Getting help - using mailing lists

What is a mailing list? It's a discussion group that
converses by e-mail. Mailing lists cover a wide variety of
topics, at all levels. Many lists have a moderator, who will
check posts for suitability before the go out to the list
members.

How do I find and join a list? Many lists are operated
through the Topica, Yahoo and SmartGroups list services.
They all have searchable directories. You can join a list at
the list web page, or by e-mail. To join at the web site,
you'll need to take out free membership of the service
provider. If you join by sending an email, you don't have to
worry about this step. You can find them here:
website
website
website

How do I know if the list will interest me? If the list
you're interested in has public archives, you can take a
look before joining. If not, you'll have to join first. If
it doesn't interest you, you can unsubscribe, either at the
site or by e-mail.

How does the discussion work? Lists have three options -
individual, digest, or web-only. If you choose individual,
you'll get an e-mail for every post that is made. Digest
will send you one email a day with all the posts for that
day. Web-only doesn't send any mail - you'll have to log
onto the web site to read. This option is handy if you're
going to be away from your PC, and don't want email piling
up. You can switch between options whenever you want to.

How do I post? Send an email to the posting address - this
isn't the same address that you use to subscribe and
unsubscribe. Check the rules for what you can have in your
posts. Some lists don't allow HTML code, ads in your
signature, or off-topic posts. I hope I don't need to say
that they don't allow bad language, abuse of other members,
or sp*m!

What should I include in my post? Most posts are part of a
thread - just as in a face-to-face conversation. So you may
want to include a quote from a previous post when you reply,
so that people know what you're talking about. This is
helpful to new list members, or for people who've missed
posts while away from their PC.

If you get a digest version, don't just click reply when you
submit a post. This will include a copy of the entire digest
in your post.