................................................................3
KEY WORD DEFINITIONS............................................................................................................................................3
REPLYING TO MESSAGES ............................................................................................................................................4
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Database Reporting Mailman Mailing List Standards
Database Reporting Mailman Mailing List Standards
General Usage
The SBCTC-ITD Database reporting (Dbreport) list is a permission only private domain mailing list,
available only to the Washington State Community and Technical Colleges (WCTC). The list owner for
the SBCTC-ITD Dbreport list is Kelly Smith.
Use the Dbreport list to communicate with other database reporting developers in the college system.
Topics for discussion are open and can include general database reporting functionality questions,
sharing of design files, tips, and notices from the SBCTC-ITD (database updates, software upgrades,
etc.).
For more information about using Mailman mailing lists, see the documentation at
http://www.cis.ctc.edu/wctc/internet/Mailman/main.html.
Subscribing to the List
The use and membership for this list is intended for WCTC staff who perform database reporting
functions. In addition, a number of SBCTC-ITD technical support staff are subscribers. To subscribe to
the list, follow the instructions below:
1
From your web browser, go to http://lists.ctc.edu/mailman/listinfo.
The lists.ctc.edu Mailing Lists page appears.
2
Click on the Dbreport mailing list.
The Dbreport – Database Reporting page appears.
3
In the Your Email Address field, type your email address. This is the address to which the list's
emails will be sent.
4
In the optional Your Name field, type your name.
5
In the Pick Your Password field, type your password.
Note: If you do not create a password, Mailman will create one for you. Mailman provides
several ways for you to change your password. For more information, see FAQs.
6
In the Reenter Password to Confirm field, type your password again.
7
At the "Would you like to receive list mail batched in a daily digest?" prompt, click No to receive
each email as it is sent to the list (this is the default). Click Yes to receive one daily email
containing all the messages from that day.
8
Click the Subscribe button.
Mailman will automatically send you an email asking you to confirm your request.
9
To complete the subscription process, reply to the email as instructed in the message.
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Note: If you do not respond to this email within three (3) days, your request will become invalid.
You can then subscribe to the list again by following the steps above.
Once you have successfully subscribed, Mailman will automatically send you an email
welcoming you to the list.
Using the Mailing List
Subject Lines
Any member can send email messages to the other members of the list. In an effort to organize our list
notices, please preface each email subject line with DB; (followed by semi-colon). This will sort all
Dbreport list emails together.
Email Key Words
In the subject line, following “DB;”, use one of the following key words to alert the reader as to the
importance and general content of the notice.
 HELP
 INFO
 OPPORTUNITY
 REPLY
 SURVEY
 TIP
 URGENT
 REVIEW
Key words are defined in the next section. Follow the key word with a colon and the desired subject title.
EXAMPLE SUBJECT LINE:
DB; OPPORTUNITY: SQL Class Offering
DB; TIP: Snapping labels to grid
Key Word Definitions
HELP: Use this key word when you need help with something.
INFO: Use this key word if you are just sharing general information. Different from a tip in that the
information in more generic like “You will soon be receiving a new copy of the GI database.”
OPPORTUNITY: Use this key word if you are offering an opportunity to anyone in the group. For
example, the SBCTC-ITD periodically holds training sessions for staff. If we have open seats, we often
offer them to groups in the college. Database reporting-related opportunities will be offered to this group.
REPLY: Use this key word if you wish to prompt a reply from the group.
SURVEY: Use this key word if you are issuing general survey of some type.
TIP: Use this key word if you are offering a database reporting tip to the group. We’d like to get these
tips posted to the web. Please share even those tips that might seem trivial.
URGENT: Use this tip if you want everyone to READ NOW and either reply or take some action.
REVIEW: Use this key word when sending documents or information that needs reviewing.
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Replying to Messages
To reply to a message, reply as you would to any email message. Your reply will be sent to the list and
will be received by everyone subscribed to the list. By default, the list is configured so that messages are
"Reply to All."
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