There are several ways you can stop the sending of unsolicited email to your mailing lists.

1. Moderate the list. The first, and most Draconian method is to set
   moderate = yes
   in the list configuration file. This means that every message sent to the list must be approved by the list owner. This is not convenient if you're trying to promote a free-flowing discussion.

2. Restrict posting to list members. You can restrict posting to email addresses subscribed to the list. This can be inconvenient for some list members who subscribe with one e-mail address and post from another. You would also need to make sure that the spammer doesn't subscribe himself to the list. E-mail us if you'd like to set this up.

3. Filter certain words. If certain words or phrases appear in the headers or the body of the message, you can specify that the message be submitted ("bounced") to the list owner for review and approval. The configuration file variables are taboo_header and taboo_body, and the require you to fill in a Perl regular expression. If this isn't 100% familiar to you, e-mail us with a plain-English description of what you'd like filtered, and we'll take care of it for you.

   Examples of things you might want to filter are:

   • Something from sales@.
   • A message to friend@public.com.
   • A message having MAKE MONEY FAST! in the body.

   BIGLIST already filters out a bunch of the keywords that are indicative of spam.

   If you'd like more information about regular expressions, you can consult our document with advanced list owner information.