Mailing lists are sometimes called listservs, although that is really the name of one software program used to manage mailing lists. Some other common mailing list programs are listproc and majordomo.
"Communicate and community have the same root, communicare, which means to share. . .We naturally gravitate towards media that enable us to communicate and form communities because that, in fact, makes us more human."Linda Harasim, Shaping Cyberspace Into Human Space
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Mailing lists utilize the e-mail system. E-mail messages posted to the mailing list are sent automatically to the mailboxes of each subscriber. You may join a list or leave it at any time.
Mailing lists are sometimes called listservs, although that is really the name of one software program used to manage mailing lists. Some other common mailing list programs are listproc and majordomo. |
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To subscribe, send an e-mail message with the SUBSCRIBE command to the administrative address for the mailing list, as shown in the illustration below. This address is different from the one to which you will later post messages, the list address.
Example: If a mailing list on Socrates' philosophy was maintained by the server at Ohio State,
After your subscription is accepted, you will receive a confirmation message with more information about list commands and features. Be sure to save this message and refer to it later if you need to change your options or unsubscribe.
Use your e-mail program to compose and send messages that you want to be read by all mailing list subscribers. Send these messages to the list address. For example, to send a message to the imaginary SOCRATES-L mailing list, we would address it to: socrates-l@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Be careful when you reply to messages sent to you by a mailing list. Even though the original message came from a person whose name may be shown as the sender, when you reply, generally your reply will be sent to everyone subscribed to that list.
Newsgroup Names: Newsgroups are clustered into broad hierarchies, such as comp (computers, hardware, software topics), rec (hobbies and recreation), etc. The hierarchy is part of the newsgroup name.
The parts of the newsgroup name are separated by dots (periods) and move from the general (comp. or computers) to the specific (windows). For example:
rec.pets.cats
comp.software.windows
Global Groups: are available to subscribers anywhere. As noted earlier, Google Groups lists and provides Web-based access to many (mainly global) newsgroups.
Local Groups: are provided by an organization for its members. Local news groups available to you are best found using your news reader,
Web forums are another type of online discussion group. They require no special software other than your Web browser. Web forums may focus on serious topics, such as space exploration, politics, the arts. Sometimes they focus on more casual or funny topics.
Browse a directory of Web forums, as shown in the illustration below. For example:
Search for keywords describing the topic of interest.
Search CataList, an online directory of mailing lists, to find a list that deals with ethics
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Browse the list of all group categories included in Google Groups. Drill down through one of the broad topics (health, recreation, society, etc.) to see what is available there.[Sites open in new window.]