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How to use Distribution Lists


After your Exchange Distribution list has been created you will receive an email notifying you when it will be available for you to use. At that point you may have questions about using the list. The following information should help answer some of your questions. If you don't find the answer you need here, please send your question to dlist@mail.ku.edu.
  1. How do I use my Distribution List?
  2. Some of the people on my list say they're not getting my list mail. Why?
  3. How can I tell who's on my list and who isn't?

 

1) How do I use my Distribution List?

For the following discussion, assume you have a list that only you can send to, and that list is named:

Display Name = CLAS101 (12345) Sp05 - DL
Email Address = clas101_12345sp05_dl@mail.ku.edu

Note: If you use one program (like Outlook) at work, and another program (like Outlook Express) at home, then you'll need to review both sections.

Outlook Users:

Sending email to a Distribution List is no different than sending an email to anyone else on campus. You open up a new message, add the List name to the "To" box, write a subject and the body of your message, and send.


Non-Outlook Users:

If you use an email program like Outlook Express, Netscape, Eudora, etc., then you need to use the email address instead of the display name.

  1. Open up a new email message.
  2. In the "To" box, type the full email address of your Distribution List. In our example, it's clas101_12345sp05_dl@mail.ku.edu
  3. Enter a Subject and type out your email message. Click Send.

If you receive a message from the "System Administrator" indicating that you don't have permission to send to that list, you need to change some settings in your email program. The From: line in your email program must match the address used when the list was created.

In Exchange, you have two separate email addresses by default:
    username@ku.edu
    username@mail.ku.edu
When you send an email to an Exchange List, your From: address must be one of those email addresses or else it will reject your email.

Changing your From: address depends on the email program you use. This address is usually defined in the "Options" or "Settings" menu. If you need assistance with this process please contact the IT Customer Service Center at 864-8080.

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2) Some of the people on my list say they're not getting my list mail. Why?

There are a couple possible reasons that could cause people not to get the list mail. If the following information does not solve the problem you are having please contact the Exchange Distribution List Request account at dlist@ku.edu for further assistance.

First response: Does the list member have an Exchange account?

If a person has an Exchange account, all list email will go to that Exchange mailbox, even if the person has registered a completely separate email address with KU. Some students have registered an external email address (like Yahoo, HotMail, etc.) and also have a KU Exchange email account. Exchange distribution lists always use the Exchange account, mainly so the list can be used to apply permissions to public folders.

All KU registered email addresses appear in the People Search directory. Ask the person to check email at their KU Exchange account address. (The easiest way to do this is by using Outlook Web Access.) If the user doesn't want to check the Exchange account frequently, she can set up forwarding to send all Exchange email to the registered external address. To set forwarding:

  1. Go to the Online Information Management Web page
  2. Select "Manage Exchange Account:
  3. Login
  4. Enter the external email address in the "Set Forwarding" field.
  5. Click on the "Refresh" button at the top or bottom of the screen.

Second response: Did the list member confirm the registered email signup?

If the list member does not have an Exchange account, then list email will go to the registered email address instead. Anyone on campus can "register" an official email address at KU using a web page, but it's a two-step process. Occasionally, people skip the second step, and the email is never properly registered. Result: Person doesn't get included in Distribution Lists.

Solution: Re-register the desired email address on the Online Services web page. Soon after, the user will receive an email at that address asking them to confirm the registration. If the user does not receive this email, the email address probably wasn't entered correctly. When the confirmation email is received, the user should reply to that email, and make sure that the text of the confirmation message is included in the reply. There is a code number in the email message that our system uses to identify this email registration. Once the reply to the confirmation has been received, the email is well and truly registered, and the user should be included on all appropriate lists.

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3) How can I tell who's on my list and who isn't?

There are several methods available to view who is included in an Exchange Distribution List here at KU. Selecting the best method for you will depend partly on the type of list you own.

Method 1) View lists you are on or own

You can view Exchange Distribution lists you are on, or own, online. This is a relatively simple way to view members in lists that you own (as well as see all the lists that you are on).

  1. Click on view lists.
  2. Log in with your KU Online ID and password
  3. Scroll down to the "Groups which you own or may administer" heading.
  4. Click on the name of any group shown to get a list of the members in the group.

Method 2) Outlook Address Book

If the list membership is hidden you will not be able to use this method. However, If the list is for a class that you teach, then you will be able to use the Address Book to check list membership. No one else should see membership for a class list.

If the list membership is not hidden, you can view members through Outlook's Address Book using the following instructions:

  1. Click on the Address Book icon in the menu bar at the top right of your Outlook screen.
  2. A new window will pop up. Look in the top-right corner for a pull-down menu labeled "Show names from the:". Make sure "Global Address List" (the very first item in that menu) is chosen.
  3. Your Address Book window now displays every item in the Exchange system. All Distribution List items are in bold face type, and have an icon on the left of two people's faces ( ).
  4. Type in the name of your List in the box on the left.
  5. Double-click on the list name.
  6. Another window should pop up with details about your list, including a box on the right side labeled "Members". This shows who is included in your Distribution List. If that box is blank, then the membership is hidden, and you will need to use another method for looking up the membership.

Here are the different member entries you may see:

  • Members who have Exchange accounts are listed by name, and there is no icon next to their names. You may see Exchange listings that only show the account name. This is for people (mainly students) who have chosen to hide their account information.
  • Members who do not have Exchange accounts, but who have registered external email addresses, will also appear by name, and they'll have a globe icon next to their names, like this: If the hidden member does not have an Exchange account, but does have a registered email address, then that person is a member of the list, but you won't be able to find them in this display. Non-Exchange hidden entries are completely invisible, and can't be viewed at all in any Address listings in Exchange.
  • It is also possible to have a Distribution List which includes other Lists. If this is the case, you'll be able to identify Lists by their icon:

Method 3) Web Roster for Course Distribution Lists

This method will only help you if the List in question is a Course List, one which you signed up for via the Course List web page. If such is in fact the case, you can go to the Web Roster (https://www.ku.edu/academics/roster) for the course in question and that web page will tell you who's in your list and who isn't.

For course instructors looking up information on a class list, this is by far the most reliable method.

When you reach the page showing you all the students' names, ID's, and email addresses, this is the page that will answer most of your questions. In particular, any student who does not have an email address displayed is not on your list. Everyone else is.

The question which isn't resolved on this page is what address, exactly, is the List using? The Roster only shows registered email addresses. If the student has an Exchange account, however, then all List mail is directed to that Exchange account, not to the registered email, even if the registered email is different. So, because there is an email address listed at all next to a student's name, you can be assured that student is on your list. For information about how having an Exchange account affects things, see the above discourse on students who say they're not receiving List email.

One other piece of information you get on the Roster page is quick identification of students who've hidden their email addresses. If you looked up the List membership using Outlook's Address Book, but didn't find many of the students you expected to see, pay special attention to the students on the Roster who have the circle-slash icon ( ) next to their email addresses. These are the ones who you may not have been able to spot in the Address Book because they're hidden.

Also look for "No Email Registered" entries, of course, since these students are certainly not receiving your List email.

Method 4) Contact Dist. List Administrator

When all else fails, you can ask to have a report generated of who exactly is in your list. To request this report send email to dlist@mail.ku.edu.

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