Your Internet Consultant - The FAQs of Life Online

4.25. What is a mailing list?

A mailing list is simply an electronic mail address that redistributes its mail to other addresses. It is a way to reach a few, a few dozen, or a few thousand people who are interested in a specific topic. People who are interested in a particular discussion or topic can "subscribe" to a list. When someone sends mail to the mail list, the message is redistributed via e-mail to the list's subscribers.

Most mailing lists are available to the Internet public, so anyone interested in that topic may join that list. Some mailing lists have membership restrictions, others have message content restrictions, and still others are moderated; that is, only messages that have been approved by a moderator pass through the gates to your e-mailbox.

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