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Introduction
Creating an email list, or e-mail discussion group, can be an easy
way to deliver information to a group of people interested in the
same topic, or to foster discussion about particular topics. Because
e-mail is the most widely used Interent medium, even more than Web
browsers, using an e-mail discussion group can be quicker than surfing the Internet
for specific information. One nice thing about creating your own group is that you can control who joins, what content
is, or is not, allowed in the discussion, and begin new discussions
among peers based on ongoing dicussions. There are two basic ways
to start your own group:
- Hosted e-mail discussion groups - These are generally
web-based and quite easy to set up.
- Creating and controlling your own e-mail discussion group - These
give the administrator much more control over every aspect of
the group, but require more work to set up than hosted options.
Hosted E-mail Discussion Groups
Hosted email discussion groups are easier to manage and use than creating
and controlling your own group. With these discussion groups,
the main configuring needed is to set up an account, add the email
addresses of people you want to be included, and check off a list
of features you want included in your list. Using a hosted option has its benefits in that you do not need to have your own server
to run the group. It is also very easy to set up and configure whereas
configuring your own group on your own server may require a bit
of system administration know-how. Another major benefit of hosted
discussion groups is that they are free to set up and use. Examples
of hosted discussion group sites include: yahoogroups, coollist.com, and freelists.org. Building Your Own
Rather than using a hosted solution, you could run an e-mail discussion group off
your own server. Doing so requires access to a server, software, and a little more computer knowledge than you would need
for a hosted group (since you will have to install the software
and configure the server and software). While some software
is free, other packages cost money. However, by installing your
own software, you avoid such hassles as having to deal with banners
or advertisements, being placed on mailing lists, or being at the
mercy of the the host server. You also have much greater control
over every single aspect of the group, instead of having a few select
options from which to choose. The most popular packages
in this category include Listserv (where most discussion groups derive their name), Majordomo, SmartList, and Listproc. |
