Internet Tools
Electronic Discussion Lists
Electronic discussion lists enable groups of people to have ongoing discussions on a common topic via email. Members of a list will receive email messages from other members and may also send contributions to the list. Some lists generate lots of messages while others are not as busy. Some are moderated, where the messages are reviewed for relevance to the list topic, and some are not.
Listserve vs List
Two terms that you hear a lot if you subscribe to any discussion lists are listserve and list. Although the two operate together, they are two separate and distinct items. The listserve maintains the subscription additions and deletions for the list. When new messages are posted to the list, the messages will be distributed to everyone on the listserve. Additions and deletions to discussion list subscriptions are sent to the listserve whereas messages to be posted go to the list.
Moderated vs Unmoderated Lists
There are two types of lists, moderated and unmoderated. Moderated lists are lists where every entry to the list is reviewed by a person called the moderator. This moderator reviews the submissions for relevance and length. Moderators can prevent messages from appearing on the list or edit the messages as appropriate. Moderators also control who may subscribe to the list. An unmoderated list, however, has no moderator to edit the entries. This means that all entries are posted exactly as the author intended. This allows discussions to deviate from the intended topic, and possible inappropriate postings.
Discussion List Etiquette
- Only send messages that pertain to the purpose and subject matter of the list.
- Avoid flaming (sending messages blatantly critical of another sender). If a message has made you really angry, do you need to reply at all? Chances are, others will be angry too and this will come out in the discussion.
- Humor and sarcasm are difficult to convey and may be misconstrued. Use "emotions" to convey a humorous item :-)
- Consider whether you should respond to the whole list or only to the message sender.
- When making an inquiry of the list, ask that people reply to you directly (include your complete email address in the message!), and then summarize the replies in a posting to the list. This is not only efficient, but also helps others who are uninterested in the topic.
- Remember that you are communicating with "real" people. Keep your cool!
- Use a descriptive "subject" to help sort and file messages.
- When using acronyms that are not commonly known, type out the full phrase the first time.
- Limit your signature to 4-6 lines.
