I've done some research on this, and it appears that EDUCOM in Europe created the first list server software used on the BITNET (Because It's Time Network). The initial goal of the list server was to enable scientists in Europe to quickly share research with colleagues in other parts of the world, thereby increasing the rate of scientific progress. What wasn't part of the goal was the natural outgrowth of any communication medium: people gabbing on all sorts of topics, from sports to pets to…well…porn. If you'd like to learn more about the history of list servers, be sure to read John Buckman's article, "A history of list servers," elsewhere in this issue of DominoPower Magazine.

Defining a list server
List server software is somewhat different from traditional mail servers. Here are two key characteristics of list servers:

• A single message sent to a list server gets "exploded" out and sent to all subscribers of a given list; and
• Subscribers can automatically add and remove themselves from the list.

Note the second characteristic, the ability for subscribers to add and remove themselves from the list. What strongly distinguishes list servers from spamming engines (programs that send out junk email) is that list servers allow users to unsubscribe.

We at ZATZ, like many other companies on the Internet, make heavy use of mailing lists. Every time you get one of our weekly tips or monthly issue announcements, you're getting email sent from a list server. For our business, list servers are a win-win solution. Readers get tips and information about Domino. We get the opportunity to remind readers we're here, and we get to do it on a weekly basis. That helps drive traffic to our online magazines. And, of course, the more people who visit our publications, the more value there is for our advertisers.

That said, managing mailing lists has proven to be one of our greatest challenges.

The challenge of managing mailing lists
You see, it's all about flow. Great big huge rivers of email flow out (and in) to our servers. Managing those raging rivers is what this article is all about.

Let me give you some numbers. Across all our lists, we mail something over a million email messages a month. Every Friday, we send about a fifth of our flow when we mail out our tips. We also mail out issue announcements on the day the new magazine issue goes live.