I'm sorry for the length of this post but it is very important. The problems addressed can be applied to other domains but with AOLs being dominant I am referring to them here. The change over on RootsWeb servers from smartlist to mailman has changed the way certain things are handled by admins for the mail lists they watch over. Please make sure your email is set to plain text when you send to the list. The html now makes the message size so large that it goes to a pending box on the tool site and I have to manually release those types of messages. Plain text will avoid this, and your messages will make the list faster. Our tool pages have changed completely and the way we receive notices of bounces and spam is completely different. In the past-when AOL would decide RootsWeb was spam they would bounce all the AOL members mail back to the admins in one email with the reason. The list of AOL bouncers could be 30 or more members, but the bounce would only pick one address and count the bounce against it until that address bounced off and afterwards start on the next address on the list. If AOL was giving us trouble, even if it last a week, I wouldn't lose more than 1 or 2 list members who of course could rejoin when things got back under control with AOL. Mailman works differently. When AOL bounces one email, ALL AOLers will receive a count against their addresses. So ALL will bounce off the list at the same time. The good news is that you can only have one bounce a day counted against your address. So The list can be very busy one day and you won't be bounced off. The bad news is that admins no longer receive normal bounces. I no longer will receive notice that ANYONE is bouncing until I receive notice that they have been unsubscribed from the list, EXCEPT for AOL blocked mail bounces. Those appear to be the only bounces we receive. So I can no longer send ANYONE a copy of their bounce so they can send it to their ISP and ask for help. Many times people will only bounce once or twice and it was easy to help them get back on track. Again, the only bounce notices I now receive are when someone from AOL blocks someone else on a RootsWeb mail list that I admin. All admins are dealing with this this. In the past we couldn't tell and didn't care who was blocking who. I've always felt that was a choice up to the person. As long as it wasn't me-the admin-none of my business. However now-If someone has AOL and is blocking someone whenever that person posts to the lists the AOL person is bounced not the poster. That bounce comes to me as an attachment. People might be blocking other list members and causing bounces on ANY ISP that offers such mail filters--but it is the configuration of the AOL/cs.com/wmconnect, etc. bounces that is causing Mailman not to be able to handle them automatically. The bounces for the A-C list are filling up my mail box. I've noticed a couple of people seem to have _everyone_ who has posted blocked. Some AOL people on other lists have not realized that they were blocking anyone-apparently the block link is next to another one that is used often. I received instructions the other day to help a member of another list. I am pasting the instructions below. If you have AOL please read the instructions and follow them. If you need further help or have questions I'll try to help-there is a list for AOL users to help with RootsWeb problems: http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/RootsWeb_Support/AOLers-RootsWeb.html Under the Mail link on the AOL toolbar > block unwanted mail > sender filter > Use a custom sender list > Two choices: block all mail from senders and domains listed below, or allow only the senders and domains listed below. They can't use the option to block all mail except the senders and addresses below with RootsWeb lists but they can use the block all mail from senders and domains listed below. The choices are: Allow mail from all senders Allow mail only from AOL members Allow mail only from people I know Block mail from all senders Use a custom sender list Of the above, the only choices that work with RootsWeb lists are allow mail from all senders and Use a custom sender list. If they use a custom sender list they can ONLY block addresses of people who are NOT posters to their subscribed lists! With a custom sender list the choices are: blocked mail should be: permanently deleted delivered to spam folder RootsWeb list users should always choose to have a spam folder so that they can check for misdirected list mail and click THIS IS NOT SPAM to move it to their inbox if they find any. I'll give everyone on AOL time to check their settings and fix their folders. If you don't want to read a person's email-delete it unopened, you do have that choice always. Or maybe you can use a different email client for the list. After a couple of days if I receive notice on anyone I'll contact you individually. Thanks, Derrell Oakley Teat List Admin.