GSE Email Lists FAQ

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Mail List Problems: Why didn't my message appear on the list?

The automated list server software on Calmail scans all messages sent to its lists, checking for problems. Any messages with problems are NOT sent to the list, but bounced to the list administrator (me).

•The most common reason for a bounced message is that it contains a file attachment. Please, do not send messages with ATTACHMENTS to our lists. Mass mailings of file attachments create security and compatibility problems for members of our list. Most lists and forums administrators routinely restrict attachments. (Note that this restriction applies when using our lists; what you send your own correspondents is between you and them.)

Viruses are predominantly sent via email attachments, so a general recommendation from system administrators is NEVER OPEN AN UNSOLICITED EMAIL ATTACHMENT &mdash even from people you know. Addresses can be easily spoofed or hijacked and the owner is unaware that his address is being used. (If people actually complied with this recommendation, that would be another reason to avoid sending unsolicited attachments: nobody would read them anyway.)

A second problem is that attachments can be an inconvenience to our users. The email system was originally designed for small text messages, and the explosion of email and spam we have today is stressing it. A one megabyte file can take five minutes to download for a modem user and forces him to deal with that message before he can read the rest; a number of such files can fill up an account's file allocation (5-50 MB on some older systems) quickly. Ideally you should use other means designed for transferring files. The campus recommends creating a Webfiles account: http://webfiles.berkeley.edu. This uses the WebDAV protocol which does file transfers via the web, rather than via email.

Another issue is that it's unlikely that all recipients will have the same program/system you used to create the attachment, and won't be able to view it properly. To ensure the widest audience, use plain text (even your email program's ability to bold or change fonts can make your email difficult to read if your recipient uses an older system.)

If you do need to send an attachment, you can either 1) ask interested people to request the attachment from you and send it just to them; 2) copy and paste the content of the attachment into your message; 3) create and/or reference a web document with the same content for viewing or downloading; or 4) see Webfiles above.

If an attachment is rejected by the list server and bounces to me, I'll try to notify you promptly so you can fix the problem and send it again — but please understand, there may be delays.

There are other reasons your message to our list may bounce:

• Too many email addresses in the "To:" or "CC:" fields — on the new CalMail system the limit is 500 addresses. You can make multiple sends to get around this limit, but the best solution is to put the addresses in the "BCC:" field (Blind Carbon Copy). This hides the addresses from the other recipients and should be considered common courtesy when cc-ing a number of people because of privacy concerns and because it helps prevent the harvesting of addresses for spamming.

• A mismatch between your email address on your email and the address used by the list server. Most of our lists will only allow message from its members. The list server checks for membership by comparing the spelling of the email address on that message to that on the list server. jsmith@berkeley.edu vs. jsmith@gmail.com is an obvious mismatch.

Some of you use username@calmail.berkeley.edu as your address — username@berkeley.edu is an alternate, easier-to-remember, address you could also use. The campus mail system aliases (equates) these addresses and will automatically direct mail from either of these addresses to the same account: it usually doesn't matter which form of the address you give to your correspondents.

• Using one of the following phrases in the first ten lines of a message:
cancel
subscribe
unsubscribe
help
RCPT
Delivery Confirmation
NON-DELIVERY
Undeliverable Message
Receipt Confirmation
Failed Mail
change {any word} address
request {any word} addition

These phrases will bounce that message to me, the administrator, instead of sending it to the list under the belief that this is an administrative message asking to fix a problem. If you intend to use these words for another purpose in the first ten lines, either put spaces or special characters between the letters (sub_scribe), or try finding another way of expressing the same thought.

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last reviewed: 4/17/07
12/28/03: 21972