Send only notes to the list that you want everyone to see. It is a faux pas to send subscriptive or administrative requests to the list itself. If you want to do some administration about the list, then send your request to the server, not to the list. Notes to subscribe, to unsubscribe, to get a list of subscribers, to retrieve various files, to set various options, all should go to the server, not the list. The details about how to deal with the administrative side of a list, including what address to use and what commands are acceptable, depend on exactly what server is used.
Some lists are private, and no one else can subscribe.
Some lists are moderated, and all notes must be approved by the moderator. Some lists archive files or logs and make them available to subscribers. Use the text get filename filetype to actually obtain one of the documentation files. We're happy to create new lists to serve UIC groups. We do ask that a faculty member accept responsibility, although he or she can designate anyone else to do the actual maintenance.