Getting involved in mailing lists will enrich your Internet experience enormously. The interaction that can be experienced with others around the world will astound you. There is nothing so heartening as finding that others are struggling with some of the same problems we are, and that we can share solutions and ideas.

Many people subscribe to more than one mailing list. If you have colleagues on the Internet, they will probably tell you which ones are most useful. You may wish to look for other groups as well. The sites listed in this section will help you.

What we cover

Finding the right list takes time. Usually you have to subscribe to the list and watch the postings for a week or two. It helps if you can view the archives first. If you need a question answered right away, mailing lists won't help you. Try newsgroups or Web searching.

• Find a list at Topica Get to know Topica better through an exercise.

• More Mailing List Directories Use these directories to find mailing lists of professional interest.

• Subscribe and Participate Review the step and note other commands you can use.

• Mailkeeping Some lists are high volume - you could receive 25 or more messages from a list every day. Make use of the mail filtering capabilities now widely available in email programs. The mail programs in Netscape 4.0 and above and IE 4.0 and above can be used to filter mail.

• Search List Archives A couple of sites offer searchable archives.

• E-Groups It's very easy to set up your own mailing list at Topica or Yahoo Groups. Use these to support a club or association, stay in touch with friends, provide customer service, or run a classroom.

Where to next?

Find a list at Topica.