These work by distributing messages to people whose name are in a list. You join a mailing list by e-mailing it a request of the form:
Subscribe listname yourname
You can then receive or send messages from/to other members in the list. If you decided you to cancel your subscription to a mailing list, you email it another request of the form:
Signoff listname
Mailing lists work like e-mail except messages you send will be transmitted to all the members on the list. Some mailing lists subscription addresses are:
| Description | Subscription Address |
| Music and Bands | dbird@netinfo.com.au |
| Movies | moviereview-request@cuenet.com |
| Sports | sportstalk-1-request@eskimo.com |
| Jokes | dailyjoke@lists.ivillage.com |
| Virtual tours | tourbus@listserv.aol.com |
Newsgroups were invented in the late 1970s for the purpose of facilitating conversation over the internet on specific topics. Unlike mailing lists, newsgroups use special network of computers called the UseNet. Usenet newsgroup organize discussions into a hierarchy.
At the top of this hierarchy are the general categories of the discussions topics:
| Category | Description |
| alt | Alternative Topics |
| comp | Computers |
| rec | Recreational Activities |
| sci | Scientific Subjects |
| soc | Social Issues |
Each category is then divided into subcategories which are further subdivided until a specific discussion topic is reached. For example the following discussion group illustrate a three level hierarchy.
