[Novalug] VDVFQ : Very Dumb Vague Fuzzy Question : list management

[Beartooth]

 	I've been running a couple of lists manually for years, 
using Pine and its Lcc: function -- which iiuc is a variant of 
Bcc: -- and am presently wringing out a sub-list of one. More on 
that presently.

 	Lcc: (list carbon copy) puts a dummy in the To: field, to 
prevent broken a/o antiquated machinery along the way from 
throwing the whole Bcc: field into the open in the To: field; but 
it's still basically Bcc: -- and looks like it to filters.

 	My lists have always been text-only, partly because one 
or two subscribers are still on dialup; maximum distribution is 
well under 50, usual distribution under 25. They're available by 
invitation from me only, which saves me some common hassles; I'd 
like to keep them that way.

 	One new list is in some sense a sublist of an old one 
called Babblexia : discussions of posts on the main list were 
tried, revoked, then moved to this other list. So the new one is 
specifically for those subscribers to Babblexia who want to see 
and participate in items that come up on Babblexia.

 	(I lost valued Babblexia subscribers whom some topic 
enraged, though it interested others; I want to take extreme 
precautions against that happening again. Then, maybe, I'll get 
up the nerve to invite the leavers back, with a solid promise.)

 	This is getting complicated, and anyway I'm sick and 
tired of idiot spamfilters that trap anything with a Bcc: field.

 	I'm looking for a better way, one that even a subtechnoid 
moderator can handle. I have glimmerings of three.

 	One is simply to move one or both lists to one of my new 
addresses at Fastmail.fm, which also hosts domains; I'm planning 
to buy a domain name or two, as soon as I decide where to buy it. 
(See separate post.)

 	I could then give each list an address of its own, and 
run them from there -- either through Fastmail's web interface 
(though pine email is the one thing my fingers know well enough 
to make me despise webmail and any other GUI), or simply by 
continuing to use pine. (My pine account at Lserv is already set 
up to access anything I get at Fastmail; that works, routinely 
and solidly.)

 	The difficulty is that discussants would have to remember 
to change the address on every post -- or I would.

 	Maybe I could find a list host cheap enough, and run 
either Mailman (which I'm superficially familiar with) or 
enemies-of-carlotta, which appeals because it's supposed to be 
lean & mean to the Nth; but that's all I know about it.

 	Or maybe I could use dreamhost, vpslink, hostmonster, or 
whatever to run a web forum -- preferably a password-protewcted 
one.

 	I like the software at

http://www.hypernews.org/HyperNews/get/trails/PATC.html

which I have long used as a poster, and am in contact with Dan 
Laliberte, who wrote it. It could be done with that, and there 
may be others; but I haven't got my head straight enough yet to 
start following up on details.

 	Any/All comments heartily welcome.

-- 
Beartooth Squirreler, Wordcrafty Staffwright
Hunting is life, life hunting. That is all
ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.