How to UNSUBSCRIBE from a discussion list

How to leave a list gracefully

To UNsubscribe from a list …

Many lists now offer many different subscription options including daily or weekly digests, weekly indexes, and temporary/timed breaks. So if you want to reduce incoming emails but stay in touch, investigate these options by going to your list's website or by writing to the list owner or list moderator.

For leaving 'outdoor' lists click here for information
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TO UNSUBSCRIBE DON'T ...

…send an email to the list because to leave (or join) a list you must send your message to a different email address.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE DO ...

Make a guess!

If you remember how you subscribed (look in your 'sent' folder?) do the opposite in order to unsubscribe. e.g.
- If the word 'subscribe' was in the address, change it to 'unsubscribe'.
- If the word 'subscribe' was in the subject line or body of your email, change it to 'unsubscribe'.
- Other 'unsubscribe' words that list robots might understand are 'signoff', 'leave', 'help' or 'query'. (They don't understand swear words.)
- Some list robots like you to add your name or email address after a space on the same line as your 'unsubscribe' word.
Even if the above actions fail, you should receive a 'help file' from the list robot (or the list owner) that reveals the secrets of the universe and instructions on how to leave their list.
Find the instructions
Follow the instructions you received (and carefully saved!) when you first joined the list. No luck? Then ...
Find where you saved the instructions by using 'find' to search your email directory or hard disc. No luck? Then ...
Find the instructions by searching the list archives (on the list web site or via email commands). Look for a helpful message (e.g. from the List Owner), or...
Take out a second subscription!! (You may need to do this with a new name or a new address.) Why? Because when you subscribe you receive information about how to unsubscribe! Now that you know what to do, remember to unsubscribe from both addresses! Still subscribed? Then...
Check your subscription details
Unless the ListOwner has disabled this option ... Take a look at the list of list members (on the list web site or via email commands) and see if you can spot the name you used when you first subscribed. Look carefully: you might have misspelled your name, put it in quote marks or added a thank you message. This means that if you subscribed as: 'Home R Simpsn' Thanks! you will need to unsubscribe as: 'Home R Simpsn' Thanks! and ...
... while checking your name, also check your address. Have you changed your address, or your alias, or your service provider, or your account settings on your email software? and ...
If the 'to' header for your incoming mail from the list shows your address, check that it is exactly the same as the address from which you are sending your 'unsubscribe' request. This is because some list servers get their information from message headers and may also not have any interest in the text of the message that you send.

Need more help?

then try this …

Go to the List Website or ask the List Owner
Become an expert in unsubscribing by reading the article 'Getting off a mailing list...' by Stephanie and Peter da Silva [which used to be at http://www.neosoft.com/internet/paml/gettingoff.html]
As a last resort (a bit desperate and probably bad advice!) set up a filter on your email software to automatically delete incoming emails from the list. Not a good idea if you might want to rejoin the list and forget that you have set up autodelete!
Don't be shy! Go back to the 'don't' at the top of the list and risk being unpopular. Maybe there are lots of people who want to leave but can't work out how to or daren't ask! Try not to blame others if you have forgotten the name and address you used when you signed up, or if you deleted the unsubscribe information that you were asked to save!
If all else fails, attach yourself to an email addressed to the listowner. Only worth trying if you are quite small, have broadband access and a sense of adventure :)

Do you have or know of a source of better advice?
Do you disagree with any of the above?
Please let me know at roger@reviewing.co.uk
Help me help others - and take credit for it too if you'd like it!

The address of this page is http://reviewing.co.uk/unsub.htm
which is a tiny part of the Active Reviewing Guide
''one of the best training sites on the web''.

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