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Recruiter's Toolkit:

An Introduction To Electronic Recruiting

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Using Email Discussion Lists

Introduction
Using Email Discussion Lists
Mailing lists are subject-oriented email discussion groups. There are more than 90,000 internet mailing lists, covering a wide array of topics. Each list has between 10 and 30,000 subscribers.

Depending on the subject of the list and the number of participants, the frequency, content, tone, and local culture of the posts (email messages) will vary significantly. What all have in common is the fact that they are communities made up of individuals who communicate to the larger group via email.

Definition
Specifically, an email discussion group is a list of electronic mail addresses where each address corresponds to a "subscriber". You join a list by subscribing, either directly for open lists or indirectly through a list owner for private lists. When you send a posting to the list, everyone on the list gets a copy. Each list also has an "owner". An owner subscribes people to the list (if it is a private list) and makes sure that the list is running smoothly.

There are a couple of ways you can find mailing lists that cover topics of interest to you. You can do it by browsing though Liszt or via email.

Find Lists Through Email
To browse listserv groups by email, send an email message to this address:

  • listserv@listserv.net
  • Don't write anything in the subject line
  • Do not include your sig file
  • At the top of the message body, type: list global xyz
    where xyz equals a word that best describes what you're looking for. For example, if you send the command list global disabilities, you'll get back a list of all known listservs relating to disabilities. (There are 23 of them).

How the Lists Work
There are three different types of software that dictate how mailing lists work: majordomo, listproc or listserv. The most common is listserv. Each has specific instructions governing how you subscribe, what kinds of information are available, what instructions you use to do what, and how you post.

Use the Right Addresses
Each of the three mailing list types has two addresses. One is used only by the owner/administrator of the list. The other is the public address.

The list name address is where you post notes for all subscribers to read. It's also the return address of the notes that will flood your email box.

  • Listname@domainname

The administrative address is useful for subscribing to and finding out more about the list. The standard addresses follow:

  • listserv@domainname
  • majordomo@domainname
  • listproc@domainname

Use the administrative address for basic commands. Send a blank subject line message with either help (various commands to use)or info (to describe list and its contents) in the body to the administrative address. You'll get back an email notice that will help you learn a considerable amount about the list. You can even learn who subscribes.

Some listservs have a third address which is listserv-request@domainname. Using this address forwards your message to the people who own the list. Often this is used for subscribing to private lists.

For detailed information about mailing lists and how to find them, go to Liszt.

Basic Etiquette in Email Lists

  • Make sure you send your list commands to the administrative address -- not the general list.
  • Read through the welcome note that most lists send to become aware of any policies about language use or topic restrictions that may exist.
  • Spend a few days just reading the posts. This is called "lurking". Doing this will give you a clearer idea of the type of community you're getting involved with and what types of posts are and are not acceptable.
  • Sign your posts.

The Next article describes "sourcing" techniques using Mailing Lists.

Table Of Contents
SEARCH TOOLS
  1. Search Basics
  2. Search Strategy
  3. Company Info
  4. Finding People
  5. Resumes
  6. Web Pages
  7. Usenet
  8. Mailing Lists
  9. Competitors
10. Discussion Areas
11. Cheat Sheet
POSTING JOBS
  1. Master Sites
  2. Free Sites
  3. Usenet
  4. Niches
  5. Writing Postings
ROBOTS & AGENTS
  1. Newbot
  2. Informant
  3. URL Minder
  4. Other Robots
BASIC SOFTWARE
  1. Starter Tools
  2. Browser Tips
OTHER RESOURCES
  1. Salary Surveys
MORE TIPS -TRICKS
 

 
 

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