Mailing lists are basically an extension of e-mail, they provide to people with a shared interest in a particular topic, a forum to exchange thoughts electronically.
A mailing list can also be thought of as a discussion group and in this article the terms are used interchangeably.
The difference between e-mail and a discussion group is that when you contribute to a discussion group, which is done by posting e-mail, thousands of people will read your message. Therefore, a person must be very careful in composing his message to a mailing list that usually has numerous subscribers.
In looking at the health care industry as an example, there are numerous discussion groups that have been started for the purpose of allowing health care professionals to communicate with their peers from around the world.
Many of these groups are largely subscribed to, by professionals working in a particular health care field. However, for most of these groups, anyone may subscribe and decide for himself if the mailing list holds his interest.
For instance, health information management professionals may subscribe to a mailing list and discuss current issues such as the computerization of the medical record. In addition to this mailing list, there is another one totally dedicated to the topic of computerization of a patient's health record which draws interest from people of varying professions.
Examples of other health care related discussion groups are: Health care Reform, Medical Technology, Respiratory Care, Medical Informatics, Managed Care and Quality Issues, Home Health Nursing, Rural Health Care Delivery, Dermatology, Cancer, Human Allergies, Depression Research, Down Syndrome and Geriatric Health care. This list of discussion groups can be found in a book titled NetPractice by Mary Frances Miller.
These are just a few. There are thousands of mailing lists and new ones are created all the time. Many times by subscribing to one, you find out about others because a subscriber will post the information to your discussion group.
Mailing lists can either be moderated or unmoderated. A moderated list means that the list owner or system operator assumes a more active role in controlling the posted message content. An unmoderated list means that the list owner or system operator is not actively managing the discussion topics or carrying out a "talk-radio" host role.
Using the previously mentioned "Cancer mailing list" as an example, the following steps are given in how to subscribe: The title of this mailing list is CANCER-L:Cancer. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to the following address: <listserv@wvnvm.wvnet.edu>. Only include the information inside of the < > in your address. In the body of you message type: SUBSCRIBE Cancer-L
If you successfully subscribe, you will receive an e-mail message asking you to confirm your subscription. This will involve replying by e-mail with an "ok" message within 48 hours. At this point you should simply be following the instructions that are being given to you from the mailing list.
After you have replied, you will receive a welcome message from the list informing you that you are now a subscriber. The welcome message is an important one that you should save. This message has instructions on how to use the mailing list and the various commands that are available to you on how to manage your subscription.
It should be noted that the Cancer mailing list is an unmoderated discussion list for patients, family, friends, researchers and physicians, to discuss clinical and non-clinical issues and advances pertaining to all forms of cancer.
One very important command that you must know is how to UNSUBSCRIBE. Sometimes a person will subscribe to a discussion group and find that it is not what he or she envisioned the list to be.
You may unsubscribe at any time as there is no obligation with these groups.
It should be mentioned at this point that there is no cost to subscribe to a mailing list. Your only cost is the fee you are charged by your online service.
Once you subscribe to a mailing list it is a good idea to "lurk" before posting a message. By reading the messages posted by other members, you will become oriented to the culture of a particular group. In addition, the welcome message you receive should provide some guidance in submitting messages. The following are a few common guidelines that most lists require.
1. Keep messages as brief as possible. Avoid "me too" replies as they add nothing to the discussion.
2. Do not shout. This is done by typing the subject line and message using all capital letters.
3. Avoid expressing a strong criticism of someone or something. This is known as flaming on the Internet. Most mailing lists desire postings that are professional in nature. Humor in good taste is usually allowed.
4. Avoid profanity in your postings.
How does a person go about finding mailing lists which are current? There is a mailing list you may want to subscribe to that announces new Internet discussion groups. This mailing list is called The Scout Report.
The Scout Report is published weekly by InterNIC Information Services. This is a distribution only mailing list which means that you only read about new Internet resources; no posting is allowed. To subscribe, send an e-mail to the following address: <majordomo@is.internic.net>. In the body of your message type the following command: SUBSCRIBE scout-report [optional:your Internet e-mail address].
Lastly, a word of warning about discussion groups. Once you subscribe, determine how active the group is. It is not uncommon to receive fifteen to twenty e-mail postings on a daily basis from an active discussion group.
Therefore, a person must be cautious when subscribing. A person should compare mailing lists to actual newspaper subscriptions. Do you have time to read three to four newspapers a day? Probably not. Therefore, you probably would not want to subscribe to three or more highly active mailing lists. If you do, trust me when I say that the delete key on your keyboard will become the most important key you touch as you get rid of e-mail. However, the neat thing about the Internet is that you are not locked into a group once you subscribe.
Given the fact that there are mailing lists on just about any imaginable topic, the world awaits you in your quest for knowledge and exchange of thoughts with people from around the world. Good luck!
Reference: NetPractice by Mary Frances Miller
Jackie Moczygemba
Jackie-Moczygemba@samson.health.swt.edu
Jackie Moczygemba is a member of the Seguin Internet Club. She
is Assistant Professor of Health Information Management at the
School of Health Professions of Southwest Texas State University.
This article, and the previous 18 articles published in the Internet
Beat column, can be found in the Internet, in the web page of
the Seguin Internet Club at http://lonestar.texas.net/~weersjt/club/intbeat.html
To contribute to this column, contact column coordinator Gloria Rivera.
The next meeting of the Seguin Internet Club will take place on
November 10 at the Silver Urn at 10 am.