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Managing WG mailing lists
Information, tools, and resources for managing IETF working group mailing lists
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2024-08-06 20:03:43 UTC
mailing-lists
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2021-12-14 18:14:00 UTC

This page is requires further information. Suggestions about content via the GitHub repository is particularly welcome. {.is-warning}

IETF mailing lists are the primary discussion forums for IETF Working Groups. While groups may also use in-person or online meetings, and platforms such as GitHub to raise, suggest or discuss issues initially, these should be brought to the WG mailing list so that a group position can be determined.

IETF Working Group lists are generally open to anyone with an email address.

General information and resources

Mailing lists

Addresses of Working Group lists (as well as information about WG charters and other roles) are provided at:

https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/WGNAME/email/

Where "WGNAME" is replaced by the Working Group abbreviation.

Mailing list archives

Archives of IETF Working Groups are publicly available. A searchable repository is available via the IETF Mail Archive site.

Uses of Working Group mailing list

Beyond discussion of relevant topics and documents relevant to a particular working group, Working Group email lists are used to:

  • Announce WG interim meetings
  • Announce WG sessions at IETF meeting notes
  • Share meeting notes

Sometimes, working group sub-tasks may benefit from dedicated mailling lists. In those cases, then a non-WG email list should be created following the non-WG emailing list guidelines.

List management

List owners and moderators can manage message moderation and subscribers by visiting the the main webpage for a list, which takes the form (for ietf.org lists) of:

https://mailman3.ietf.org/mailman3/lists/LISTNAME@ietf.org/

You will need first to claim the address used for a particular list. If a chair is not listed as an owner, request support@ietf.org to update the owners accordingly.

Moderation

Lists can be moderated by logging into the IETF Postorius interface and visiting the moderation page for the list.

Once logged in, you can see all lists for which you have a moderator role by visiting:

https://mailman3.ietf.org/mailman3/lists/?role=moderator

The moderation queue for a specific list can be found via the GUI

mailman3-moderation_options-new.png

or by following the pattern:

https://mailman3.ietf.org/mailman3/lists/LISTNAME@EXAMPLE.EXAMPLE/held_messages

The IESG has provided guidance on moderating IETF WG mailing lists.

Managing subscribers

Subscribers can be managed via the Postorius interface:

mailman3-moderation_options.png

or, for subscription requests, by following the pattern:

https://mailman3.ietf.org/mailman3/lists/LISTNAME@EXAMPLE.EXAMPLE/subscription_requests

Dealing with disruptive posting

Regrettably, managing mailing lists sometimes includes handling disruption postings by participants. It is your responsibility as chair to ensure the mailing list discussions serve the purposes of the Working Group, make forward progress, and adhere to the IETF Guidelines for Conduct (BCP 54). (Refer to RFC 2418 section 6.1 for details on the chair role.) You have several tools at your disposal to keep Working Group mailing list discussions on track:

  • RFC 3934 describes a method for giving warnings and, in the face of continued disruptive posts, suspending the participants posting privileges on the Working Group mailing list. You may also consult with your Area Director for other possible methods to address disruptions on the mailing list.

  • BCP 83 allows posting rights to be indefinitely revoked from the any IETF mailing list using a Posting Rights Action. If a disruptive participant on your Working Group mailing list is subject to a BCP 83 Posting Rights Action on another IETF mailing list, as chair you may simply remove their posting privileges on your Working Group's list.

The above actions are meant to deal with generally disruptive behavior on Working Group mailing lists. Independent of any action you take as a chair to manage your Working Group mailing list, if a particular disruption on the mailing list also constitutes harassment, per the IETF Anti-Harassment Policy, then you can decide to confidentially make a report of harassment (as can any IETF participant) and the IETF Ombudsteam will investigate the report as such. You can also confidentially contact the Ombudsteam for advice about how to handle a situation without a formal investigation being undertaken.

Other mailing lists

You may occasionally require a non–Working Group email list to support the working group, for example for a focused design team. Please refer to the guidelines for non-Working Group email lists for more information, including how to request one.