BlueDragon Blog
Here you'll find tips and information about making the most of BlueDragon, which offers several compelling implementation alternatives for your CFML applications. This blog was created originally by Charlie Arehart, who was New Atlanta CTO from 2003-2006.,He has since moved on to become an independent consultant but continues to answer comments raised in existing blog entries. BlueDragon continues, and you should look to the newer BlueDragon blog, from New Atlanta president, Vince Bonfanti, for more updated information.

Need a (safe) searchable archive for your mailing list? Get one for free!

« H E For All CFers--not just BD :: Other :: Charlie Arehart :: email
posted Wednesday, 28 September 2005
Like others, I've lamented the lack of a searchable archive for various mailing lists I'm on. A question about this matter on the  CFDJ list prompted me to look into things.
 
I have great news to share: I found a free service for archiving any mailing list. Once created, it will receive and archive all future messages, and then a web-based interface to view (by date or thread) and of course search existing messages. And yes, someone can even import past messages to stock the archive (http://www.mail-archive.com/faq.html#import). Cool!
 
Better still, it protects the privacy of the list members by hiding or obfuscating their email addresses. They even make it possible to respond to the sender via the archive using a special server mechanism that avoids delivering the address to a spambot. See the info at http://www.mail-archive.com/faq.html#spam and skip to the 2nd paragraph for more. I note they even detect emails in signatures and remove those, replacing it with "[EMAIL PROTECTED]". Very nice. They even have a mechanism to permit a sender to a list to PREVENT their message being archived (by their including the header X-No-Archive: yes).
 
Finally, I'll point out that other CF mailing lists already use it, including the venerable CF-talk list:
 
 
so one can check out the interface before deciding whether to use it.
 
If you're interested in doing this for your list, you may want to contact the person who runs it (though, technically, they don't mandate that you be the list owner to set it up). You may at least want to announce your intent on your list to avoid a bunch of members setting up duplicates. Feel free to point them to this very blog entry to learn more. 

I haven't used the service yet myself, but it looks like a very compelling solution for lists which have no searchable archive.

comments (7)


1. Jeff Houser left...
Wednesday, 28 September 2005 3:24 pm

The link to CFDJ list is a bit screwy, it appears the first sentence of text is prepended to the list.


2. Charlie Arehart left...
Wednesday, 28 September 2005 3:43 pm

Thanks, Jeff. Fixed that.


3. jim collins left...
Wednesday, 28 September 2005 11:52 pm

"Like others, I've lamented the lack of a searchable archive for various mailing lists I'm on. A question about this matter on the CFDJ list prompted me to look into things. I have great news to share: I found a free service for archiving any mailing list. Once created, it will receive and archive all future messages, and then a web-based interface to view (by date or thread) and of course search existing messages."

Uh, Gmail?


4. Charlie Arehart left...
Thursday, 29 September 2005 12:58 pm

Jim, I assume you mean to say, "why not just set up your own Gmail account to receive a list's messages? then you can of course search the list".

Well, that would solve one problem, but not two others. First, while it would enable you as an individual to have a searchable archive, it doesn't help others on the list who don't also do the same.

It just doesn't seem to make sense to have multiple members of a list setting up gmail accounts to receive them if *only* to solve this problem, when a single central archive would suffice. (And while setting up Gmail to read list messages would allow you to mark messages as read, etc, that's true also if you receive the email in a traditional email client.)

So the main point is that an archive is a single, central, searchable archive.

More important, though, is that this archive tool does something I don't know Gmail can do: populate the archive with past messages.


5. jim collins left...
Friday, 30 September 2005 1:17 am

"Jim, I assume you mean to say, "why not just set up your own Gmail account to receive a list's messages? then you can of course search the list". Well, yeah. Or just use your existing Gmail account that everyone and their dog has. I have 100 to give out for free. Thanks for spelling it out, though.

"Well, that would solve one problem, but not two others. First, while it would enable you as an individual to have a searchable archive, it doesn't help others on the list who don't also do the same." It also doesn't help people on the list that don't have Internet connections or don't log in. Or who don't follow my suggestion. Or live on Mars. "Your suggestion doesn't help people that don't follow it". LOL. That's funny.

"It just doesn't seem to make sense to have multiple members of a list setting up gmail accounts to receive them if *only* to solve this problem, when a single central archive would suffice. (And while setting up Gmail to read list messages would allow you to mark messages as read, etc, that's true also if you receive the email in a traditional email client.)" Why would you clog up your "traditional email client" (whatever that is, Outlook? ) for mailing list mail when Gmail gives you 2.5 Gig free? And you can open as many accounts as you want? Hell, you could have a seperate account for every mailing list you're on! You have a scarcity mindset, rather than an abundance mindset. "So the main point is that an archive is a single, central, searchable archive." Unclear why this is a good thing. I'd rather read email that I have control over rather than hunt down a URL that may disappear one day. "More important, though, is that this archive tool does something I don't know Gmail can do: populate the archive with past messages." I guess this was the second problem seeing as it wasn't elucidated. Got me there. My other points stand. Advantage, like, me. Just kidding Charlie :)


6. Charlie Arehart left...
Friday, 30 September 2005 3:31 pm

um...ok...