Discussion Lists

Discussion lists are also known as discussion groups, electronic conferences, or mailing lists. Information about these lists, eg. What They Are and How to Subscribe is available.

To identify discussion lists of interest, select from the following:

CataList, the catalog of LISTSERV® lists

listTool.com

Mailbase (United Kingdom)

Tile.Net/Lists - the reference to Internet discussion & information lists

Topica

What Are They?

The Internet provides a range of Mailing Lists or Discussion Groups which focus on a range of topics.

You may use one of the above services to retrieve a list of Discussion Groups relating to your topic.

If you require further information on Mailing Lists or Discussion Groups and how to join them please read on:

While Electronic mail software allows you to communicate one-to-one with Internet users around the world and sometimes to send one message to several people, it may also be used to join discussion groups, also known as mailing lists or LISTSERVS, which allow you to have open discussions with dozens (or even hundreds) of people on a myriad of topics. Such topics can range from very scholarly subjects to more popular topics.

A LISTSERV mailing list is a program running on a computer which, following receipt of a particular Email message from you, is able to automatically join you up to a mailing list which ensures you receive all mail sent to that list by other members.

Other mailing list programs apart from LISTSERVS are Listproc, Mailbase, Mailserv and Majordomo.

How to Subscribe

So, how do you join a mailing list or LISTSERV?

First you need to know the difference between a list or message address and a LISTSERV address. A list address, eg. biosph-l@ubvm, is the address you would use to send a message to all the members of a particular mailing list eg. a list called biosph-l, once you were a member.

A LISTSERV address is the address you would use to send a message to join, or subscribe, to a list or to unsubscribe when you wished to leave the list, eg. listserv@ubvm.

For example, if you wished to join a list called biosph-l and you knew the

LISTSERV address was listserv@ubvm you would send the following Email message:

To: listserv@uvbm

From:[ your Email address eg. t.brown@murdoch.edu.au ]
Subject: [ always leave this blank when joining lists ]
................................................................
subscribe biosph-l [ your first name, your last name, eg. Tom Brown ]

Once you have joined this mailing list you could send a message to all the members

of the list by sending the following Email message:

From:[ your Email address, eg. t.brown@murdoch.edu.au ]
Subject:[ two or three words summarizing your message ]
................................................................
[ whatever you wished to say to the members of the mailing list ]

Note: Always remember to turn off the signature function on your Email program before you attempt to join a mailing list. The signature interferes with the LISTSERV's recognition of your request.

When you have joined a mailing list successfully you will immediately receive an automatic instruction message which gives you vital information such as how to leave the list, called unsubscribing, and how to carry out a variety of other tasks. Always print and keep this message. It provides vital information about the mailing list.

Also note, that mailing lists may be moderated. This means that some mailing lists have one or two people censoring messages that are sent to list members. Some more scholarly lists moderate messages according to the qualifications and standing of the message sender as well as by the quality and relevance of the message.

The instructions which are sent to you immediately after joining any list will provide details on whether or not the list is moderated.