Mailing Lists and their Location

Definition

Strictly speaking, a mailing list, in an Internet context, is a list of electronic mail addresses used by a mail exploder to forward messages to all those on that list. More commonly, it is a term applied to a group of persons who share a common interest in a particular subject area, and who receive and exchange communications relating to it via electronic mail.

Mailing Lists and Electronic Mail

The first widely used, and still the most frequently employed application over the Internet, is electronic mail. As the fastest, cheapest, and probably most reliable means of communication between individuals, it was the earliest platform for creating communities of mutual interest via networked electronic communications. The pioneering users on a large scale were academic and research specialists. Electronic mail provided a cheap, reliable and fast means for them to exchange ideas and keep up to date with developments in their fields of interest. Replies could be sent and received virtually simultaneously.

Ordinary electronic mail does, however, have some significant drawbacks when it comes to communicating regularly with a large number of individuals who maintain a continuing interest in the same subject, and who wish to scrutinise all communications exchanged relating to that interest. Each time someone wishes to forward or respond to information, it is necessary to send it to everyone who is known to have been a recipient of earlier exchanges. To do so, it is necessary to maintain a list of addresses, and to update it when individuals no longer want to receive further communications, when they are away on business or on holiday, change jobs, or when those who previously had not been in receipt of such communications express a wish to be so in the future. All this can be very time consuming when the number of individuals involved is relatively small; it becomes impossible to organise when those involved are numbered in their thousands. In addition, it is very difficult for those outside the existing exchange networks to find out particulars about these mail lists: the subject matters they deal with, how organised, the number of participants, etc.

These difficulties have been overcome by the development of List Management software applications which automate much of the work involved in filtering the flow of information to members of networked interest groups. There are a number of different packages available, the most important being LISTSERV, Majordomo, Listprocessor, and Mailbase. Generally speaking, these packages automate the subscribing, unsubscribing, forwarding, announcing, and archiving operations associated with the management of a mailing list. To subscribe to a list you send an electronic message which includes the appropriate command to the server where the Listmanagement Package is stored. You are then placed on the list of subscribers, although sometimes you will have to confirm this in a subsequent communication. In reply you will receive a message which includes information about the list, the procedures for unsubscribing, obtaining access to former and future communictions, how to temporarily suspend receipt of communications, and related matters.

From then on, all being well, you will receive copies of all communications which are sent by any member to the list. If you contribute to the flow of communications, you send it to the List Management URL, from whence it is circulated to all other members on the list. Being a member of a list, whether simply as an observer/reader, or an active contributor, is likely to require that you master a few basic commands to suspend, terminate, start, or research the flow of communications, to obtain assistance relating to how these procedures are carried out, to find out how many, and who is is member of particular lists,and more besides. I will deal with some of these issues .

Locating Mailing Lists

First, before you can do any of these, you need to be able to locate lists that touch on subjects that you are interested in. Many new Internet users join lists on the recommendations of someone, read about a list, or find references to them in newsgroups (glos). Once you belong to one list, the messages you receive will likely include the occasional reference to other lists which the writer has found interesting, or which refer to matters worthy of his or her comment. All this, however, is somewhat haphazard. New lists are being formed all the time, and the number available is extensive.

There are a number of very useful directories of mailing lists. These have search engines that allow you to key in a subject area and which will then return a list of mailing lists that focus on that subject area. Usually there is additional information about the list and how to subscribe to it. The three main directories are:

(1) Directory of Scholarly and Professional E-Conferences http://n2h2.com/KOVACS/

You want to type in the subject you are interested in, in the Search the Directory dialogue box. Be sure to alter the number of matches permitted to 100 or more as there are usually more than 40 lists in major social science subject areas.

(2) Liszt http://www.liszt.com/

Generally, this tends to be more update and extensive than (1) above. On September 21, 1998, it was listing 90,095 mailing lists. If you select the link to any of the hits that are returned in response to your query you are provided with some information on the list, including the address you need to send your subscription request to.

(3) CataList http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html

On September 21, 1998, CataList included 21,696 mailing lists in its database. Although this is substantially less than the 90,000+ of Liszt, CataList only includes mailing lists that employ the Listserv mailing list software. Most academic lists use this mailing list package. Consequently, this resource is likely to the most useful one as far as university students and academic staff are concerned.

In the Look For: dialogue box type the subject that your are interested in (e.g., economics, history, sociology) and check the List title box; leave the others blank unless you know the full and accurate name of the list that you are interested in finding out information about. This will return a listing of the mailing lists that match your search query. When you select any of these you will be presented with another document that will provide details about the list, including how to subscribe to it. If the mailing list has a Web interface this is frequently indicated and you can select the link to this interface. Mailing lists with Web interfaces enable you to read the messages posted to them without having to subscribe to the list. Usually, however, you will not be able to use all the archiving searching facilities that mailing lists provide unless you subscribe to the list.

Some Subject Specific Lists [compiled 22/09/98]

The "eye" icon signifies that the mailing list has a Web interface. The link to this is provided. Before subsribing you may want to read some of the messages to ensure that the discussions and volume of messages is to your liking.

Politics

78-150S98@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

World Politics (53 subscribers)

AERA-L@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU

AERA-L Division L: Educational Policy and Politics (611 subscribers)

AFRIPOL@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

African Politics Discussion List (34 subscribers)

APGOVPOL@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU

Advance Placement Government and Politics (180 subscribers)

BAP@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Business and Politics (37 subscribers)

BPG-L@LISTSERV.UC.EDU

British Politics Group Discussion List (92 subscribers)

CEP-L@YORKU.CA

Culture, Ecology & Politics Discussion List (12 subscribers)

CPO@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Contemporary Politics (50 subscribers)

CT-NPPEA@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM

CT Network for Progressive Politics, Education, and Action (25 subscribers)

DIS@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education (52 subscribers)

IRL-POL@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE

IRL-POL - Discussion of Irish Politics (5 subscribers)

KYDNET@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU

KYDNET -- Kentucky Democratic Politics Discussion (14 subscribers)

LEBED@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU

Lebed Alexander Lebed and Russian Politics (97 subscribers)

PCS@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Postcolonial Studies: culture, politics, economy (94 subscribers)

POLIRHET@LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU

Discussion of Rhetoric of Politics (18 subscribers)

POLITICS@ALOO.NETAXS.COM

Forum for the Discussion of Politics (343 subscribers)

POLITICS-C@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Politics, cluster (91 subscribers)

POLITICSNEWS-L@WEBBER.OUP.CO.UK

Oxford University Press: Politics News (1 subscriber)

POLITICSNOW@PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM

PoliticsNow's Internet Mailing List (12,603 subscribers)

POPPER@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU

Discussions on Sir Karl R. Popper's views on Science and Politics (242 subscribers)

REGPOLNEWS-L@WEBBER.OUP.CO.UK

Oxford University Press: Regional Politics News (1 subscriber)

REPUB-L@VM.MARIST.EDU

Discussion of Republican Politics (93 subscribers)

RIGHT-L@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU

RIGHT-L - The Far Right & its Connections to Conservative Politics (200 subscribers)

RIGHT-L@UCBCMSA.BITNET

RIGHT-L - The Far Right & its Connections to Conservative Politics (103 subscribers)

SOCPOL@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Sociology of Politics (29 subscribers)

STATEPOL@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU

Politics in the American States (399 subscribers)

STJ@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Strategies: journal of theory, culture and politics (68 subscribers)

UNT-LPBR@UNT.EDU

Law and Politics Book Review (1,140 subscribers)

XPOLT-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU

International Politics and Culture Discussion List (19 subscribers)

Economics

122D_F98@UMR.EDU

Econ 122 D (Macroeconomics) - Fall 1998

36-110F98@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Introductory Macroeconomics (5 subscribers)

36-110S98@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Introductory Macroeconomics (24 subscribers)

36-120S98@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Introductory Microeconomics (31 subscribers)

36-366S98@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Economics of Equity Markets (46 subscribers)

ACCMACRO1@MAIL.AUSTIN.CC.TX.US

Discussion for an open campus macroeconomics class (3 subscribers)

ACCMICRO1@MAIL.AUSTIN.CC.TX.US

Discussion for an open campus microeconomics class (11 subscribers)

AGECON-L@UMDD.BITNET

Agricultural Economics Discussion List (332 subscribers)

AM-AEAA@LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU

AgEconomics AgBusiness Association Club (61 subscribers)

ASIA@URIACC.URI.EDU

Consumer Economics and Asia (204 subscribers)

BGU-ECON@BGUVM.BGU.AC.IL

BGU-ECON - Economics Department in BGU (23 subscribers)

BUSINESS-AND-ECONOMICS-C@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Business and Economics, cluster (48 subscribers)

CANSEE@YORKU.CA

Canadian chapter of the International Society for Ecological Economics (125 subscribers)

CHERA-L@POST.QUEENSU.CA

Canadian Health Economics Research Association (332 subscribers)

COMPECON@LISTSERV.UH.EDU

UH-Course List: Computational Economics class (17 subscribers)

CWAENET@LISTSERV.ECON.AG.GOV

Committee on Women in Agricultural Economics discussion group (175 subscribers)

DEBWEB@NIC.SURFNET.NL

Dutch Economics & Business Web: vakreferenten wetenschappelijke bibliotheken (24 subscribers)

DEGREE@NIC.SURFNET.NL

Dissemination of Electronic GREy files on Economics (DEGREE) (13 subscribers)

DEVTECONNEWS-L@WEBBER.OUP.CO.UK

Oxford University Press: Development Economics News (no subscriber)

DRECON@VM.TEMPLE.EDU

Economics students list (46 subscribers)

EC10289@ECCINFO.SUNYERIE.EDU

Macroeconomics Internet Course EC 102-89 Dr. Jason L Steinitz (1 subscriber)

ECNAGING@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU

Economics and demography of aging, aging policy. (381 subscribers)

ECON-L@AMERICAN.EDU

Economics Faculty Information (30 subscribers)

ECON11@LIST.UVM.EDU

Prof. Woolf's Economics 11 List (111 subscribers)

ECONCLUB@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU

Econclub - Economics Club discussion (25 subscribers)

ECONEC@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU

EconEC - Economics Club Executive Council Committee discussion (3 subscribers)

ECONLIST@SCRIBE.CMP.ILSTU.EDU

econlist ISU Department of Economics Discussion List (41 subscribers)

ECONOMICSNEWS-L@WEBBER.OUP.CO.UK

Oxford University Press: Economics News (1 subscriber)

EDE@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Education Economics (26 subscribers)

EDINEB@NIC.SURFNET.NL

Discussing educational innovations in Economics and Business (41 subscribers)

EKONLIST@CC1.KULEUVEN.AC.BE

EKONOMIKA MAILING LIST (Department of Economics) (2,065 subscribers)

GREC-L@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU

Graduate Resource Economics Club (30 subscribers)

HW-ECON@LISTSERV.AOL.COM

Heriot-Watt MBA Economics Discussion List (89 subscribers)

I3ECON@CCVM.SUNYSB.EDU

Innovation in Instruction of Economics (164 subscribers)

IHEA-L@POST.QUEENSU.CA

International Health Economics Association (1,182 subscribers)

IJB@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

International Journal of the Economics of Business (29 subscribers)

IRA@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

International Review of Applied Economics (30 subscribers)

LAW-ECON-ISRAEL@VM.TAU.AC.IL

Law and Economics in Israel (55 subscribers)

LAWECON-LM@LEGALMINDS.ORG

Legalminds Law & Economics List (no subscriber)

MAECON@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU

Masters of Economics from Miami University (47 subscribers)

MAJRS-L@AMERICAN.EDU

Economics Majors (136 subscribers)

MEMSNET@UABDPO.DPO.UAB.EDU

Mineral Economics and Mgmt Society (191 subscribers)

NEA-L@LISTSERV.ND.EDU

National Economics Association (119 subscribers)

RESECON@LSV.UKY.EDU

Land & Resource Economics Network (838 subscribers)

ROACHES@LISTSERV.ND.EDU

Notre Dame Graduate Economics Program (50 subscribers)

SCHUMACHER-L@LISTSERV.UU.SE

Listserv for the course 'Economics, Ecology and Globalisation'. (22 subscribers)

SICI@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

SICI requested by Clive Southey - Economics (4 subscribers)

SIRFF-L@SIVM.SI.EDU

Ecology and Economics Seminar Series (362 subscribers)

SRBUSECON@HYPATIA.CS.WISC.EDU

The Scout Report for Business and Economics (3,880 subscribers)

TEACHECON@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU

Experimental Economics for Teaching (114 subscribers)

Sociology

AS_RES@ANTH36.ANSOC.UQ.EDU.AU

Anthropology & Sociology Research Committee (10 subscribers)

AS_STAFF@ANTH36.ANSOC.UQ.EDU.AU

Dept. of Anthropology & Sociology - All Staff (41 subscribers)

BJSE@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

British Journal of Sociology of Education (51 subscribers)

CESSDA-L@NIC.SURFNET.NL

Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) (15 subscribers)

CHILE-H@LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU

Discussion Regarding the Chilean Social Sciences (140 subscribers)

ELIAS-I@NIC.SURFNET.NL

Figurational Studies in Social Science, History and Psychology (198 subscribers)

FISHFOLK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU

Fisheries Social Science Network (851 subscribers)

GENDERCOURSE@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Develping Sociology of Gender (18 subscribers)

GEN_STAFF@ANTH36.ANSOC.UQ.EDU.AU

Anthropology & Sociology General Staff. (10 subscribers)

HSS-L@VM.ITS.RPI.EDU

School of Humanities and Social Sciences (2 subscribers)

IEJ@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Innovation: The European journal of social sciences (68 subscribers)

IRS@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

International Review of Sociology - Revue Internationale de Sociologie (102 subscribers)

IVSA@PDOMAIN.UWINDSOR.CA

IVSA International Visual Sociology Association (182 subscribers)

MATHSOC@LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU

Mathematical Sociology Discussion Group (192 subscribers)

MEDICAL-SOCIOLOGY-C@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Medical Sociology, cluster (47 subscribers)

N-LINEAR@LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU

Chaos, Complexity, & Related Theories as they relate to Social Science (90 subscribers)

PEWCREW-L@LISTSERV.ND.EDU

Pew Scholars in American Religion-Sociology (11 subscribers)

RECRUIT-L@IC.SUNYSB.EDU

Sociology Department Recruitment Committee (8 subscribers)

RURSOC-L@LSV.UKY.EDU

Rural Sociology Discussion List (386 subscribers)

SOC-LIB@NIC.SURFNET.NL

Forum of the IFLA Social Science Libraries section (125 subscribers)

SOC-MSU@LIST.MSU.EDU

Sociology Mailing List (147 subscribers)

SOC01A@LIST.UVM.EDU

Introduction to Sociology (46 subscribers)

SOC101@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU

Introductory Sociology List (101-1) (23 subscribers)

SOC214@LIST.UVM.EDU

Sociology 214 (1 subscriber)

SOC258@LIST.UVM.EDU

Sociology 258 (1 subscriber)

SOCDEV@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Sociology of Development & Underdevelopment (43 subscribers)

SOCF97@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Discussion List for Introductory Sociology (58 subscribers)

SOCIAL-SCIENCES-C@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Social Sciences, cluster (82 subscribers)

SOCIO-L@AMERICAN.EDU

sociology department list-serve (69 subscribers)

SOCIOLOGY-C@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Sociology, cluster (114 subscribers)

SOCIOLOGY-FAMILY-L@LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA

SOCIOLOGY-FAMILY-L: The Sociology of the Family (36 subscribers)

SOCIOLOGY-L@AMERICAN.EDU

Sociology Faculty Information (10 subscribers)

SOCIOLOGY-OF-EDUCATION-C@FRODO.CARFAX.CO.UK

Sociology of Education, cluster (92 subscribers)

SOCIOLOGYNEWS-L@WEBBER.OUP.CO.UK

Oxford University Press: Sociology News (1 subscriber)

SOCLIST@LSV.UKY.EDU

Events and gossip for UK sociology undergraduates; closed to professors (3 subscribers)

SOCMA-L@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU

Sociology MA Programs (23 subscribers)

SOCMJR-L@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU

"Sociology Undergraduate Listserv" (27 subscribers)

SOCPOL@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA

Sociology of Politics (29 subscribers)

SOCSCI-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU

Purdue Social Sciences News (no subscriber)

SOCTALK-L@LISTSERV.UTORONTO.CA

SOCTALK-L: Graduate Sociology Students Discussion (135 subscribers)

SOSC1330@YORKU.CA

Social Science 1330 - Culture and the Computer (1 subscriber)

SO_ACAD@ANTH36.ANSOC.UQ.EDU.AU

Sociology Academic Staff (14 subscribers)

SRSOCSCI@HYPATIA.CS.WISC.EDU

The Scout Report for Social Sciences (3,290 subscribers)

SSCOMP-L@LIST.NIH.GOV

Computing in the Social Sciences (19 subscribers)

SSEVENT@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU

Lectures and Seminars in Social Sciences (3 subscribers)

SSFUND@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU

Funding for Social Science Research (8 subscribers)

SSRU-L@PDOMAIN.UWINDSOR.CA

Research Issues in the Social Sciences (82 subscribers)

SSTLAB-L@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU

Social Science Teaching Lab Instructors List (5 subscribers)

STAR-L@NIC.SURFNET.NL

STAR-L: Steinmetzarchief, Netherlands social science data archive (50 subscribers)

TOC-SOC@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU

UIC Sociology Department Current Awareness Listserv (3 subscribers)