Frequently Asked Questions About FRAMBORS, FRAMCOM, and other Framingham E-mail Lists

Contents

Frequently Asked Questions About FRAMBORS, FRAMCOM, and other Framingham E-mail Lists

What are the different Framingham e-mail lists, and what is their purpose?

What are FRAMBORS and FRAMCOM?

There are two major lists that relate to Framingham, each with over 1000 subscribers, and each with a distinct purpose. FRAMBORS is for discussion of issues that in some way relate or could relate to Framingham town government. The purpose of FRAMBORS is to provide a public forum for discussing and debating local government and community issues in Framingham. FRAMCOM is for posts related to anything to do with Framingham that do not relate to town government, including recommendations for local services, items for sale, community announcements, and lost pets. See below for posting guidelines for each list.

What other lists are available?

We need blurbs on TMM, Nobscot, MBM etc.

What are the posting guidelines for FRAMBORS?

How do I post to FRAMBORS?

Only subscribers can post to FRAMBORS. To start a new topic, compose a message and send it to frambors@syslang.net. To contribute a post on a topic that has already been started, reply to an existing message, and make sure that frambors@syslang.net is in the "To:" line. Many people do this by clicking on "Reply to All" instead of just "Reply." If you do this, please remove the sender and individuals from the To line so they do not receive duplicate copies of the same message. Please delete the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom from the message you are replying to, and save only as much of the previous poster's message as you need to preserve the context of your message. All posts must be signed in the body of the message.

What topics are appropriate for discussion on FRAMBORS?

Appropriate topics for this list include

matters in front of local governing bodies,
issues that someone believes should be addressed by the town government,
issues in front of community or neighborhood groups, and
stories and editorials in local newspapers, radio stations or other local media that relate to these issues.

There are special rules about discussing candidates and issues during elections.

What kinds of things are not appropriate for posting on FRAMBORS?

These kinds of things are not appropriate for posting on FRAMBORS:

Posts that do not conform to FRAMBORS civility rules.
Post that are not substantive in nature, like "thank yous," one-liners or jokes, satire, posts that, in effect, simply say "me too" or "I agree" without adding any additional commentary.
Links to a web page without explanation of what it is, how it relates to issues in Framingham and why you are sharing it with the list.
Complaints about the civility of posts and commentary about list operation and/or policies. These issues should either go to frammod (if you were a subscriber) or to the list operators <frambors DASH owner AT syslang DOT net>. (AT=@ and DOT =. in the e-mail address. Formatting it this way helps prevent the address from being harvested by automated "spambots" for spammers).
Issues that are being debated primarily at the state or national level, rather than the local level (e.g. immigration, income taxes, state and federal education policies, abortion, global warming, etc.)
Topics that relate to Framingham but do not relate to town government, neighborhood groups or media of coverage of such topics. These are appropriate for FRAMCOM.
Community events announcements not related to town government, neighborhood groups or media of coverage of such topics, such as PTO events, non-profit fundraisers, and concerts. These are appropriate for FRAMCOM.
Personal requests or announcements (recommendations, advice, yard sale or for sale announcements). These are appropriate for FRAMCOM.
Personal replies which should only go to one or a few people but are not of sufficient interest to go to the entire list.
Posts that have individuals in the To:, CC: or BCC: lines, as it causes list members to get duplicate copies and causes confusion about whether a particular post came from an individual or the list. Posts copied to individuals is the number one reason for private e-mails being inadvertently forwarded to the list.

What are the special rules in force for elections?

The public is allowed to ask questions of the candidates, and, of course, the candidates are allowed and encouraged to answer. If a question is not answered by a candidate, the same question may not be repeated. Consider it asked and answered. Candidates and the public are allowed to make political announcements. Examples of things that are of an announcement nature might be "I am running", "I am holding a fundraiser", or "I have a website to provide information". Whenever possible, the operator of FRAMBORS will provide hosting for anyone's webpage if they do not have access of their own facilities.

All messages that refer to a candidate's name will trap for review by the moderating team when during campaign season. Such posts by and about candidates will be reviewed before going to the FRAMBORS to ensure that they do not contain either campaigning or endorsements according to the following guidelines:

No campaigning is allowed, and all candidates' posts will be moderated to enforce this policy. During elections, candidates may discuss issues, answer questions, and announce campaign events. However, if it seems like you are blowing your own horn, then it is not allowed. The moderating team will decide whether or not posts comply with this rule.
No endorsements are allowed, and all posts that mention a candidate's name or e-mail address will be reviewed by the moderating team. You may discuss issues but anything that might be construed as favoring a particular candidate will be rejected. Likewise, anything that might be construed as a personal attack, will be rejected. However, members may post a link to their endorsements, and use the Framingham Wiki to post their endorsements

What are the posting guidelines for FRAMCOM?

How do I post to FRAMCOM?

Only subscribers can post to FRAMCOM. To start a new topic, compose a message and send it to framcom@syslang.net. To contribute a post on a topic that has already been started, reply to an existing message, and make sure that framcom@syslang.net is in the "To:" line. Many people do this by clicking on "Reply to All" instead of just "Reply." If you do this, please remove the sender and individuals from the To line so they do not receive duplicate copies of the same message. Please delete the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom from the message you are replying to, and save only as much of the previous poster's message as you need to preserve the context of your message. All posts must be signed in the body of the message.

What topics are appropriate for discussion on FRAMCOM?

Appropriate topics for this list include

Community events announcements not related to town government, neighborhood groups or media of coverage of such topics, such as PTO events, non-profit fundraisers, and concerts.
Personal requests or announcements (recommendations, advice, yard sale or for sale announcements).
Topics that relate to Framingham but do not relate to town government, neighborhood groups or media of coverage of such topics.

What kinds of things are not appropriate for posting on FRAMCOM?

These kinds of things are not appropriate for posting on FRAMCOM:

Recommendations without appropriate contact information of the business you are recommending.
Posts that are personal insulting or otherwise uncivil. (See civility rules)
Post that are not substantive in nature, like "thank yous," one-liners or jokes, satire, posts that, in effect, simply say "me too" or "I agree" without adding any additional commentary.
Links to a web page without explanation of what it is, how it relates to issues in Framingham and why you are sharing it with the list.
Complaints about the civility of posts and commentary about list operation and/or policies. These issues the list operators <framcom DASH owner AT syslang DOT net>. (AT=@ and DOT =. in the e-mail address. Formatting it this way helps prevent the address from being harvested by automated "spambots" for spammers).
Issues that are being debated primarily at the state or national level, rather than the local level (e.g. immigration, income taxes, state and federal education policies, abortion, global warming, etc.)
Topics that relate to Framingham town government, neighborhood groups or media of coverage of such topics. These are appropriate for FRAMBORS.
Personal replies which should only go to one or a few people but are not of sufficient interest to go to the entire list.
Posts that have individuals in the To:, CC: or BCC: lines, as it causes list members to get duplicate copies and causes confusion about whether a particular post came from an individual or the list. Posts copied to individuals is the number one reason for private e-mails being inadvertently forwarded to the list.

How are FRAMBORS and FRAMCOM Moderated?

When, why and how are posts reviewed prior to being posted to the list?

Review of posts occurs at a different frequency and for different reasons for FRAMBORS and FRAMCOM. Most posts are not individually approved prior to being posted to FRAMBORS. Posters are generally responsible for the content of their material. On FRAMCOM, more posts are reviewed due differences in the preferences of the primary moderators. There is a moderating team that manages the list, enforces rules, deals with subscriptions, and answers questions.

Individual posts are reviewed by someone on the moderating team reviews individual posts that have been flagged for a consult for one of the following reasons:

The sender is not a subscriber to FRAMBORS or FRAMCOM;
The sender is on a list of posters who are supervised because of noncompliance with posting rules;
The sender is a subscriber who has not submitted contact information to the moderating team;
The sender has sent more than 4 posts in 24 hours;
The sender is a subscriber who has not yet posted a message that conforms with posting guidelines;
The sender is a subscriber to FRAMCOM who has had difficulty consistently complying with posting guidelines for that list, or
The message includes text, either in the headers or the body, that the moderating team has flagged for review, either because it "looks" like a FRAMCOM post and is headed to FRAMBORS, is on a topic that is starting to get "heated" or is inappropriate for the list in question.

The moderator has the option to reject or accept a message that flags for review before it goes to the list, based on conformance to list rules. The sender is notified with a reason or reasons why and a copy is sent to the list of people who help. Sometimes people think that the decision to reject their post is arbitrary and want to complain. Feel free to respond if you disagree or do not understand, but the decision is always known by more than one person. You may be asked to revise your post and resubmit it. When posts are flagged for moderation, there may be a significant delay in those posts getting posted to the list. Moderating is a part-time volunteer job, and moderators are not online, waiting for your posts, 24/7. Please be patient if there is a delay.

What are the rules regarding the civility of posts?

It would be nice to be able to state simple definitions for civility and then let everyone exercise their common sense. However, experience has shown that it is necessary define what civility means in as much detail as possible so as to make as many people as possible understand our intent. Posters are expected to show basic respect for other list members in their posts. It is considered more polite to refer to the author of a previous message as "a previous poster", and are generally encouraged not to use the name of other posters in their responses. While we do not operate under Robert's Rules of order, basic etiquette is always encouraged. The list moderators will ultimately make the determination about violations of civility rules, as one person's opinion or description is another person's insult.

Issues, not people, are to be the subject of the debate. Personal attacks, including insults, name-calling and unfounded accusations (especially with respect to legal and ethical violations,) are not allowed on the list about anybody at any time. Posts should not attack or question the unstated motivations or character of another person. Insulting characterizations of groups of people, (such as immigrants, opponents of illegal immigration, social service clients, those who oppose social service expansion, legislators, members of a town board...) are not permitted.

Personal attacks are also not allowed off-list (a.k.a flames) in response to a post. Contacting someone off-list about a post after they have made a personal request that you not contact them anymore, or contacting someone anonymously off-list is also prohibited.

Sometimes the actions of a public official or representative of an organization can be a legitimate topic of conversation or criticism. It is important both the people be held accountable for their actions when they affect the general public, and that criticism not be discouraged. However, in this forum, the actions of the people and their impact should be the focus of discussion, not the character or motivation of those people.

The question of civility is one of the biggest reasons for people to be placed into supervised mode (where an operator has to review the postings of an individual to confirm that it is in compliance). A goal of this list is to supervise the minimum number of people. But the decision of whether a person has acted in an uncivil manner happens on the frammod list (i.e., the Frambors Moderators). Ultimately, the decision to supervise someone is in the hands of the list moderators.

Examples of statements that would be unacceptable include:

John Doe has obviously lost his marbles if he is so naive as to believe that.
Jane Doe is a liar for saying that.
John Doe is a bigot and a racist if he makes statements like that.
Town Board member Jane Doe must be on the take if she voted that way.
I heard a rumor that John Doe is selling illegal drugs from town offices.
That Town Board hearing looked like it was fixed from the start.
That newspaper reporter has it in for this town.
The previous poster's mother used to be the town drunk. Maybe he has taken up the bottle as well.
Opponents of the expansion of social service agency programs are prejudiced against people with disabilities.
Drug addicts are losers who are like leeches draining away the vitality of our community.
Non-profit executives are really more interested in lining their own pockets than helping others.

Examples of statements that would be acceptable include:

I believe this writer was mistaken about this. This is what I see about the situation
By failing to act on these issues, our town officials are jeopardizing the quality of life in our community.
The legislators do not appear to care about this issue, based on their actions.
Articles like this that put our community in a negative light hurt our town's public image, which contributes to falling property values.
The Board took action that will have a negative impact on our town, one from which we are unlikely to recover.
I disagree with the previous writer who said "The quick gray coyote jumped over the lazy brown deer." Obviously, the coyote was just leading the hunter to the deer.
The legislators have shown no interest on moving forward on this issue, and I believe the consequences for Framingham are terrible.

How do people get on and off the supervised list, and how does it work?

People's posts can be supervised for several reasons, as listed in the previous section.

On FRAMBORS, when people violate list rules, sometimes they are warned before they are placed on the supervised list, and sometimes not, at the discretion of the moderating team. Some people are supervised for a short period, and some people are on for as long as they subscribe. If you are supervised, you will be informed of your status, and why. In general, people who have problems with the technical requirements of a list will be given specific instructions on how to fix the problem in subsequent e-mails. All new subscribers are in a supervised state until they post a message that conforms to list rules (Warning: we have to remove subscribers from supervised mode individually, and we don't always remember to do this, especially for people who post infrequently.) If you unsubscribe and resubscribe, your first post will be moderated.

On FRAMCOM, subscribers are in supervised mode when they subscribe, and may be put in a supervised mode for inconsistent compliance with the rules (signing name, putting contact information with recommendations, off-topic, civility)at the moderators discretion. You may or may not be made aware of your status, at the discretion of the moderator.

Do people ever decide to have their posts reviewed on a voluntary basis?

Sometimes people choose to have their posts reviewed on a voluntary basis. Typically, these people fall into 1 of 3 categories: 1) they find that that the technical requirements of the list are confusing, 2) they sometimes respond to messages while they are still mad, and send messages that they would rather not have go to the list, or 3) they accidentally send personal replies to the list by mistake. These people would rather have a post delayed waiting to be reviewed than have a potential mistake go to the list. We have even been known to do a quick spelling check. Let the owners know if you are interested in this option.

What should I do if I see a post that seems inappropriate?

Because we do not typically review posts before they go to the list, you may occasionally see posts that you feel are inappropriate. When that happens, do not complain about other people's posts to Frambors. However, feel free to call it to our attention by e-mailing <frambors-owner AT syslang DOT net>. (AT=@ and DOT =. in the e-mail address. Formatting it this way helps prevent the address from being harvested by automated "spambots" for spammers).

What are the most common reasons that posts get rejected?

FRAMBORS and FRAMCOM are automated as much as possible by some very sophisticated software called Majordomo2. Sometimes you may get automated messages from the server that are not coming from a real person.

There are a number of conditions that will cause messages to be rejected automatically. These conditions are:

When you reply to a message and you do not remove the unsubscribe footer from the end, the robot can not tell whether the message it is processing is intended to be commands or a message intended to be sent out to a large group of people. In other words, if you reply to a message and do not remove the footer, then your message will be instantly rejected.
If you try to send your message to more than one list, it will be automatically rejected. Think of it this way; your message is either relevant to the discussion of town government or it is relevant to some other discussion about Framingham, but not both.
If you try to send a message using Bcc, it will be rejected. You have to address your message to Frambors either on the To line or the Cc line.

Besides automatic rejections as described above, it is possible for some messages to be rejected by the operator.

Sometimes the operator will decide to place an entire topic under supervision because of a past demonstration of that topic being used inappropriately.
If a person is in supervised mode and the post is inappropriate, then the message will be returned will an explanation why it was rejected.
If a person repeatedly violates the same posting guidelines, messages will be returned so that the poster has the opportunity to address the issue.
Only people who are subscribed can post. If you are not subscribed then your message will be rejected. If your are posting from an address different from the one that you are subscribed from and we can figure it out then we will allow it, but we are not perfect and your message may be rejected. (Let us know if you plan on sending from multiple addresses and we can add an alias to your account.)

How can I manage my e-mail list subscriptions?

How do I subscribe to the FRAMBORS or FRAMCOM?

To subscribe, go to this link and answer the questions.

Provide your name, email address, and choose which list you want to subscribe to.
Decide whether you want the list to be delivered as each message happens (one message at a time) or in digest mode (all the day's messages together in one e-mail). Further, if you want digest mode, then you will have to pick whether you want plain text digest mode or MIME digest mode.
Click on the subscribe button.
You will have a confirmation emailed to you. You must respond to the confirmation for your subscription to be completed. If you do not then the subscribe process will not complete.

Once you confirm, your randomly generated password will be emailed to you along with the intro file explaining details of the list. If you want to subscribe to more than one list, you must do this for each list that you want to be subscribed to.

How do I unsubscribe to the FRAMBORS or FRAMCOM?

To unsubscribe, you'll need your list password. If you don't have it, please see see above instructions below for instructions on how to get it. Then go to here and click on theUnsubscribe or Change Settings button at the top or bottom of the page. Enter the e-mail address under which you are subscribed and the Sign in radio button and then hit Go. This will take you to a page with your settings for each list that you are subscribed to. This list of settings includes an option to unsubscribe.

Again, a confirmation message will be mailed to you. If you do not confirm the request then you will not be unsubscribed. We do this so other people can not affect your settings.

How can I find out my password if I can't remember it?

Go here and
Click on the button at the top or bottom of the page that says Sign in.
Fill in your email address and click the radio button that says I forgot my password. Then click on the Go button.

You will soon receive a message asking you to confirm the fact that someone is requesting your secret password. You need to confirm that request. (Instructions on how to confirm will be included in the email.) Once your request is confirmed, your password will be e-mailed to you. It may take a few minutes for it to arrive.

I have a new e-mail address and I'd like to switch my subscriptions. How do I do it?

(Note: if these instructions seem daunting, please feel free to send us e-mail <frambors DASH owner YOU ARE NOT LOGGED IN ARE YOU AT syslang DOT net>, and we'll be happy to take care of it for you.)

You'll need your list password for the old subscription in order to proceed. If you don't have it, please see above instructions on how to get it.

To switch your subscription, go here and hit the Unsubscribe or Change Settings button at the top or bottom of the page. Almost at the bottom of the page will be an option called Changing your Address. Just fill in your address and click on changeaddr. You will then receive confirmation instructions.

I'd like to disable mail delivery for a little while without unsubscribing. How do I do it?

You'll need your list password to do this. If you don't have it, please see above instructions on how to get it.
There is no web interface to do this. Instead, you need to send commands to <majordomo AT ATATAT syslang DOT net>.

Here are some examples: approve PASSWORD set LISTNAME vacation-4d This will turn your delivery off for four days (You do need to put FRAMCOM or FRAMBORS in place of LISTNAME.)

approve PASSWORD set LISTNAME vacation-1m This will turn your delivery off for one month.

If you get back early and want to turn your delivery back on, just say:

approve PASSWORD set LISTNAME vacation-return

For full documentation send a message to majordomo <majordomo AT ATATAT syslang DOT net> and say help set in the body of the message.

What else can I change about my list subscription?

You'll need your list password to change any of your subscription options. If you don't have it, please see see above instructions above for instructions on how to get it.

Send a message to majordomo <majordomo AT syslang DOT net> to see all of the documentation on the set command by saying help set in the body of the message.

There are too many messages on these lists! What can I do?

What is digest mode? Is it the best option for me?

With digests, you get a few big messages each day (usually one) that contain all the messages for that day, instead of getting them as individual messages throughout the day. Generally, you get the digests the day after they are actually posted. You can receive digests instead of individual e-mails by changing an option on your list subscription. See above instructions for details about making the switch. If you are a lurker (someone who does not usually post), digest mode can be an easy way to manage the mail volume issue.

If you are a frequent poster, or if you like to search earlier posts, then switching to digest mode is probably not the best option. It can make posting correctly challenging. There are two kinds of digests. MIME digests and text digests. When you receive the list as text digests, you can no longer treat each message as an individual e-mail for surgical deletion and other operations. Never reply to a digest. If you want to reply to a message in a digest then you need to start a new message and include only as much of the previous message that you are replying to to minimally preserve context. Please match the subject line to the message to which you are responding.

You can change to digest mode or back to individual e-mails by following these directions:

You'll need your list password to do this. If you don't have it, please see above instructions on how to get it.

Go here. Your Delivery Mode is just one of your personal settings. All you need to do is to log in with your password and change the Delivery Mode setting to something else. Your digest choices are the Daily Digest in either text or mime format.

If you want to turn digest mode off, follow the above instructions, except choose each message as it is posted.

Is filtering a better option?

With filtering into folders, you direct all List messages automatically into a specific mail folder on your computer, instead of having them interspersed throughout your general mail in-box. You set this up in a way specific to your mail client or service (AOL, Eudora, Outlook Express, Yahoo Mail, HotMail, etc). This section will soon contain instructions for setting up filtering into folders on many of the popular mail clients and services.

Filtering into folders is best, if you're willing to take a bit more trouble to set it up. Filtering into folders automatically places all your List messages into one or more specific, segregated places (folders) on your own system or account, as soon as each message arrives. There are just as many messages and they arrive all day long, but they aren't cluttering up any other folder, and there aren't any other messages cluttering them up. You can go look at them in their special folders -- or not -- when you choose.

In their special Frambors folder, you can still work with each message as an individual e-mail, and do things like sort and mark the headers, delete individual messages, and whatever features your e-mail system provides. Perhaps most important, you can reply to an individual post in the usual way.

Another advantage of not using digests is that you can filter out messages from particular individuals, should you wish to. Again, the method for doing that varies with the mail system you are using.

How do I set up mail filtering rules for the lists?

(This answer is in the process of being written.)

Why am I getting duplicate messages?

There are a number of reasons that you could be getting duplicate messages.

One possibility is that you are subscribed to more than one list and that an individual message is posted to those multiple lists. That is not allowed and is likely not an issue.

Another possibility is that someone is sending a message to a list and Cc'ing you. In that case you will get two copies. Then when people reply using ReplyToAll, the cycle would repeat. Please be aware that ReplyToAll can cause problems for others in lists.

What other technical things would be good for me to know?

Can I remain anonymous?

You may subscribe to the list anonymously. Upon subscribing to the list, you will be asked for contact information by one of the list moderators, which is used to resolve technical issues (like having e-mails from the list bounce back.) Other than your name, your contact information will not be available to the list in general. If you choose not to provide the contact information, and you accidentally identify FRAMBORS as "spam" or your e-mails bounce, you risk having your subscription shut-off if we cannot contact you via e-mail. As long as you remain a lurker (someone who never posts), you can remain anonymous. Your identity as a member of the list is almost a secret. The list software allows other list members to know who is a member of the list, and only by e-mail unless you provide a name.

If you really don't want subscribers to see your email address, see these instructions

However, you may not post anonymously. When you choose to post to the list, you must provide provide some contact information to the moderator for verification of your identity, and your name will be available to list members in association with your e-mail address. In addition, you must identify yourself by your first and last name in the body of the text of your post. Your full name in the "From" line is not enough because some people have mailers that won't display the full name. (Forgetting to sign your post is only considered a minor violation, if you have sent in your contact information to the moderators.)

The identity verification process should prevent people from posting anonymously. Anonymous postings are considered a major violation of list rules, especially when such posts are made using a false name, and can result in your being supervised and/or permanently removed from the list. All posts made by an anonymous poster may be removed from the archives. It is unfortunate that we have to have this rule, but, unfortunately, it has been an issue on occasion.

Why do my posts have question marks in random places? or Is it OK to post html ("rich text") messages to the list?

The list software filters out all the formatting and delivers only the plain text part of your message. This keeps the digest version from becoming cluttered with HTML, and prevents viruses from being transmitted via the list. When you compose your messages using characters that do not map to plain text, the result is that you will see such characters translated to something that you might not have intended. (Usually, that can be a question mark.)

If you want to know in advance exactly what it will look like before you send it, your best bet is to configure your mailer so that it just sends plain text.

Can I get a virus from these lists?

No. It is absolutely impossible for a virus to be transmitted via a message sent through these lists. This is because the list software delivers only plain text, and filters out attachments and scripts, which is how viruses are delivered.

However, you can get a virus from any individual with whom you correspond by e-mail. So if you correspond with is an individual on a list, you may receive a virus from that person. And there are viruses which pretend to be from people who are in the address book of the infected person. So you may receive a virus which appears to be from someone you know from a list, but is really from someone whose address book contained that person. In the same way, other people can get a virus which appears to be from you but is really from someone with whom you've corresponded.

It is also possible to get a virus from a web site, so if you click on a link contained in an e-mail, and you visit the web site that the link points to, and that web site is malicious, you may get a virus that way.

The bottom line: if you subscribe to a list but never correspond with anyone on the list or post to the list, and you never click on any links in e-mails posted through the list, there is no way you can get a virus either from the list or from anyone on the list.

Everyone should take measures to prevent virus infection: running virus-scanning software is one good way to do this.

Another good way to not have to worry about viruses is to run Linux.

How can I look at message archives? I want to catch up!

Welcome to the club! It felt like that to just about everyone who wasn't one of the "founding members". The easiest way to catch up is to read the messages regularly for a while and then jump in.

If you are interested in reading back issues of the list, go here and enter your email address and password, go to the Unsubscribe or Change Settings and then click on the info button to the right of the name of the list. From there you will see a list of choices. Click on the one that says Message Archive and you'll be able to read them month by month. If you have forgotten your password, please see above instructions on how to get it.

How many posts a day are there? Who posts the most? How many people subscribe and unsubscribe?

No idea. These things change depennding on what the hot topic is.

How can I add to these questions and make them better?

If you see a question that needs to be answered and it's not in here, or if you see information that is wrong because of different municpal relevance, or any other reason at all, please let me <frambors DASH owner AT THE HAT syslang DOT net> know so we can fix it, or just go ahead and fix it yourself.

How do I see the list of subscribers on the list?

Send the who command in the body of your message to majordomo <major do mo AT ATATAT syslang DOT net>.

For example:
who frambors

If you really don't want subscribers to see your email address, you have some account settings to assist beyond the default nohide setting.

You can set your account to be in hideaddress mode where your name will be visible but not your email address. You can also set hideall mode where no one will be able to see you from the who command at all except for the list owner.

What email addresses do I need to know?

Here's how it works. Every list has three addresses.

The first is listname@syslang.net and that is the email address that you send to for the purpose of sending a message to the millions of subscribers. For example, to send a message to all of the subscribers on frambors, just send to <fram bors AT sys lang DOT net>
The second is listname-request@syslang.net and that is where you send a message to the Majordomo2 robot to ask it to do something for you. For example, to put yourself in digest mode on the frambors list, you would send a message to <fram bors DASH re quest AT sys lang DOT net> and in the body of the message give the command to be placed in digest mode.
The third address is listname-owner@syslang.net which is a guaranteed way to reach the owner of the list in question.