Gateways Discussion Lists

What is a Discussion List?

A discussion list is a means of easily communicating with a group of people having an interest in the topic of the list via email. You may also hear discussion lists referred to as "Listservs or as list serves."

E-mailing the list is called "posting." When you post to a Listserv, your e-mail is sent to each person that subscribes to the Listserv. However, instead of having to know every subscriber's e-mail address, all you have to do is send your e-mail to the Listserv address. If someone wants to reply to your post, they simply reply to your e-mail and the entire Listserv gets the reply as well—not just one person.

How do I subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) a Listserv?

If you see a Listserv you are interested in subscribing to or want to unsubscribe from a Listserv you are on, go to the subscription page. You will be asked to fill out and submit a short form online and will receive a confirmation email if the action was successful.

What is Netiquette?

Netiquette is network etiquette—do's and don'ts of communicating online. The do's and don'ts range from things like avoid using ALL CAPS in electronic communications (it appears that you are shouting) to remembering that in things such as e-mail, meanings and intentions can be easily misinterpreted as we cannot hear the tone of voice or see the body language of the person on the other side. If you'd like to learn more about netiquette and using it when communicating on discussion lists, a search on any popular search engine will yield many results.

Why does every Listserv end with -L?

This is just a convention that most people use when naming discussion lists.

Who can answer my questions?

If you're not familiar with discussion lists, check with your co-workers! There are many discussion lists available for early childhood professionals and chances are someone in your office is familiar with them. In additions, check out the Tips and Tricks link for information on managing the e-mail you get from a list and information on posting to a list.