[Mailman-Users] sync_members script

[Dragon]

Zbigniew Szalbot wrote:

>Hello,
>Just wanted to ask how you manage the following situation:
>
>There is a list of people you keep in an sql database. This database is
>edited/updated daily. From time to time you want to contact these people,
>so you export them as a flat file and import into Mailman (for example by
>using sync_members script).
>
>You do the mailing and some addresses are removed from Mailman. When you
>next time sync members from you sql database with Mailman, the sync_members
>script will add the previously removed members again, won't it (as they
>will not exist in mailman but will be in a flat file exported from sql
>database)?
>
>How do you handle this situation? When you get information about
>Mailman-unsubscribed emails, do you remove them then from your sql
>database? Is there any other way round it?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Zbigniew Szalbot
---------------- End original message. ---------------------

If you are running a responsible opt-in mailing list, I think it is 
your responsibility to make sure that the unsubscribes are propagated 
back into your SQL database.

Doing anything else is at best negligent and at worst it is willfully 
ignoring the wishes of people to no longer receive your mailing.

What you need to do in this case is to process the unsubscribe 
notices from mailman and then remove the corresponding e-mail 
addresses from the database. This should not be too hard to do with a 
script in your favorite language.


Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~