Once you start using the Internet, you'll notice people talking about joining lists and participating in discussions. While there are thousands of ongoing newsgroups on different subjects, there are also thousands of e-mail list discussions as well.

What's the difference? Newsgroups are public discussions that anyone with newsreader software can subscribe to and participate in. You read what other members have written and post replies if you choose. Think of it as an electronic bulletin board. A mailing list is a list of e-mail addresses of people interested in the same topic.

Types of Lists
Mailing lists can be public or private, with as few as two participants or many thousands. Mailing lists are often used to provide subscribers with current information. For music fans, that might include upcoming concert dates or ticket purchasing details. Generally, there are two types of lists:

Announcement-type lists, where you receive messages, but can't post to the list yourself.
Discussion-type lists, where everyone on the list can participate. When a list subscriber sends a message, it goes to everyone on the list. You can reply to messages you receive, send new messages, or just read the messages without participating.
The key advantage of a mailing list over a newsgroup is that instead of having to go somewhere to read or retrieve postings, messages are automatically delivered to your e-mail box.

All of this traffic is automatically managed by programs called Mailing List Managers (MLMs). Two popular ones are Listserv and Majordomo.

Subscribing
To join a mailing list, all you need is an e-mail address. To subscribe, you send a message to the list administrator (this is usually not a person, just an automated process) and your e-mail address is added to the list. Subscribing to a mailing list is usually free. After you subscribe, you will receive a reply giving you details about the list and how to participate. Soon, you'll begin receiving mail from other list members.
To get off the mailing list, you have to unsubscribe by sending an e-mail message to the list administrator. Typically, in the body of the message you type something like unsubscribe followed by the name of the list and your e-mail address. The process varies from one list to another, depending on what MLM is in use.

If you don't want to be overwhelmed with a daily flood of e-mail messages, subscribe to the digest version, if one is available. A digest provides a periodic summary of the messages. Some digests are now posted on the Web so you can access them with your web browser, avoiding the traffic in your e-mail box altogether.

Some Mailing Lists Tips
Subscribe to one or two mailing lists at a time. Wait to see how many messages you receive before subscribing to any others.

Save the list subscription instructions. After you subscribe, you will get a response with instructions on how the list works, and perhaps most important, how to unsubscribe. Read and save these instructions. It's considered bad netiquette to send messages to the list requesting help in unsubscribing.

Turn off the list when you go on vacation. It's like stopping your newspaper delivery. Some lists offer a vacation option. For others, you have to unsubscribe, then re-subscribe when you return. A high traffic list can generate hundreds of messages a day, overloading your mailbox.