E-mail lists
What is an e-mail list?
E-mail lists are designed to distribute mail from any member of the list to all its members or subscribers. There are over 2,000 such lists open to the public, each focussing on a topic of common interest. All that is needed to subscribe is an e-mail account; usually the information sent is purely textual (no pictures or sounds).
What is an e-mail list good for?
Topics vary widely in the range of general interest. Thus, for example, in medieval studies, one finds the large list (over 1200 members) Medtextl, for scholars working on medieval texts in the original languages; about 30 or 40 lists which are primarily for scholars working on the literatures of various medieval countries (Mediber, Chaucer-l, Medfem-l, etc.); and more popular lists such as Arthurnet, which includes both scholars and amateurs of the Middle Ages. Fan clubs are likely to generate lists; software and hardware manufacturers will sometimes set up lists for discussion of uses and troubleshooting.
Usually a really active list has 10 or 20 experts who are willing to answer questions, and ask good ones, who do most of the posting. The knowlege, preferences, theories, prejudices, and other aspects of these posters' personalities are pretty evident. The rest of the members "lurk" but occasionally put in "my $.02 worth" on a topic on which they have special knowledge or particularly passionate opinions.
The number of posts per day varies--some lists continue to exist despite having only a few posts a month (when a specialist needs a quick way to consult other specialists, or has news to share), while others shower a dozen messages, or 50, or 80, into each mailbox every day. The messages are sorted by thread, that is by the topic announced in the subject line. Thus the subscriber can pick out messages of interest, such as "Tape-recorder," "Ubi bernardus," or "Wylie Music" and discard those which don't seem interesting. A thread may spin a tangent and these subject lines may, a few days after their inception, conceal discussions of the future of audiotape, medieval footnote forms, or the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Lists are run by software located on a particular server in a particular place, which has an address of its own: listserv@ or listproc@ or majordomo@whatever.node. The software responds to messages that are subscriptions or signoffs by modifying the list of members, and posts messages to all members on the current list.
A big list needs a sponsor to maintain the server, and universities commonly provide this service for academic and other subjects. In addition, if the list is a useful one, gopher and/or webspace may be provided for archives of the list, allowing new members, or old ones, to consult past discussions by searching for them.
In addition, some lists have a moderator or manager who reads each post and decides whether or not to post it, andmay edite messages as well. A moderated list will not have "spam" or "troll" postings and is less likely to degenerate into "flame wars." The moderator can also assign subject lines to the messsages that actually reflect the content, whereas unmoderated lists often spin "tangents" which are not evident from the subject lines. These moderated lists may arrive in your mailbox with the moderator's name on them.
A further variation, on some academic lists, is the moderated discussion, in which a topic is announced and the moderator takes a very active part in leading the discussion, a sort of internet seminar or debate that may go on for several weeks and end up being part of a published paper.
Where can I find a list I want to subscribe to?
One way to find out about good lists related to your interests is to ask friends or colleagues for recommendations. Websites related to particular topics often mention related lists, and may serve as caches or archives for messages previously posted on the list--so a web search may be helpful in locating a good list. A Website devoted entirely to lists is "Liszt," http://www.liszt.com,which can be searched by subject matter.
First: be sure that you susbscribe from the mailbox you will actually be using. The listserve software will identify you by your e-mail address.
You will need two addresses for the list, the address of the listserver (the computer and software that automatically manage the subscription list) and the address for posting to the list. Let's say I, Judy Shoaf, want to join the list FrenchFun, which is run from a server in computer sciences at the University of Montagnia. The list's address will be
FrenchFun@cs.umon.edu
and this is the address to which I will send my messages for distribution to all members.
The listserver's address will be
listserv@cs.umon.edu (or perhaps listproc@cs.umon.edu or majordomo@cs.umon.edu)
and this is the address to which I must send messages that have to do with my subscription itself. No human eye will see these messages; they must be written so that the software can understand them, and it has a very small vocabulary. I must always include the name of the list, Frenchfun, in messages to the listserver; however, I should avoid subject lines or signature in such messages.
Messages I might send to the listserv@ address would include:
Note: If you send messages to the list that have these terms in the first few lines of your text (for example, "I want to subscribe to a journal on...") the listserve software will often weed out the message and bounce it back to you. So find another way to phrase your query!
Responsibilities of list subscribers.
You should keep track of your susbscription. If you forget to read your mail or to set nomail when you leave on vacation, your mailbox will fill up until it can't hold any more messages, and then begin generating error messages at the listserve end. This is a lot of bother for you as well as for the listserve people. Some listserves will automatically remove a member who is generating error messages.
The listserve identifies you by your e-mail address. If your address changes, you will no longer be able to communicate directly with the listserver (for example, to set nomail or even to unsubscribe). If your e-mail address is changing, even if you will have messages forwarded form the old mailbox to the new one, take the time to unsubscribe at the old address and subscribe again at the new one.
Netiquette and a glossary of
list abbreviations..
It's a good idea to begin by lurking on a list to observe the manners of those who post, and learn their vocabulary and the range of acceptable attitudes. Once you feel comfortable, you can begin to post, yourself.
Important to all lists is "netiquette," the code of behavior that ensures lists stay polite and friendly. E-mail messages do not easily convey humor or sarcasm; the lack of body language, vocal intonation, or facial expressions makes them seem harsher than the writer might have intended. So there is a vocabulary of cheery abbreviations which modify the "tone" of messages:
:-) or :^) or <G> or O-e means "said with a smile/grin/wink (one-eye)."
:-( means something like "said with a melodramatic sigh of disappointment/disapproval."
<LOL> or <ROTFL> means "Laughing out loud, rolling on the floor laughing" in appreciation of the joke.
My $.02 or <IMHO> means "In my humble opinion"
Other common abbreviations are BTW (by the way) and FAQ (frequently asked questions--some lists may have FAQ files which allow "newbies" to brush up on the basics of the subject matter).
There is also a vocabulary of bad manners on lists:
troll--a person or (often inaccurate) message with designs deliberately to provoke an inflammatory discussion. Bringing up a topic on which people's basic beliefs will inevitably divide them is a bad idea in general.
flame--an ad hominem attack against another list member, to which that person may respond in kind, starting a flame war.
spam--e-junk-mail, a message with no list-specific content, mailed to many lists in the hope of drumming up business for an internet concern ( "Cheapest magazine subscriptions!"). I would also qualify as spam certain riddles and anecdotes that circulate from list to list, such as the riddle about words ending in -gry (which is reflected in the OED Website) and the warning about a virus that can be conveyed by e-mail, which are forwarded usually by perfectly earnest people.
spoiler--an announcement of details about a current event or dramatic work which would "spoil" viewing the event/work. "Hector dies" would be a serious spoiler for the Iliad--and this illustrates the fact that lots of people like spoilers and/or need to include them in their reports to a list. However, it is considered polite on some lists to alert readers to spoiler content in the subject line so that they can avoid reading the plot summary of a film they hope to see later, or a report of who won a contest they have yet to see on the TV news.
It is also bad manners to USE CAPS TO "SHOUT" A MESSAGE, since the natural harshness of the textual medium can become irritating if so enhanced.
Other items of netiquette. Many subscribers have to pay for their mail by the piece or by message size, and all subscribers are finding their time more and more precious. Members have to guess, based on the subject line and perhaps the name of the person posting, whether the message is worth opening. Avoid:
Check your facts before posting! It is tiresome and in a way dangerous to misstate facts and require more responsible listmembers to post corrections.
Most list postings should be matters of general interest; a list is not the place for private messages or one-on-one conversations. If you need to start a conversation with a person or persons on the list, ask that they e-mail you privately. Also, when you wish to reply personally to someone who has posted, be sure that you are sending the message to the e-mail address of the person, not of the list.
Sign postings with your name.
written by Judy Shoaf, 1/97