General information about mail lists

What are mail lists?

A mail list, also known as an email list or email distribution group, is a list that is assigned an email address that contains a collection of email addresses. You can then send to the single address (of the list) and the same message gets sent to every member of the list.

A mail list can be created for your own personal use in your account or you can request one of 2 types of lists from Information Technology for you to manage.

Two Types of lists

There are two types of lists that can be requested from IT. The first is a Mailman list and the second is a distribution group. The both perform the same basic function but there are some differences.

Mailman List

A Mailman list is a list that is very common among many industry groups that you may already belong to. The members of the group are subscribed and have the opportunity to unsubscribe themselves. Additional rules can be setup to ensure that only members of the list can send to the list or that messages can't be sent to the list without approval.

Mailman lists are managed through a web interface located at https://list.bowdoin.edu

You can request the creation of a new Mailman list from our Service Catalog here: https://bowdoin.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=16562

Distribution Group

A distribution group is an Exchange group that has similar functionality as a Mailman list. You can add/remove members, allow only list members to mail to it and they can be set up to provide individuals to remove themselves if desired. Distribution groups, however, can only have Bowdoin email addresses as members.

Distribution groups are managed through Outlook Online.

You can request the creation of a new distribution group from our Service Catalog here: https://bowdoin.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=16561