Electronic Mailing Lists

There is an electronic mailing list for almost every topic under the sun, and quite a few that cover topics beyond the galaxy! If talk of your love of plant lipids tends to send friends and relatives into hypnotic slumber, then join the list (and yes there is such discussion group) and share information and opinions with others who enjoy your passion.

You don't have to participate in discussions when you join a list. It's perfectly okay to just read the posts. In Internet-speak this is called "lurking." In fact, when you first join a group, it's probably a good idea to lurk around for a bit before posting messages . A few days of "listening in" on the conversation will give you a feel for the tone and format of postings. You may discover that the group isn't exactly what you expected, and decide that you'd like to "unsubscribe".

Which brings us to the next point...
When you join a group you generally receive a welcome letter. Read that document and then save it in a safe little corner of your harddrive. It generally contains the information you will need to unsubscribe from a mailing list plus other useful information about the list. It's so much easier to get off of a mailing list if you've saved that information. And there are going to be times when you'll want to get off a mailing list as quickly as you can (like when you are receiving 100 useless messages a day.)

There are different kinds of lists with different sets of commands. If you are unsure of what kind of list it is or how to subscribe send mail to the listname-request@site.domain.

A Few Other Basic Hints:

• Remember to send your subscribe and unsubscribe commands to the administrative address instead of to the group. Not only is it more effective, it's a good way to avoid getting nasty messages from members of that list.
• When you are ready to send a message, type the mailing list address on the To: line of your mail program, the appropriate subject in the subject line and send it as you would send any other mail.
• Some lists are moderated. This means all posts go to a moderator who then forwards messages to the group. The moderator acts as an "editor," filtering out inappropriate postings before they are sent on to the group.

Other Listserve Information Resources

The Internet Tourbus

The Internet Tourbus is a great mailing list for both new and experienced users. Here you will learn much more about all kinds of internet jewels, and enjoy the ride. The writing is always entertaining. Visit the web site for a sampling of the tour.

 

Tile.net Reference to Internet Discussion & Information Lists

A massive collection of mailing lists that you can join and the information that you need to join them. You can search by topic or browse the lists by letter, subject, country, etc.

 

Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists

Another index of mailing lists that you can join with a nice introductory page.

 

CataList

The official catalog of LISTSERV lists.

 

LISTSERV Manuals

A listing of documents available for the LISTSERV server, including glossary, frequently asked questions, white papers, manuals, technical support, and links.

 

The Majordomo FAQ

This answers frequently asked questions about the Majordomo server.