Why is [SPAM] appended to my subject line?
The University of Kentucky listserv computer uses the Can-It spam filtering system to reduce unsolicited commercial e-mail (a.k.a., “spam”). This system runs an analysis of every incoming email and does one of three things:
- Lets the message pass unmolested.
- Marks the message as [SPAM] to warn the recipient that the system thinks the message might be spam
- Blocks the message altogether because the system is sure that the message is spam (more on this later).
Classics-L’s list owner receives a large volume of spam from online marketers who have automated systems that search the World Wide Web for e-mail addresses and send their multiple copies of their offers of counterfeit timepieces, bodily enhancements, and mortgages to any e-mail address they find, regardless of how appropriate those offers may be. Some of these e-mails are addressed to the list, and would be posted if the “from” address in the email were that of a subscriber (which it very well could be; the “from” address in an email is as arbitrary as the return address of a traditional letter, and spammers often try to find e-mail addresses that are associated with one another on the same site to use precisely to fool filtering and subscriptions systems). Others are addressed to the classics-l-request address, which is used by non-subscribers to request that announcements be posted to the list, and by subscribers to request help.
The spam filter on Classics-L not only protects the list and list owners from unwanted mail, it also protects the listserv software (which does all the work of checking each posting to make sure the poster is a subscriber, copying valid postings to each subscriber, and formatting these outgoing emails according to subscriber’s preferences, as well as maintaining the subscriber list) from being overwhelmed by irrelevant traffic.
Unfortunately, the spam filter is not perfect: determining what is and what is not wanted e-mail is a very difficult task, and even human intelligence cannot flawlessly make this determination according to another’s preferences. This means that many times e-mails are marked as [SPAM] when they are actually desired by subscribers, and occasionally even unnecessarily blocked. Usually, spam filters allow the recipient to tune their preferences so that they can gradually refine the filtering mechanism and prevent mischaracterization. To complicate matters, the University of Kentucky system is not tunable by the Classics-L list owner or other administrators, and only by University of Kentucky information systems personnel, so practically speaking there’s not much to be done to refine the spam filter’s results.
The most common effects of the spam filter are messages misidentified as spam on the subject line, missing messages (on rare occasions), messages received out of order (because one message takes much longer to analyze than another), intermittent delays (sometimes because the filtering software is being maintained, sometimes because it is being overwhelmed by spam), and responses that you do not have permission to post when you are a subscriber (because the spam filter has misidentified you as a chronic spammer, usually due to the internet protocol address currently assigned to your computer having been used by a chronic spammer in the past).
Political Content in Ancient Languages Only
Political discussion is an important part of living in civil society, and the vigorous debate natural to a democratic society is one of the most valuable inheritances we owe to the classical world. Unfortunately, online discussion lists seem to attract those whose primary purpose is to forcefully impose their political ideologies upon others, as well as those who are unable to tolerate any expression of political views that differs from their own. This unfortunate state of affairs leads to the alienation of contributors who would otherwise have much to learn from one another, as well as a general tone of incivility which is not conducive to the conduct of healthy and productive discussion.
For this reason, the contributors to Classics-L have reluctantly adopted a guideline requiring all postings which express views regarding the political realities of the contemporary world be posted in a language and dialect that was in use some time before the death of Justinian (565 ce, which we use as a convenient terminus ad quem for the classical world; and any language or dialect which meets those criteria), and that contributors be prepared to provide the primary list owner with a translation (which can be verified by a third party if necessary) of any such posting into contemorary English upon her request.
Responsibility for Content Lies Solely with its Authors
Classics-L does not have moderators or editors. There are listowners and a technical advisor who maintain the list subscription settings and try to keep order, but they are not responsible for content on the discussion list. While particularly abusive and disruptive contributors will be dropped from the list, and contributors will at times be warned that they have violated certain content guidelines, there is no prior restraint exercised against list postings, and the list owners and technical advisor do not have any capability to recall postings once they have been sent or to alter any of the many online archives of Classics-L content.
Copyright on all contributions resides with the contributors. The list owners expect all subscribers to comply with any relevant laws in their jursidiction as well as that of Kentucky, and to abide by standard academic practices regarding plagiarism.
Each contributor is responsible for the content he or she writes. Once it is posted, it is permanent, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
Unsubscribing from Classics-L or Classics-M
How to unsubscribe from Classics-L via email:
Send a message to listserv@lsv.uky.edu with the following line in the body of the message, and with nothing else (the subject line is irrelevant; I usually just leave it empty):
unsubscribe classics-l
How to unsubscribe from Classics-M via email:
Send a message to listserv@lsv.uky.edu with the following line in the body of the message, and with nothing else (the subject line is irrelevant; I usually just leave it empty):
unsubscribe classics-m
Subscribe to Classics-L or Classics-M
How to subscribe to Classics-L via email:
Send a message to listserv@lsv.uky.edu with the following line in the body of the message, and with nothing else (the subject line is irrelevant; I usually just leave it empty):
subscribe classics-l Publius Ovidius Naso
replacing Ovid’s name with your own real name (yes, real names are mandatory on Classics-L).
How to subscribe to Classics-M via email:
Send a message to listserv@lsv.uky.edu with the following line in the body of the message, and with nothing else (the subject line is irrelevant; I usually just leave it empty):
subscribe classics-m Publius Ovidius Naso
again, replacing Ovid’s name with your own real name (though real names are not really much to the point on classics-m, it would be nice).
Classics-L History
Classics-L (sometimes just called the Classics List) was originally founded by Linda Wright Hornung at the University of Washington in 1992. Linda established a tradition of open, lively, and broad-ranging discussion of all subjects of relevance to classics and academia in general, indeed of all subjects of interest to individual classicists, and promoted the active participation not only of scholars and teachers, but of students, amateurs, and others without a formal academic appointment in the discipline. Linda retired from list ownership in 2003, and ceded ownership of the list to Diana Wright, who worked hard to maintain Classics-L’s environment of robust and passionate discussion. Diana retired from list ownership in 2006.
Currently, the list is managed by Anne Mahoney, Ph.D., John McChesney-Young, and (for technical issues) Patrick Rourke. The list is now hosted by the University of Kentucky, thanks to the sponsorship of a member of University of Kentucky’s faculty; however, the University of Kentucky is in no way affiliated with Classics-L, and provides no oversight or support (beyond the kind accommodation of the list on their servers).