5.1  INTERNET MAILING LISTS


Usenet is not the only forum on the Net.  Scores of "mailing lists"  
represent another way to interact with other Net users.  Unlike Usenet 
messages,  which are stored in one central location on your host system's 
computer, mailing-list messages are delivered right to your e-mail box. 

You have to ask for permission to join a mailing list -- although 
in many cases that means only sending a message to a particular computer, 
which then automatically adds you to the list.  Unlike Usenet, where your 
message is distributed to the world, on a mailing list, you send your 
messages to a central moderator, who either re-mails it to the other 
people on the list or uses it to compile a periodic "digest" mailed to 
subscribers. 

Given the number of newsgroups, why would anybody bother with a mailing 
list?  
 
Even on Usenet, there are some topics that just might not generate enough 
interest for a newsgroup; for example, the Queen list, which is all about 
the late Freddie Mercury's band.  

And because a moderator decides who can participate, a mailing list can 
offer a degree of freedom to speak one's mind (or not worry about 
net.weenies) that is not necessarily possible on Usenet.  Several groups 
offer anonymous postings -- only the moderator knows the real names of 
people who contribute. Examples include 12Step, where people enrolled in 
such programs as Alcoholics Anonymous can discuss their experiences, and 
sappho, a list limited to gay and bisexual women. 

You can find mailing addresses and descriptions of these lists in the 
news.announce.newusers newsgroup with the subject of "Publicly Accessible 
Mailing Lists."  Mailing lists now number in the hundreds, so this 
posting is divided into several parts.  

If you find a list to which you want to subscribe, send an e-mail message 
to the listed address, which will often be of the form 

     list-request@address.site 

or
     
     majordomo@address.site

(majordomo is a common program used to manage mailing lists). If you're 
writing to a list-request address, chances are good your message will go 
to a live person.  Ask to be put on the list and include your e-mail 
address, just in case something happens to your header.  If it's a 
majordomo address, you'll typically be told to send a message in this 
form: 

     subscribe listname

where "listname" is the name of the list.  As with Usenet, it's generally 
a good idea to "listen" to the messages for a few days before jumping in.  
once you want to send a message to everybody on the list, send it to 

     listname@address.site

If you want to get off a mailing list, write to the same address you used 
for subscribing in the first place, only this time, write 

     unsubscribe listname 

substituting the actual name of the mailing list.