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Using E-mailing lists and Newsgroups

Using E-mailing lists and Newsgroups. Tony Brett Oxford University Computing Services February 2004. Agenda. E-mail lists How to set up How to use Subscribing Moderating Newsgroups (Usenet) How to set up How to set up newsreader Comparison of Newsgroups and Maillists Netiquette

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Using E-mailing lists and Newsgroups

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  1. Using E-mailing lists and Newsgroups Tony Brett Oxford University Computing Services February 2004 OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  2. Agenda • E-mail lists • How to set up • How to use • Subscribing • Moderating • Newsgroups (Usenet) • How to set up • How to set up newsreader • Comparison of Newsgroups and Maillists • Netiquette • Conclusion OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  3. E-mailing lists Oxford University uses EZMLM (easy mailing list manager) Other Products: Majordomo, mailman OUCS-written web interface to EZMLM https://maillist.ox.ac.uk Distributed Subscription - based Designated receivers of messages OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  4. How to Set up E-mail lists • Request to list-request@maillist.ox.ac.uk • List gets created • Login to https://maillist.ox.ac.uk • Use your herald username and password • Full details and instructions at: • Moderate vs. non-moderate • Subscriber posting vs. open posting • Open or Closed Subscription? http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/email/maillists/ezmlm/owners.xml OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  5. How to Use Oxford E-mail lists (1) • Send mail to listname@servername might be oucs-courses@maillist.ox.ac.uk • Message goes to all subscribed people • Everything controlled by the address you send to. E-mail subject and content are irrelevant. • Listname-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk • Listname-unsubscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/email/maillists/ezmlm/users.xml OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  6. How to Use Oxford E-mail lists (2) • Moderation requires a reply message • Can have many moderators. • Postings from Moderators must be self-moderated. • Postings from others can be moderated by any moderator. Decision of first is final! • Security relies on ability to RECEIVE mail, not send it. OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  7. Newsgroups • Dates from 1986 – RFC977 • Sometimes called Usenet • NNTP • Acronymns: BTW, AFAIK, IMHO etc. • Emoticons :-) :-( ;-) • FAQs – Read them! • Thousands of groups & servers worldwide • News.ox.ac.uk • Spam, Troll, Flame • Google groups etc. brings it to the web OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  8. How to set up newsgroups • In Oxford E-mail newsmaster@oucs.ox.ac.uk • http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/netnews/ • ox.clubs.*, ox.colleges.*, ox.[dept] • Accessible only in Oxford OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  9. How to set up a newsreader • Many available – Outlook Express, Netscape Collabra, PINE, TRN, RN. • Available for all Operating Systems • Use your ISPs news server for example: news.ox.ac.uk, news.ntlworld.com, news.tiscali.co.uk and so on • Can read through the web using google groups or similar OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  10. Outlook using Oxford’s News (1) OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  11. Configuring a news account OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  12. Getting the Newsgroups This can be slow on dial-up! Enter a search term or browse and double-click the ones you want. OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  13. Reading Articles OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  14. News vs. Maillist • NEWS • Wider audience. • No management effort. • Messages can be kept indefinitely. • Only one copy of each message. • Can read newsgroup messages when you wish. • Subscription to a newsgroup is easy • Not Private • Less urgent – read news less often than E-mail • New software might need to be learned • EMAIL LIST • Can be set up to be private • Addresses on a list are not restricted to Oxford • Easier to send urgent messages • Existing, familiar mail software can be used. • High-volume of email can prove intrusive. • The method of subscribing to an email distribution list can be tricky • "list maintainer" required • Each message replicated many times - inefficient. • Storage at the discretion of each member of the list. OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  15. Netiquette • Use the Subject: field • Don’t auto-reply to mailing lists! (Herald does this automatically) • Don’t have an argument on a mailing list • Write carefully if you feel strongly about something. Use emoticons to convey sense of what you’re saying • Keep messages brief • Don’t flame, spam or troll • Don’t quote others without acknowledgement • Be Legal, Decent, Honest & Truthful http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/email/netiquette/ OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

  16. Conclusions • Maillist and News both have their uses • Never a definitive correct solution • Use requires care and planning • Both can save time, paper and frustration • High volume E-mail lists sometimes move to newsgroups • Enjoy! OUCS Course Code ZAA 2 February 2004

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