Interchange Mailing List Migration FAQ

  1. How will the migration affect my mailing lists?
  2. Will subscribers notice a change?
  3. What are the new features offered by the new mailing list service?
  4. What if I don't want to change my @Interchange mailing list email?
  5. Do subscribers have to update the mailing list email in their address books? What if they forget?
  6. Do I have to use the web dashboard?
  7. How does the new mailing list service take CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation) into account?

 

1. How will the migration affect my mailings lists?

Your mailing lists will still function the same during the migration process. However, once the migration is complete, future messages will be sent away from Interchange and towards the new UBC Mailing Lists service. This mail forwarding process will not affect your mailing list.

 

2. Will subscribers notice a change?

Subscribers will not notice any immediate changes to the lists following the migration, with two exceptions:

Subscribers will have new options available to them under the new UBC Mailing Lists service, including the ability to manage their subscriptions via the service web dashboard. For more details on service features and capabilities, visit the UBC Mailing Lists service catalogue page.

 

3. What are the new features offered by the new mailing list service?

The UBC Mailing Lists service has many new features that list owners can implement, depending on their needs. Some new features include:

  • Email message templates, allowing standard message headers or footers to be created
  • Web-based list archives, where list subscribers (or the public, depending on the level of access selected) can review previous list posts
  • List pruning, where subscribers can be automatically removed from the list after a defined number of message bounces
  • List activity log, to note subscribe and unsubscribe requests processed by the list
  • File (CSV) based subscriber imports, where a list of mailing lists subscribers can be uploaded in bulk
 

4. What if I don’t want to change my @interchange mailing list email?

A migrated mailing list will have two email addresses:

However, all messages sent from the mailing list will be sent from list-name@lists.ubc.ca. We recommend that you gradually introduce the new @lists.ubc.ca address and phase out the @interchange.ubc.ca address. In time, as the legacy Interchange infrastructure is removed from service, the @interchange.ubc.ca domain may be retired.

 

5. Do subscribers have to update the mailing list email in their address books? What if they forget?

We recommend that subscribers start to use the mailing list’s new @lists.ubc.ca email address, though the old @interchange.ubc.ca will continue to work. There are no concrete plans or timeline to decommission the @interchange.ubc.ca list addresses. If the domain is eventually scheduled for decommissioning, UBC IT will communicate that initiative well in advance.

 

6. Do I have to use the web dashboard?

We suggest that list owners and subscribers use the dashboard to management their lists and subscriptions. It provides an easy to use interface for performing almost any administrative activity. You can access the web dashboard at http://lists.ubc.ca.

Email-based commands are also available for managing lists and subscriptions. The Listserv manual contains a complete listing of email commands.

 

7. How does the new mailing list service take CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation) into account?

CASL took effect on July 1, 2014, and it concerns commercial electronic messages. For details about UBC’s approach to CASL, visit the University Counsel website:

http://universitycounsel.ubc.ca/access-and-privacy/casl/

By default, the new UBC Mailing Lists service includes an “unsubscribe” link the footer of each message. This unsubscribe mechanism is both a mailing list best practice, as well as requirement for commercial electronic messages under CASL.

There are additional features provided by the UBC Mailing Lists service that will assist departments as they review UBC’s CASL guidance:

  • Enable change-log to record list subscription and unsubscribe requests
  • Enable renewal to prompt subscribers to renew their subscription on a defined basis