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Chances are that you're on an email list of some kind or another -- whether you like it or not. You may be subscribed -- either voluntarily or involuntarily -- to a list because of your job title, your interest in a certain topic, or your field of study. While being on such a list might add to an already overflowing inbox of email messages, it can also provide a forum in which to share ideas and news with like-minded individuals, in a timely and efficient way. Email lists, technically known as "listservs" after the software program that runs them, not only allow users to disseminate information to a large group of people in a matter of minutes but also can serve as a means of having a virtual discussion, one that can take place at each participant's leisure. Although subscriptions to many of the over 200 listservs at UCSF are restricted to certain people, such as department heads or students, others are open to everyone. Some are a means of one-way communication -- a message can only be posted by the "owner" of the list and the subscribers can only receive information. With some listservs, anyone subscribed to the list can post a message and consequently, they often become fertile ground for lively debate and information sharing. Listservs have become quite a popular form of communication at UCSF. The campus police, academic senate and chancellor's office have all established lists to disseminate important information to officers, committee members, department heads and to interested faculty, staff and students. "We need a way to communicate with people in an active way, in which the information comes to them," said Ian Tuller, director of computing and customer support. "Listserv is the best method for that right now." While the majority of lists at UCSF are set up for students, faculty and staff, there is at least one that is for public participation. The SOREHAND list serves as a discussion area for people with repetitive strain injuries. The list has been active for over four years and has approximately 700 subscribers. Deanna McHugh, a network administrator, maintains the list on her free time. She updates subscribers and keeps a watchful eye on the content, a rather time-consuming endeavor since the list receives an average of 30 to 50 postings every day. Some of the listservs that are targeted to the UCSF community include EMPACT!, Arts & Performances, press releases, UCSF Stanford Health Care's Transition Times, and of course, Daybreak. These lists are of the one-way communication variety, letting subscribers know of news and events. UCSF lists that more actively foster discussion include the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Student Association listserv and various student listservs. The School of Pharmacy has set up 25 listservs for its students and faculty. "I set up listservs for all four classes and keep current graduates on the listserv as well," said Tina Murch, who works in the student affairs office in the School of Pharmacy. "The graduate classes are the most heavily used." Faculty and students use the listservs to discuss assignments and events. "Faculty use it because students are in a lock-step curriculum and they can send a message to one address to reach the whole class," Murch said. Murch has also set up two job-related listservs, posting an average of 20 new job openings a week. These popular lists are open to anyone with a UC email address. To create a listserv for your department or group, visit the AdCom website page at http://itssrv1.ucsf.edu/adcom/listserv/create.html and fill out the online request form. To subscribe to a listserv, send an email from your email account to listserv@listserv.ucsf.edu and in the body of the message type in "subscribe list name" plus your first and last names. Example: subscribe SOREHAND John Doe The following list is a sampling of UCSF listservs with open subscriptions:
by Paula Murphy 1st appeared 5/5/98 |
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