A mailing list, or perhaps a better term for it would be 'discussion
list', is a group of people that read each others
emails. Subscribers to a mailing list send messages to
one central email address. A special software program then distributes
this message among all mailing list subscribers. If you have a specific
problem or need some information, mailing lists allow you to quickly reach
a group of specialists. If someone in the group knows the answer, the reply
can be mailed back to the group or be sent to you privately. You
will know your mail came from the list because it will have a prefix in
front of the subject, such as BDL for the beardies-l list. But you
will get mail directly from list members too, when they want to reply privately.
They know your email address because they will see it in the "from" area
of their mail programs, just like any other email.
There are many different types of mailing lists. Some lists are managed
by a program called Listserv, others might use
Majordomo. The BeardieList uses commands sent to a server
. Essentially the server uses sort of computer robot that takes commands
and sends the appropriate information, or signs you up to the list, etc.
Whereas most mailing lists, like Beardielist, are open to everyone, some are by invitation only. Some of the mailing lists are even moderated by someone who decides what will be sent to the subscribers and what won't. Moderated lists are usually of very high quality in terms of valuable information with limited "junk". However, some form of advertisement might be attached to each email to compensate for the moderator's time and effort. BeardieList is operated by Madeleine and Bill Gray BeardieList-owner@yahoogroups.com or BDLbox@juno.com, and is moderated. You will be given a set of rules which are really guidelines of what is appropriate. You can be removed from the list if you do not follow these guidelines.
To date, there are over 20.000 mailing lists in existence with an extremely
wide range of topics. They may be technical
oriented, commercially oriented, hobby oriented, or a blend of all.
Each catering to a specific interest group. Whether it
be online marketing, cooking, or synthetic chemistry, etc...
So come on and try the
BeardieList, it's easy.
Need more information, just back up to the B-BOP page and pick another
topic. Or click the return on the bottom of this page. You may want
to read the FAQ, or
"frequently asked questions," for this page.
So how do you know if there is a mailing list that focusses on your
interests? Well, there are several specialty search
engines that allow you to search for mailing list topics. Try the following: