What is the difference between newsgroups compared to mailing lists

When your "subscription" goes through, you will usually be sent a message with instructions for posting and signoff the list. The address you send a message to is the listserv name and address. The listserv software used by different listservs can have different routines and instructions, so be sure you know how the ones you subscribe to work.

Tips for using listservs Flame-prone lists: Some listserv groups are, frankly, friendlier than others. Also, always read the directions for how to post to the list and how to "unsubscribe", nothing generates more irate messages than uninformed users.

Getting flamed curt or cutting messages about your posting can keep you from getting fully involved in the group.

Part of being on a list is knowing that list's style. Stay on topic, know what's been discussed: Other instant sources of flamebait, people who wander off the topic of the list's discussion or who bring up for discussion a topic that has been discussed to death. Check the archives of the listservs messages to see if topics you want to bring up have already been covered. Consider the source of the message: One of the benefits of listservs over newsgroups is the user base is more stable.

Some listservs restrict members to those who have a legitimate interest or knowledge in the topic being discussed closed lists. So, although it is often easier to confirm the legitimacy of the members of a list, it is still important to verify anything posted to a list.

Don't quote without permission: Consider e-mail messages the same as you would personal correspondence or telephone conversations. If you are going to quote, let the speaker typer know. Don't use on deadline: Don't expect to post a message to a list or a newsgroup and get an immediate response.

If you are on deadline, this may not be the technique to try. Identify yourself: The messages get posted to the list and look as if they come from the list, not from an individual, so be sure you add your "sig" to any message so readers can readily identify who sent it. Be generous: What goes around, comes around. If you've gotten help or advice from people on the list, be sure to be an active participant and help out others. The quality of the discussion depends on the individual members.

Be sure you don't have cap lock on, and try emphasis by putting an asterisk on either side of the word. Re-read before you post: The ease and quickness of e-mailing messages to lists can sometimes be dangerous. Be sure to look over what you post before you send it. Messages live a long time in cyberspace, and you never know just who will be reading the message. Someone posts information at one point of the web.

A new copy of that information is then sent to another point of the web another server and so on and so on. Even on those private servers, Usenet has become less a way to communicate and more a way to pass around dubious and illegally copied files.

Kind of like FileTorrent, but with less publicity. On the other hand, email discussion groups are run entirely through email. Discussions are replied to through email and forwarded through email. Usenets are more publicly accessible if you pay for the use of a Usenet server or use a not well-run free one , but listserves are more like a club or an interest group. You can start your own discussion group for free on Yahoo or Google or you can go with a more controllable private host.

Although mailing lists and newsgroups both are ongoing discussions, mailing lists resemble magazine subscriptions, while news groups are more like bulletin boards in local coin operated laundries. Mailing Lists: Generally, information in mailing lists is more reliable than that in newsgroups because subscriptions are accepted by individuals or computers and take time to process.

Newsgroup participants, however, simply respond-sometimes on the spur of the moment-to anyone who posts a public message. When someone sends a message to a mailing list, it is duplicated and appears in the mailboxes of all subscribing members. Reporters use lists to ask general questions about sources, current events or help with researching their stories.

They usually receive a variety of responses. Often, instead of continuing a public conversation with one person in the mailing list, two members exchange a more private conversation through their personal e- mails.

For example, once a reporter identifies an expert with a public question to members of the mailing list, the reporter may follow up with questions to the expert in private e-mail. Four major types of mailing list systems are Listserv, Listproc, Majordomo and Lyris. A subscriber receives a message from the host computer, requesting confirmation of the request to subscribe.

Once the host computer confirms the subscription, it usually sends a message indicating the application is complete and noting important information about the mailing list and answers to frequently asked questions.