Frequently Asked Questions
About Mail Lists
A mailing list is a free discussion group or news service conducted via e-mail, covering a vast richness of topics -- you name it, there's a mailing group for it. The discussion mailing lists are conducted as strings of e-mail messages in which a note from one participant is automatically sent to everyone else on that list.
There are a few Web sites containing directories of discussion mailing lists. One of the most popular is the Liszt Searchable Directory of E-mail Discussions at www.liszt.com. You can also have a comprehensive index delivered to your e-mail box as a text file (albeit a huge one!) by sending an e-mail to listserv@bitnet.educom.edu. Leave the subject line empty and in the body of the message type only the following: list global.
Mailing lists can also be used to distribute e-mail items like online magazines or newspapers on a daily or weekly basis. Subscribing to these is a similar process to joining a regular mailing list. As a company who creates content for a mailing list, the benefit is that you have a list of individuals or companies who have indicated that they wish to be informed about your company or product. Whom you can then e-mail directly as new products or promotions occur.
Watch out! Some of these mailing lists litter your Inbox with hundreds of messages per week.
