Creating a Sympa forum

Creating an e-forum / e-mailing list

This section explains the steps you need to take to create, or open your e-list. The following section provides all the configuration details, or what you have to do to determine how the Sympa system will manage your list automatically.

People who manage forums are divided into 2 categories:

• Owner(s): They can open and delete lists, subscribe and unsubscribe forum participants and define the list’s technical characteristics. There is a type of owner called “privileged,” who has slightly more extensive rights, such as adding other owners (non-privileged owners) to the list.
• Moderators: If the list is moderated, participants’ messages do not go directly to the list; they go first to the moderators, and one of them can post messages on the forum, either with or without changes (changes could include adding an abstract, improving the layout or translating the message, where necessary). In our internal language we call this role "technical moderation" to distinguish it from the role of moderating or facilitating the discussion itself.

If you are managing a list by yourself, you need to be both owner and moderator.

Creating your access

1. Go to http://www.forums.[your domain_name], for example, http://www.forums.alliance21.org/

2. Identify yourself (see previous section, "Introduction: accessing the Sympa page"). 

3. Next click on the "Your preferences" link in the left-hand column and fill in the first section with your name, the language you wish to use for your interface (the program was written in French, and the English and Spanish are sometimes a little unreliable, but don’t let that stop you from choosing the language you are most comfortable with), and the time you want the connection to last... then validate your choices by clicking on Submit.

4. We recommend that you also change your password if you haven't already done so. Click on Submit.

Creating the list

1. Click on the “Create list” tab.

2. Fill in the fields as follows:

   • List name: enter the name of your list (this is what will precede the @ in the list address).

   • List type: alliance (basic set-up for most Awele discussion forums), or news-letter (non-interactive), or private_working_group. These are basic set-ups, after which you will be able to fine tune your preferences.

   • Subject: describe your list in a few words (ideally in English, French and/or Spanish).

   • Topics: Choose the topic that best fits your forum.

   • Description: a more detailed, yet concise, description of your list topic (in English and/or French and/or Spanish in line with your list’s working languages).

1. Click on "Submit your creation request."

1. Next send a message to the users forum users indicating that you have completed this phase. This will mean that the Awele team, which provides technical support, validates list creations, and provides methodological support for the forums, will be informed, as will the other participants in the users forum, who will thus know that a new list has been created. In the Subject line of your message write: [tech] Creation of the (name of your list) list. In all your messages to the forum users, if you want to attract the list administrator's attention, you need to write [tech] at the start of the message subject.

The list administrator will then proceed to validating the creation of your list and inform you that the list is open by sending you a message on the forum users.