The biggest single reason that people leave a mailing list is - Too Many Emails.
Here are some comments from people unsubscribing.
* too many emails to keep up with
* Important but excessive emails
* I enjoy the listserve--just too much email to contend with these days!
* Too many subjects that are irrelevant to my needs
* Just too many emails
* Too many emails and not enough time to read them all
Mail-List.com has the following features to help you help your subscribers get just what is important to them.
Moderate Each Message
You can turn this option on, and have all messages come to the moderators via email for approval. If any moderator replies, the message is released to the mailing list.
While most lists do not need this level of control, it may come in handy from time to time, if the mailing list goes off topic in a dramatic fashion.
How Do I Approve a Message Before It Goes Out to the Subscriber List
Moderate Known Troublemakers
If you have a few subscribers that post controversial messages, you can put just those subscribers into a censor mode, and have their messages sent via email to the moderators for approval. If any moderator replies, the original message is released to the Listserve.
How To Moderate Just Certain Subscribers
Moderate New Subscribers
If you are concerned that new members of your mailing list may be spammers or troublemakers, you can have their messages sent to all of the list moderators for approval.
Futhermore, you can select a sub option that will then turn this feature off for each new subscriber that successfully posts a message one time.
Switch to the Digest
The Digest is one email a day, delivered around midnight, containing all of the messages from that day.
At the bottom of each mailing list email, is a link to switch to the digest. So each subscriber can switch to and from the digest any time they want.
This option is on by default, but you can turn it off.
How can I keep subscribers from switching to the digest
Go on Vacation
Vacation mode allows subscribers to temporarily remove themselves from the list, and then get back on, without needing help from the list moderators.
At the bottom of each mailing list email, is a link to go on vacation. So each subscriber can go on vacation, and get back on, any time they want.
This option is on by default, but you can turn it off.
How can I keep subscribers from going on vacation
Silently Eat Out Of Office Replies
This option will keep those “I’m on vacation” or “Out of Office” replies from being forwarded to everybody on your mailing list.
This option is on by default, but you can turn it off.
How To Silently Eat Out Of Office Replies
Have Replies Go To Individual Who Sent Message
You want to discourage meaningless replies to your mailing list, and this setting is a good start.
This setting will make a plain Reply to a mailing list message just go back to the author of the message.
A Reply All command will change the To: header to come back to the entire mailing list.
So get your subscribers in the habit of having to think about whether they want their reply to go back to the list, and if they do, they hit Reply All.
How do I control where Replies to our List Messages Go ?
Eliminate Duplicate Emails From Reply All
Most email readers will send a Reply All to both the author of the message and the mailing list. The mailing list in turn, will send a second copy of the message to the author.
This option will keep the mailing list from sending the message to the original author.
How to Eliminate Duplicate Emails From Reply All
Keep Trivial Replies From The Mailing List
Some subscribers like to thank people for answers to their questions, and mistakenly send these replies to the mailing list.
This option will intercept short replies with key words like “Thanks” and return them to the sender, with an option to over ride the system, and send the “Thanks” to the entire list.
This option educates and reminds subscribers of mailing list etiquette, while allowing the ability to over ride the automated system.
Keep Trivial Replies Off Of Your List
Allow Subscribers To Stop Future Emails About An Ongoing Thread
An email thread is all the replies, and replies to replies related to the original email message.
An extra link will be placed at the bottom of all Reply emails. If clicked and confirmed, the subscriber will not receive any more messages from that thread. The subscriber remains on the mailing list, and will receive all other messages.
Stop Future Emails From A Thread
Allow Subscribers To Stop Future Emails From An Author
An extra link will be placed at the bottom of all emails. If clicked and confirmed, the subscriber will not receive any more messages from that person. The subscriber remains on the mailing list, and will receive all other messages.
The Stop Author block expires after 90 days.
Temporarily Stop Future Emails From An Author
Self Moderate
This option requires authors to reply to a confirmation message to release their message to the mailing list.
You can turn this on for some subscribers or for subscribers that have not posted in X number of days.
It’s useful if somebody has the habit of posting private information to the list, as it gives them a chance to realize and prevent their mistake. It’s useful if somebody had their email account taken over, and is sending out spam.
For instance, the odds of a long time lurker posting a real message is probably smaller than their account being hacked and sending out spam.
The round trip loop to approve the message will not be replied to, and thus the original message will not go out.
How do I ensure that a message was posted by my subscriber and not a spammer?
Subject Tags - Validate Subject Lines
This feature allows the list moderator to define certain valid subject lines, and our system will reject any messages to the list that do not fit this format.
So if your mailing list needs more structure, you may use this option.