List Members FAQ

What's a discussion list?

Discussion lists are for conversations, people email back and forth their ideas, thoughts, arguments. Most lists have a particular focus, a topic or interest, and people will discuss different things about that topic, like what happened on a TV show, with a character, a book or a movie. This can generate an enormous amount of mail, so be prepared! If a list has hundreds of members, you could be getting dozens of emails a day.

Before you start participating in a discussion list, it's recommended that you "lurk" for a bit, read the mail, check out the list archives if it has one, see what the list is like, what the other list members are like. Some lists also like new members to post an introduction, give some info about themselves. Since we can't actually see each other thru email, an introduction can be a sort of a verbal picture of yourself and it helps everyone feel more comfortable.