Confirming Messages from the Listserv

Many lists within the Listserv are configured to require a confirmation approval by the sender before the message gets distributed. This is an important safety check to ensure the sender intends to send the message. This process also gives the sender an opportunity to review the message for any corrections.

Normal Circumstances

If your list is configured to require confirmation, when you send a message to your list, you will receive back a message asking you to confirm the distribution of the message by clicking on a link in the message. When you click on that link, the message will be queued up for distribution, and you should then receive another email indicating that the message has been sent. 

This is the normal behavior of most lists. Your list may be configured differently from what was described. There are also instances where something may go wrong as described by one of the scenarios below.

Link Preview in Outlook 365 (Outlook Online) Automatically Confirms Messages

Outlook 365 has a "feature" that automatically loads all links in cache in a message as soon as that message is opened for quick previewing. This is not ideal when the links are Listserv confirmation links. The good news is that there's a way to disable this feature:

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/use-link-preview-in-outlook-com-and-outlook-on-the-web-ebbfd8ce-d38e-40ef-bb8c-a5362e881163

Confirmation Message Gets Caught in Spam Filter 

In certain instances the confirmation message may get caught by a spam filter. Be sure to check your "spam" or "junk" folder within your email account in case the email arrived there. You may need to mark the email as "Not Spam" or move it into your Inbox before you are able to click on the confirmation link. This process may vary depending on your email client.

Approving Messages through List Moderation

For various reasons, List owners may want to log in to the Listserv web interface to approve pending messages. Please follow these instructions to do so: https://support.goarch.org/-/list-moderation-approve-messages

If All Else Fails

If you are still unable to approve your email for distribution, please contact the Department of Internet Ministries for help.