| What
is a listserv? |
|
A
listserv is a special interest online discussion group which
you access through your e-mail. It is a list of e-mail
address of people interested in the same topic. Once you
subscribe to the list you will receive all messages posted to
the list. And, when you send a message to the list, all
of the people who have joined receive a copy. You may
actively participate in the discussion or just listen in --
this is called "lurking."
Listservs
are run by software programs called mailing list managers (MLMs).
There are two types of lists:
- announcement
lists - have a moderator (list owner) who filters messages.
(You may not post messages yourself)
- discussion
lists - everyone on the list may participate (post)
without any filtering
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| Finding
a list ...... |
|
There
are thousands of discussion lists on the Internet. For
a list in your major, consult the subject page created by your
bibliographer:
For
broader subject coverage try:
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| A
listserv has TWO important addresses: |
|
A
list administrator address and a list address.
A list administrator address is for subscribing and unsubscribing.
The list address is for posting messages.
When
you first subscribe, the list administrator software will send
you a reply which tells you how to participate in the list and
how to unsubscribe, should you wish to do so.
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| Subscribing
to a list |
|
Subscribe
to a list by sending an e-mail to the list administrator address
and placing the following in the first line of the actual message:
subscribe
[name of list] [your first name] [your last name]
eg.:
subscribe ruralswk Jane Smith
Do
not put anything else in the message. (Please note that
some listservs may use different commands. The lists of
discussion groups above will usually provide special instructions
in these cases.)
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| Unsubscribing
from a list |
|
If
you don't like a list, find your e-mail box too full, or are
going on vacation, you may wish to be removed from a listserv.
To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to the list administrator
address with the following in the body of the message:
signoff
[name of list]
eg.:
signoff ruralswk
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| For HELP |
|
For
information on more advanced listserv operations such as obtaining
a list of subscribers and obtaining archives for your listserv,
see:
James
Milles' Mailing List Manager Commands (new
window)
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| Tips
for working with listservs |
- Save
the list instructions sent to you when you subscribe.
This will help you participate and sign off the list, should
you wish to do so.
- Unsubscribe
from listservs when you go on vacation. (Some lists
may have a vacation option.) That way you won't overflow
your mailbox.
- Spend
some time getting to know the group before posting. ('Lurk')
- Write
clear, concise messages.
- Consider
whether a response to a message should be sent to the entire
group or just to one individual.
- Be
courteous. Remember that your message is sent to a very
large public forum.
- Also
remember that your message is sent to people from diverse
cultures and those with a different mind set. You are
communicating by words alone. So, be careful in
your use of humor, and avoid sarcas
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