This document provides basic information about listservs.
Other documents in the listserv series build on this
information. Listservs also are referred to as e-mail
lists, e-mail discussion groups or electronic discussion
groups. All of these terms refer to group discussions
administered via e-mail. Definitions
Administrator: A person
assigned by the listserv host to handle the technical
issues and problems related to the listserv, such
as deleting and adding members and archiving conversations.
Host: The individual or agency who manages
and is responsible for the listserv.
Listserv: A mailing list of e-mail addresses
of people interested in a certain subject. When
a message is posted to a listserv, it is automatically
sent to the e-mail address of everyone who has
subscribed to that list.
Post: The act of sending a message to
the e-mail address of everyone subscribed to the
listserv.
Subscribe: The act of joining a listserv.
Unsubscribe: The act of leaving a listserv.
Purpose
Listservs make it easier for people
to communicate. Participants can quickly disseminate
information as well as receive feedback and responses
in a short amount of time by posting messages
to a listserv.
People with a common interest can use a listserv
to share information and discuss issues. Listservs
exist for multitudes of topics and several exist
specifically for people involved in national service.
(See the subtopic "The Resource Center
Administered and National
Service Listservs.")
How It Works
Listservs work like a post office.
An individual can send a message to the listserv,
and the listserv will distribute the message to
the e-mail addresses of every subscriber.
A software program run on a computer automatically
handles all the administrative functions of the
listserv and maintains the list of e-mail addresses.
The computer that handles the listserv is called
the list server.
The list server accepts two types of e-mail messages:
- Individuals interested in subscribing or
unsubscribing to a listserv send a simple e-mail
message to the listserv's subscription address with the proper command. For example, to
subscribe to the National Senior Service Corps
listserv, NSSCTalk, an e-mail message is sent
to join-nssctalk@lists.etr.org.
- Listserv participants who want to post a
message to the listserv send an e-mail message
to the listserv's distribution address.
For example, to post a message to NSSCTalk,
an e-mail message is sent to nssctalk@lists.etr.org.
The list server then adds and deletes subscribers
as well as sends messages posted to the listserv
to everyone on the listserv mailing list, depending
on the type of e-mail message it receives.
Listserv Pros
Listservs allow people to:
- Network easily with others to share ideas,
gain information and ask for assistance
- Disseminate information to a large audience
quickly
- Stay attuned to issues, concerns, and changes
in their field
Listserv Cons
Some drawbacks to listservs are:
- Active listservs can inundate a person's
inbox with e-mail every day, which can become
overwhelming.
- At times, postings stray from the listserv's
purpose or mission and subscribers end up reading
irrelevant e-mail messages.
- As with all discussions among humans, disagreements
can occur among listserv participants. Disparaging
remarks posted to a listserv can be overheard
by thousands of others.
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