Accessing the Memlist archive & quirks of email addresses

First posted to Memlist on 05 Sep 2021.

Some situations have arisen recently, and I thought it might help if you knew some of the background to how Memlist works...


Memlist is not connected to the NZSG membership database. This means:

  • you can be subscribed to Memlist with a different email address to the one you're using for everything else at NZSG,

  • you can be subscribed to Memlist with more than one email address, and

  • if you change your email address at NZSG, this does not automatically change your address at Memlist.

Memlist is a Google Group, meaning:

  • you must be logged in at Google with the email address with which you're subscribed to Memlist to access the archive, and

  • Google makes it easy to access their services when you're logged in, whether it's Gmail, Groups, YouTube, Maps, or some other service of theirs.

Some members of this group choose to be subscribed to Memlist with their 'normal' email address for receiving the mail and posting to Memlist, and are also subscribed with their Gmail address (set to 'no emails') for easy access to the archive.


Just to throw a spanner in the works, it is also possible - I have no idea how, but have observed it many times over the years I've been the admin here - to tie your non-Gmail address and a Gmail address together at Google, so Google treats them as one and the same. When this happens, only one of the addresses can be subscribed to Memlist, and has to be removed before the other can be subscribed.

  • When I've done a thorough audit of the membership (comparing subscribed email addresses with the ones I've recorded), I'm often left with a few addresses that don't match up - but because people tend to use their names (or the same nickname) in their email addresses, I've been able to tie them together. I can only assume the member has 'done' something at Google to cause this change without unsubscribing and resubscribing, which would have involved me in the process.

  • Just lately, it has been reported to me that a member entered her non-Gmail address into the form at Google Groups to subscribe to Memlist, but when it reached me it gave her Gmail address.

So what does this mean for you?

  • If you want to change your email at Memlist, send me an email and I will take care of it for you. The old address has to be removed, and the new one subscribed.

  • If you want to be subscribed to Memlist with more than one address, let me know the details (the address(es) involved and which is to be set to what options (all mail, digest, abridged digest, no mail) for receiving the mail), and I will take care of it for you.

  • If you're not subscribed to Memlist with a Gmail account, and you're having problems accessing the archive, you can set up a login for that non-Gmail address. I wrote some instructions on how to do that years ago, you'll find them here.