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Subject: A Biologist's Guide to Internet Resources (2 of 6)
This article was archived around: Thu, 11 Nov 1993 01:44:17 GMT
All FAQs in Directory: biology/guide
All FAQs posted in: sci.bio
Source: Usenet Version
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archive-name: biology/guide/part2
Last-modified: 10 November 1993
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-*- 2. Networking

   The Internet has become an excellent place in which to look for
academic
   and professional job announcements, conference announcements and
calls
   for papers, and important notices about recent events in many
fields of
   biology.  Generally, notices of all forms appear on the Internet
well in
   advance of traditional journals and newsletters.  Scientific
interest
   groups, both formal and informal ones, maintain electronic
discussion
   groups, directories, digests and newsletters.  These resources are
   distributed in three principal ways:  via Usenet newsgroups,
(automated)
   listserver mailing lists, and mailing lists administered by real
people.
   Increasingly, the two forms of mailing list have "gateways"
connecting
   them with Usenet newsgroups.

-*- 2.1. Netiquette

   The professionally-oriented newsgroups and mailing lists follow
certain
   conventions of etiquette.  These are none other than those used by
most
   people at public events such as academic conferences.  In fact,
most of
   the science-related newsgroups (and mailing lists) are very much
like
   mid-sized meetings of any professional society, except that they
never
   end.  The participants come and go as they please, but the
discussion
   and exchange of ideas and information continues.

   Submitted articles tend to be of the following types:

   - Discussions on topics of general interest.  Discussions on
specific
     topics, techniques, or organisms are also frequent.

   - Announcements of upcoming conferences or other events, calls for
papers
     or grant proposal deadlines.  In Usenet, announcements can be
set to
     expire (and thus disappear from the list of current articles),
and may
     be limited in their distribution so that they are seen only by
readers
     in the appropriate organization or geographical area (Beware,
this
     feature is often leaky;  see section 2.2, Usenet).

   - Academic and professional job announcements, including many
graduate
     fellowships.  These are generally posted in newsgroups/mailing
lists
     reserved for such notices, often in advance of publication
elsewhere.

   - Reports or comments on new books, papers, methods or software.
Full
     citation of sources is always appropriate and appreciated.
Requests
     for references or comments are also welcome and, when posed as
specific
     questions of general interest, often lead to interesting
discussions.

   Unacceptable articles include:

   - Commercial advertizements, political lobbying messages, and
anything
     not pertaining directly to the topic or purview of the newsgroup
or
     mailing list.  Discussions about some commercial products,
especially
     books and software, are generally allowed as long as they do not
     constitute advertisements.

   - Requests by students for explicit answers to homework and exam
or essay
     questions are generally not welcome.  Requests for help
understanding
     problems in biology are welcome, but the requester should
demonstrate
     at least a basic understanding of the question.

   Some helpful suggestions:

   - Read before you post (look before you leap)

   Before posting an article for the first time, read the discussions
for
   a week or so.  Look for an "FAQ" document that covers frequently
asked
   questions (thus the name) before you make the mistake of asking
one
   yourself.  FAQs are an excellent way to learn a great deal about
the
   culture and resources of the Internet, plus a great deal more.
FAQs
   about resources are updated often (usually monthly), to stay
current.
   (They are far more current than traditionally published books
listing
   Internet resources!)  Each newsgroup or mailing list has its own
unique
   character, that is built from the shared experience of loyal and
active
   participants exchanging ideas and information over the course of
years.

   - Always include your full name and e-mail address

   Put these at the end of your message, with your usual signature.
You
   might want to use a .signature file (standard on most Unix
systems, also
   implemented for Usenet and e-mail readers under VM/CMS) to make
this
   automatic. This is necessary because strange things often happen
to
   headers in e-mail or Usenet articles sent from one network to
another.
   You may want to include your affiliation and/or mailing address,
so that
   others can send you re-prints, and to help in networking outside
of the
   Internet.  Traditionally, people do not indicate their status;
whether
   student or professor, Ph.D. or not, etc.  It is generally believed
that
   the text-only nature of communication via the Internet allows
people to
   form opinions of one another that are based more on intellectual
merit
   than on other, perhaps more superficial qualities.  Either way,
you have
   an unusual degree of control over what others can know about you,
and it
   is to your advantage to use a .signature file that reflects you
well.

   - Send private replies whenever appropriate

   Answers to very esoteric questions are often best sent directly to
the
   person who asked for help, rather than to the newsgroup;  the
choice of
   whether to post a (public) reply or send (private) e-mail is a
personal
   decision.  If you send a reply by e-mail, and would prefer that it
be
   kept private, you should say so in your note, because otherwise
the other
   person may share your comments with others.  If the original
poster
   promises to post a summary at the outset, then all replies should
be
   sent by e-mail, unless they constitute an important re-direction
of the
   original question.

   - Summarize the replies to your article

   Whenever a question or request for information results in many
replies,
   it is expected that the person who posted the original article
will
   compile and post a summary of the responses.

   - Use care when writing summaries

     - The "best" answers should come first.
     - All answers should be separated clearly, and nicely formatted.
     - Redundant, irrelevant or verbose comments, and errors of fact
or
       spelling should be edited out.  It is appropriate to use
square
       brackets and dots to indicate editing [...].
     - Exercise discretion and tact, to ensure a fair and accurate
summary.
     - Unless they asked that their names be withheld, the
contributors of
       each answer should be named and thanked, individually or as a
group.

   - Avoid starting nasty arguments or "flame wars"

     - Be generous when interpreting the arguments of others.
     - Avoid jargon;  write as though addressing an educated lay
audience.
     - Avoid personal attacks on the honor or character of others.
     - Remember, the exercise will be good for you.

   If something you read angers you, save it for a few hours while
you do
   something else (don't reply on an empty stomach).  Go back to it
when
   you are calm and relaxed (and you have thought of a good
rebuttal!).
   If you simply must say something highly critical that is not
confined
   to the subject under discussion (i.e., strays from intellectual
argument
   into the realm of personal insult), consider sending it privately
via
   e-mail, rather than posting or mailing to the group.  And if you
read
   something insulting to you, do not respond immediately;  give
yourself
   time to cool off and think of a tactful (but also devastating)
response.
   E-mail can be a powerful tool, but only if you use it well.

   - Be careful about quotations, citations and copyrights

   The Internet has grown to the point where it has become reasonable
to
   cite documents that exist officially only in an electronic version
on
   the Internet.  And the issue of authenticity and version control
has
   become extremely important.  Thus, it has become appropriate to
express
   copyrights, and to specify within documents how they may or may
not be
   used, both within the Internet and in print.  Please respect these
   restrictions, which are often very generous, and send the author e-
mail
   if you have any doubts about the intended use of any Internet
document.

   As a rule of thumb, you may freely cite or quote anything posted
to a
   newsgroup or mailing list in that forum *only*.  For citations or
quotes
   elsewhere, it is hoped, even expected, that you will first request
express
   permission from the author, which is easy, given the author's e-
mail
   address.  Although there has been a trend to cite specific
articles posted
   in Usenet, it is generally satisfactory to use the "personal
communication"
   formula, but for this reason you should request a specific,
personal
   statement from the author that is directly relevant to and given
in the
   context of the issue that you wish to address.

-*- 2.2. Usenet

   Usenet is a convention, in every sense of the word.

   Usenet is a system of organized "newsgroups" sharing many features
with
   traditional newsletters, mailing lists and focused scientific
societies.
   Usenet is Internet-based (although before the Internet existed it
was
   distributed via UUCP), and strongly developed so that end users
need
   know only how to interact with the particular Usenet "reader"
program
   on their computers.  Features of Usenet that make it far superior
to the
   two types of mailing lists generally include the sorting or
"threading"
   of all articles on a related topic, control of the distribution of
   posted articles to hierarchical levels (e.g., the author's
university,
   state, country, or continent--but this feature may "leak"), the
ability
   to cancel an article even after it has been distributed, and
automatic
   expiration of dated articles.  To test any of these features,
especially
   the distribution control, try posting an article to misc.test;
your
   article will receive "echoes" from other sites that receive it.

   Usenet is "free", but not cheap;  because it requires a lot of
computer
   disk space, and a certain amount of installation and regular
maintenance
   work by a system administrator, not all computer systems carry
Usenet.
   If Usenet is carried locally, it may still be necessary to prod
the local
   Usenet administrator to add the bionet and bit.listserv newsgroups
to the
   local "feed".  Usenet was created by two Duke University graduate
students
   in 1979:  see Spafford (1993) for the definitive history of Usenet
and a
   list of Usenet software for virtually every type of computer.

   To paraphrase Spafford and Salzenberg (1992):  Usenet is *not* a
network.
   Usenet is an anarchy, with no laws and no one in charge.  No one
has any
   real control outside of their own site.  Computer system
administrators
   who distribute Usenet "feeds" to other sites gain some authority
by virtue
   of being "upstream";  that is, they have some say over what
newsgroups
   their "downstream" neighbors can receive.  Usenet feeds are stored
at each
   site in "spools";  it is common for universities to have Usenet
spools on
   one or two computers, and to allow everyone at the university to
read
   Usenet news via "client" programs that connect to the remote "news
server".

   The particular configuration of the Usenet feed to your university
or
   organization determines whether the distribution control feature
of most
   Usenet posting programs will work properly for you.  For example,
the
   mailing lists for the bionet.* newsgroups are gated on the west
coast of
   North America, and you might think that it is safe to post local
items
   in a bionet.* newsgroup if you live elsewhere.  But many sites get
their
   feed of bionet.* groups directly from the machine that runs the
mailing
   lists, which is definitely outside your geographic area.  So your
article
   will be distributed at your site, but will not be propagated from
your
   site to any other site in your area if it must pass out of your
region
   and then return through a separate feed to a university in the
next city.
   Furthermore, it is a more efficient use of network resources to
get as
   much Usenet traffic as possible from the nearest site available.
It is
   important, therefore, to do a little research on Usenet feeds in
your area
   before asking your Usenet administrator to add one of the
newsgroup
   hierarchies listed in section 2.2.2, Special Usenet Hierarchies
and Gated
   Mailing Lists.

   Usenet etiquette:

     - New users should read the Usenet FAQs posted in
news.announce.newusers.

     -    Use the misc.test newsgroup for posting test articles.  Be
sure to
       test the distribution feature here.  Do not post test articles
to
       other newsgroups.

     -    Use the expiration feature for job and conference
announcments.

     -    When posting to more than one newsgroup, use the cross-posting
feature
    so only one copy of your article goes out, but is seen by many
people.

     -    Post (and cross-post) sparingly to groups that have associated
mailing
    lists, to give a break to people who must read the groups via e-mail.

   The cross-posting of articles to more than one gated newsgroup is
strongly
   discouraged, since the e-mail subscribers will get multiple copies
of any
   cross-posted articles.  Usenet readers should be aware of proper
etiquette
   for mailing lists when posting to gated newsgroups.

-*- 2.2.1. Newsgroups of Special Interest

   An "F" after the newsgroup name indicates an FAQ is available.
"M" means
   that the newsgroup is moderated.  "G" means that the newsgroup has
a
   gateway to a parallel mailing list:  see section 2.2.2, Special
Usenet
   Hierarchies and Gated Mailing Lists, for details.

   alt.agriculture.*           [2 groups]
   alt.bbs.internet             F  Announcements of new Internet
services
   alt.cyb-sys                     Cybernetics and Systems
   alt.internet.access.wanted   F  Help getting full Internet access
   alt.internet.services        F  Announcements of new Internet
resources
   alt.native                      Indigenous peoples
   alt.sci.*               [6 groups]
|  alt.earth_summit                Discussion of the recent Earth
Summit
   alt.sustainable.agriculture  G  Sustainable agriculture

   bionet.agroforestry          G  Agroforestry research
   bionet.announce            FGM  Announcements
   bionet.biology.computational GM Comp. and math. applications in
biology
   bionet.biology.n2-fixation   G  Biological nitrogen fixation
   bionet.biology.tropical      G  Tropical biology and ecology
   bionet.chlamydomonas    G  Chlamydomonas discussion
   bionet.cellbio        G  Cell biology discussion
   bionet.drosophila        G  Drosophila discussion
   bionet.general              FG  General discussion
   bionet.genome.*              G  [3 groups:  Arabidopsis and
chromosomes]
   bionet.immunology            G  Research in immunology
   bionet.info-theory          FG  Information theory applied to
biology
   bionet.jobs                  G  Job opportunities in biology
   bionet.journals.contents    GM  Biological journal TOCs
   bionet.journals.note         G  Publication issues in biology
   bionet.metabolic-reg    G  Metabolic regulation and thermodynamics
   bionet.molbio.ageing         G  Cellular and organismal ageing
   bionet.molbio.bio-matrix     G  Computer searches of biological
databases
   bionet.molbio.embldatabank   G  Info about the EMBL Nucleic acid
database
   bionet.molbio.evolution      G  Evolution, especially molecular
   bionet.molbio.gdb            G  The GDB database
   bionet.molbio.genbank        G  The GenBank nucleic acid database
   bionet.molbio.gene-linkage   G  Genetic linkage analysis.
   bionet.molbio.genome-program G  Human Genome Program issues
   bionet.molbio.methds-reagnts G  Tips on lab techniques and
materials
   bionet.molbio.hiv            G  The molecular biology of HIV
   bionet.molbio.proteins       G  Proteins and protein database
searches
   bionet.molbio.rapd           G  Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA
   bionet.molbio.yeast        G  Yeast researchers' discussion
   bionet.mycology              G  Mycological research discussion
   bionet.neuroscience          G  Research issues in the
neurosciences
   bionet.photosynthesis    G  Photosynthesis research
   bionet.plants                G  Plant biology, inc. genetics and
ecology
   bionet.population-bio        G  Population biology, especially
theory
   bionet.sci-resources        GM  Information about funding
agencies, etc.
   bionet.software              G  Software for biology, esp. free/
shareware
   bionet.software.*            G  [3 groups:  acedb, gcg, and
sources]
   bionet.users.addresses       G  Help locating biologists who use e-
mail
   bionet.virology              G  Research in virology
   bionet.women-in-bio          G  Discussion by and about women in
biology
   bionet.xtallography          G  Protein crystallography

   bit.listserv.biosph-l        G  Biosphere, ecology, Discussion
List
   bit.listserv.devel-l         G  Tech. Transfer in Internat.
Development
   bit.listserv.ethology        G  Ethology List
|  bit.listserv.geograph    G  Geography List
   bit.listserv.medforum    MG  Medical Students Discussion
   bit.listserv.uigis-l         G  User Interface for GIS
   bit.listserv.vpiej-l         G  Electronic Publishing Discussion
List
   bit.org.peace-corps        G  International Volunteers Discussion Group

   comp.infosystems.gis        FG  Geograpical Information Systems
   comp.infosystems.gopher      F  The Internet gopher access tool
   comp.infosystems.wais        F  The Internet WAIS access tool
   comp.infosystems.www       The Internet WWW access tool
   comp.soft-sys.sas            G  SAS Discussion
   comp.soft-sys.spss        G  SPSS Statistical Discussion
   comp.text.tex                F  TeX, LaTeX and related text format
systems
   comp.theory.cell-automata    G  Cellular automata research
   comp.theory.dynamic-sys      G  Ergodic theory and dynamic systems
   comp.theory.self-org-sys     G  Topics related to self-
organization

   embnet.news.admin        G  EMBnet news helpline for administrators
   embnet.general        G  General discussion
   embnet.net-dev           Network development discussion
   embnet.rpc               Technical discussion of data transfers

   info.grass.programmer       GM  GRASS GIS programmer issues
   info.grass.user             GM  GRASS GIS user issues
   info.ietf            GM  Internet Engineering Task Force
   info.nsf.grants        GM  NSF grants announcements
   info.wisenet                 G  Women in Science and Engineering
Network

   news.announce.newusers      FM  FAQs for new users of Usenet
   news.answers                FM  All FAQ documents
   news.lists                  FM  Statistics and data about Usenet

   sci.answers                GFM  FAQs pertaining to science
   sci.anthropology           Anthropology discussion
   sci.archaeology           Archaeology discussion
   sci.bio                      F  General biology discussion
   sci.bio.ecology        G  Ecological research (sponsored by ESA)
   sci.bio.technology           G  Any topic relating to
biotechnology
   sci.environment           Discussion of environmental issues
   sci.geo.*               [3 newsgroups]
   sci.image.processing    F  Scientific image processing
   sci.nonlinear                   Nonlinear dynamical systems
   sci.research.careers       Discussion of research careers in science
   sci.stat.consult        G  Statistical consulting
   sci.stat.edu        G  Journal of Statistics Education List
   sci.stat.math           Mathematical statistics
|  sci.techniques.xtallography     Crystallography techniques
   sci.*               [60 other newsgroups]

-*- 2.2.2. Special Usenet Hierarchies and Gated Mailing Lists

   There has been a growing trend in the past few years to set up
transparent
   "gateways" between mailing lists and newsgroups, and to create
Usenet
   newsgroup hierarchies that are outside the "main stream".  Both
being new,
   these two trends often go together.

   None of the Usenet newsgroup hierarchies mentioned below are main-
stream
   ones;  that is, they do not conform to all Usenet conventions, and
   consequently are carried by no more than 30-50% of Usenet sites.
This is
   not necessarily a bad thing, since few or no readers at most sites
are
   biologists, and e-mail subscriptions are available for many
groups.  If
   your site carries Usenet, but not these hierarcies, a simple
request to
   your Usenet administrator might be all that's needed to get them
too.
   But see the first part of section 2.2, Usenet, for details about
what to
   ask for.

   bionet.*

   Each of these newsgroups has two gateways to mailing lists, to
save on
   trans-Atlantic transmission costs.  For an e-mail subscription to
any

Rim,

`help' (leave the

elsewhere,

Brief
   descriptions of some of these groups are given in the BIOSCI FAQ,
posted
   in bionet.announce and available on net.bio.net in the directory
   /pub/BIOSCI/ or by e-mail from the BIOSCI staff at
biosci@net.bio.net.

   bit.listserv.*

   As their names imply, the bit.listserv newsgroups started out as
(and
   remain) automated mailing lists.  Most of these mailing lists
became
   so successful that gateways to Usenet were added by popular
demand.
   The Appendix includes 100 or so other mailing lists, most run via
the
   LISTSERV program, of interest to biologists;  those mailing lists
with
   Usenet gateways are listed in section 2.3.3, Gateways to Usenet.
   Charters for each of these groups can be obtained from the
listserver
   that administers each one.  See sections 2.3, Mailing Lists Using
   LISTSERV, and 2.3.1, Commands, for details about e-mail
subscriptions and
   commands for interacting with listserver programs.

   comp.theory.*

   Send e-mail to Erik Fair, fair@apple.com, or see the list of
mailing
   lists posted in news.answers for details about e-mail
subscriptions.

   embnet.*

   The European Molecular Biology Network (EMBnet) runs a group of
Usenet
   newsgroups that are distributed in Europe.  E-mail subscriptions
are
   available from nethelp@embl-heidelberg.de, and these newsgroups
can be
|  read and searched via gopher and WAIS on nic.switch.ch.  Send
general
   e-mail queries to embnet@comp.bioz.unibas.ch.

   info.*

   These groups are mailing lists with gateways to Usenet at the
University
   of Illinois.  See section 2.4, Other Mailing Lists, for e-mail
subscription
   information, or ask your local Usenet administrator to get these
groups.

-*- 2.2.3. Usenet FAQs about Usenet

   You are strongly encouraged to read the following introductory and
   etiquette FAQs before posting any messages to any newsgroup.  They
are
   what might be considered the "mandatory course" for new users, and
   are posted frequently in the Usenet newsgroup
news.newusers.announce.

   See section 4, Useful and Important FAQs, for a list of additional
FAQs
   of general use or interest to biologists, section 4.1, What's an
FAQ and
   where can I get one?, and sections 3.6.2 and 3.6.3 for
instructions on
   how to get copies by anonymous FTP or e-mail if you don't have
access
   to a Usenet reader.

              Title                            Archive filename

--------------------------------------------------------------------

        Introductory information (recommended reading)

   What is Usenet?                             what-is-usenet/part1
   Answers to Frequently Asked Questions       usenet-faq/part1
       about Usenet
   Introduction to news.announce        news-announce-intro/part1

        Etiquette (strongly recommended reading)

   A Primer on How to Work With the            usenet-primer/part1
       Usenet Community
   Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions       emily-postnews/part1
       on Netiquette
   Hints on writing style for Usenet           usenet-writing-style/
part1
   Rules for posting to Usenet                 posting-rules/part1

            Technical issues

   How to Create a New Usenet Newsgroup        creating-newsgroups/
part1
   USENET Software:  History and Sources       usenet-software/part1
   How to become a USENET site                 site-setup
   NetNews/Listserv Gateway Policy             bit/policy
   UNIX BBS Software FAQ with Answers          unix-faq/bbs-software
   Introduction to the news.answers        news-answers/introduction
       newsgroup
   Instructions for posting to news.answers    news-answers/guidelines

            Resource listings

   Mailing Lists Available in Usenet        mail/news-gateways/part1
   Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists        mail/mailing-lists/part[1-6]
   List of Periodic Information Postings    periodic-postings/part[1-6]
   List of Active Newsgroups            active-newsgroups/part[1-2]
   Alternative Newsgroup Hierarchies        alt-hierarchies/part[1-2]

-*- 2.2.4. Usenet by E-mail

|  Many people who do not have direct access to Usenet do have
Internet
|  access, and can read Usenet newsgroups via gopher (see section
3.6.4
|  below for an explanation of gopher).  Gopher is fine for reading
Usenet
|  news, but doesn't allow posting to them.  Fortunately, various
sites on
|  the Internet will accept e-mail addressed to specific newsgroups,
and
|  will post it automatically.  Rob Harper <harper@convex.csc.fi> in
Finland
|  offers such a service:  to post to bionet.general, for example,
send
|  your article via e-mail to bionet.general@nic.funet.fi.
Naturally, using
|  a good e-mail program you can insert the usual article headers
(Reply-To,
|  Expires, References, etc.), but you can also insert bad headers
and make
|  a mess of your post, so be cautious:  look carefully at the
headers of
|  other articles, and experiment by posting to misc.test.

-*- 2.3. Mailing Lists Using LISTSERV

   It is very important that you keep a list of all mailing lists to
which
   you are subscribed, along with the address of the list
administrator
   and the address you used when you subscribed, if you have more
than one.
   This is because you will need to unsubscribe yourself if you go
away on
   vacation or your address changes.  Otherwise any mail sent to you
from
   the list may bounce or cause other, sometimes severe problems.
And it's
   easier to check the address etc. when you want to tell friends how
they
   can subscribe too.

   The Appendix at the end of this guide includes most listserver
mailing
   lists of particular interest or use to biologists.  Internet
addresses
   are given whenever possible, and all addresses are in standard
Internet
   format, with the exception that portions of the Internet node
names that
   reflect original Bitnet node names are given in uppercase, for
the
   convenience of readers on Bitnet nodes.

   Listservers were developed first many years ago on Bitnet, when
Eric
   Thomas wrote a computer program named "LISTSERV" that could act
like
   a regular computer user:  receiving and sending out e-mail, and
keeping
   files.  LISTSERV is now used on hundreds (170 at last count) of
computers
   around the world, and a number of copy-cat programs with some
similar
   features are used at many other sites.  Whichever program is used,
these
   listservers are given the task of maintaining multiple electronic
mailing
   lists, handling all membership requests (subscriptions and
cancellation
   of subscriptions, and so on).  Many list owners collect monthly
logs of
   all messages sent to the list, and some also provide files of
other
   information.  Eric Thomas's LISTSERV program does this
automatically, and
   listservers running this program can send "back issue" logs and
other
   files on request.

   The author of one of the other listserver programs has
unfortunately
   chosen to enhance his own reputation by using the same name as
Eric
   Thomas's program.  This causes great confusion, as the other
program
   does not perform nearly as many functions as LISTSERV does.
Whenever
|  known, those mailing lists *not* using Eric Thomas's LISTSERV code
are
|  listed in the Appendix, Assorted Mailing Lists Using LISTSERV,
with a
|  "K".  E-mail subscription requests for these lists must have blank
|  Subject lines and no appended signature text.

   Mailing lists run by non-LISTSERV listservers are listed in
section 2.4,
   Other Mailing Lists, together with mailing lists run by hand.
Other
   listservers include "mailbase" and "MAILSERV", both written for
Bitnet
   nodes in Europe.  For documents about using mailbase, send e-mail
to
   mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk with the text

    send mailbase user-guide    for the lengthly User's Guide
    send mailbase user-card        for a short version of the Guide

   You can get an extensive topical directory of academic mailing
lists,
   compiled by Diane Kovacs, dkovacs@KENTVM.kent.edu:  send e-mail to
   listserv@KENTVM.kent.edu with the text

    get acadlist readme

   Charles Bailey posts a directory, Library-Oriented Lists and
Electronic
   Serials, to the newsgroup bit.listserv.pacs-l on a regular basis.

   Mailing list etiquette:

     - Whenever possible, Bitnet users should use the Bitnet address
of a list
       and its listserver;  Internet users should use the Internet
address.

     -    Keep a record of your subscriptions, and a copy of any
instructions
    that you receive with your subscription.

     -    Remember to unsubscribe or otherwise turn off your
subscriptions
    before your e-mail address changes or you go away on vacation.

     -    Avoid sending articles to more than one mailing list.

     -    Be concise or, if your article is more than a few hundred
lines long,
       warn your readers in the Subject line.

   A note for users on JANET nodes (in the United Kingdom):  you may
be
   able to get subscriptions to Bitnet listserver mailing lists via
   listserv@earn-relay.ac.uk.  Send e-mail to that address with the
text

    info ?

   for more information.  This saves electronic transmission costs by
having
   a single subscription propagated across the Atlantic Ocean, and
then
   re-distributing it to multiple subscribers in the U.K. and
elsewhere in
   Europe.

-*- 2.3.1. Commands

   Being computer programs, with nothing else to do, listservers just
sit
   and wait for e-mail to arrive, read it, and perform the
appropriate task,
   usually immediately.  They respond only to a small set of
commands.  A
   summary (Thomas 1993) of these commands can be retrieved by
sending the
   message "send listserv refcard" to any listserver.  The main
listserver
   is listserv@BITNIC.educom.edu, but there are many listservers
around the
   world.  Specificially, there is one on each computer for which a
mailing
   list is mentioned in the Appendix.  Most listservers maintain more
than
   one mailing list.

   To subscribe to any of these mailing lists, send e-mail to the
listserver
   at the same address.  For example, subscriptions to the
Smithsonian
   Institution's biological conservation list, CONSLINK, may be
obtained by
   sending the message

       subscribe conslink <Your Name>

   to listserv@SIVM.si.edu.  To turn off mail from a list temporarily
(e.g.,
   while you are away on vacation), send the message

    set <listname> nomail

   and to unsubscribe permanently (e.g., because your e-mail address
is about
   to change), send the message

    unsubscribe <listname>

   Send subscription and other administrative requests to the
listserver,
   not the list;  e-mail messages sent directly to the mailing list
will
   (generally) be sent to all the list subscribers.  Only the
listserver
   can process subscription requests, and the listserver only knows
about
   requests that it receives directly.

   LISTSERV programs of version 1.7f and higher have a very useful
feature
   that lets you receive a daily digest (actually a concatenation,
with a
   table of contents) instead of many individual articles.  Send e-
mail to
   the apropriate listserver with the message:

    set <listname> digest

-*- 2.3.2. Archives

   In addition to handling the membership requests for particular
mailing
   lists, most listservers also archive all messages sent to each
list in
   monthly log files.  These files, along with other items
contributed by
   list subscribers, are archived by the listserver and can be
retrieved
   by e-mail.  Listserv@SIVM.si.edu keeps an archive of various lists
of
   conservation organizations and field stations, several
newsletters, and
   a large collection of bibliographic references relating to
biological
   conservation.  Listserv@UMDD.umd.edu keeps an archive of job
openings and
   conference announcements submitted to the Ecological Society of
America.

   Commands for retrieving files from listserver archives are
described
   in the listserver command reference guide (Thomas 1993), and
include:

       help                to get generally useful information
    review <listname>        to get the list of subscribers
    index <listname>        to get the list of archived files
       get listserv refcard         to get a short summary of commands
       get listfaq memo        to get an FAQ about listservers

   Sending the message "info" to a listserver will result in a list
of
   information guides including:

   REFcard    (LISTSERV REFCARD)  Command reference card
   FAQ        (LISTFAQ  MEMO   )  Frequently Asked Questions
   PResent    (LISTPRES MEMO   )  Presentation of LISTSERV for new
users
   GENintro   (LISTSERV MEMO   )  General information about Revised
LISTSERV
   KEYwords   (LISTKEYW MEMO   )  Description of list header keywords
   AFD        (LISTAFD  MEMO   )  Description of Automatic File
Distribution
   FILEs      (LISTFILE MEMO   )  Description of the file-server
functions
   LPunch     (LISTLPUN MEMO   )  Description of the LISTSERV-Punch
file fmt.
   JOB        (LISTJOB  MEMO   )  Description of the Command Jobs
feature
   DISTribute (LISTDIST MEMO   )  Description of Relayed File
Distribution
   COORDinat  (LISTCOOR MEMO   )  Information about Listserv
Coordination
   FILEOwner  (LISTFOWN MEMO   )  Information guide for file owners
   DATABASE   (LISTDB   MEMO   )  Description of the database
functions
   UDD        (LISTUDD  MEMO   )  User Directory Database User's
Guide
   UDDADMIN   (LISTUDDA MEMO   )  UDD Administrator's Guide

   To get any one of these, send the message "info <keyword>" where
<keyword>
   is, for instance, "REFcard" or "FAQ".  Only the portion in
capitals is
   required.

-*- 2.3.3. Gateways to Usenet

   Some of the listserver mailing lists in the Appendix below are
also
   Usenet newsgroups:

   biosph-l@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu  is bit.listserv.biosph-l
   devel-l@AUVM.american.edu     is bit.listserv.devel-l
   ethology@FINHUTC.hut.fi       is bit.listserv.ethology
|  geograph@SEARN.sunet.su       is bit.listserv.geograph
   medforum@ARIZVM1.ccit.arizona.edu is bit.listserv.medforum (custom
gate)
   uigis-l@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu   is bit.listserv.uigis-l
   vpiej-l@VTVM1.cc.vt.edu       is bit.listserv.vpiej-l

   gis-l@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu     is comp.infosystems.gis
   sas-l@UGA.cc.uga.edu          is comp.soft-sys.sas
   spssx-l@UGA.cc.uga.edu     is comp.soft-sys.spss
|  dynsys@gibbs.oit.unc.edu      is comp.theory.dynamic-sys

   wisenet@UICVM.uic.edu         is info.wisenet

   scifaq-l@YALEVM.cis.yale.edu  is sci.answers (gate is group-->list
only)
   ecolog-l@UMDD.umd.edu         is sci.bio.ecology
   biotech@UMDD.umd.edu          is sci.bio.technology
   stat-l@vm1.mcgill.ca          is sci.stat.consult
   edstat-l@jse.stat.ncsu.edu     is sci.stat.edu

   American University has established itself as the clearing house
and
   semi-official keeper of automated gateways between listserver
mailing
   lists and Usenet newsgroups.  Questions about the procedure for
   establishing a gateway for any mailing list or newsgroup may be
posted to
   the Usenet newsgroup bit.admin or sent to news-
admin@AUVM.american.edu.
   A FAQ on this topic appears regularly in the bit.admin newsgroup.

-*- 2.4. Other Mailing Lists

   Remember to save any instructions you receive about unsubscribing
from
   a mailing list.  Mailing lists that do not use listserv-style
commands
   for subscribing and unsubscribing include:

   Topic or name                Mailing list address
    Subscription instructions

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
   Arabidopsis thal. database announcements  aatdb-
info@weeds.mgh.harvard.edu
    Contact Mike Cherry, curator@weeds.mgh.harvard.edu.

   Artificial life digest            alife@cognet.ucla.edu
    Send all subscription requests to alife-request@cognet.ucla.edu.

   Biological Anthropology, Primatology    humbio@acc.fau.edu
    Send "subscribe humbio <Your Name>" to mailserv@acc.fau.edu.

   Biological timing and circadian rhythms
    cbt-general@virginia.edu       cbt-general-request@@virginia.edu

   Biologia y Evolucion (in Spanish)        biologia@athena.mit.edu
    biologia-request@athena.mit.edu

|  Biology information systems            biogopher@bch.umontreal.ca
|    Contact Tim Littlejohn, tim@bch.umontreal.ca

   Bulletin for bryologists            bryonet@uni-duisburg.de
    Send e-mail to the owner, Jan-Peter Frahm, hh216fr@uni-duisburg.de.

   Cytometry discussion
   cytometry@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu  cyto-
request@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu

   Dendrome forest tree genome mapping digest
      Send all subscription requests and submissions to the editor,
      dendrome@s27w007.pswfs.gov.

   Dinosaurs and other archosaurs    dinosaur@donald.wichitaks.ncr.com
    Send e-mail to dinosaur-request@donald.wichitaks.ncr.com.

   Discover Insight Biosym Users' Group  dibug@comp.bioz.unibas.ch
    Send e-mail to dibug-request@comp.bioz.unibas.ch.

   Ecologia (in Spanish)        ecologia@athena.mit.edu
    Send e-mail to ecologia-request@athena.mit.edu

   Entomology discussion            ent-list@um.cc.umich.edu
    Send e-mail to the owner, Mark O'Brien, hcfb@um.cc.umich.edu.

   Environmentalists digest            env-link@andrew.cmu.edu
    Send e-mail to the owner, Josh Knaur, env-link+forms@andrew.cmu.edu.

|  Experimental Petrology            exp-pet@s100.es.llnl.gov
|    Send e-mail with the text "subscribe exp-pet" on the first line
|    of the body (not the Subject line) to majordomo@s100.es.llnl.gov.
|    For more information, contact Henry Shaw <shaw4@llnl.gov> or
|    James Brenan <james_brenan@esciqm.es.llnl.gov>.

   Fish and Wildlife Biology            wildnet@access.usask.ca
    Send e-mail to wildnet-request@access.usask.ca for subscription
       requests, etc.  Wildnet is also distributed via Usenet in the
       sci.bio.ecology newsgroup (a.k.a. the ECOLOG-L mailing list).

   Forestry discussion                forest@lists.funet.fi
    Send e-mail to forest-request@lists.funet.fi

   Genstat statistics package discussion    genstat@ib.rl.ac.uk
    Send "subscribe genstat <Your Name>" to listral@ib.rl.ac.uk.

   GIS digest
      Send all subscription requests and submissions to the
editor,
      rrl@leicester.ac.uk.

   GIS Users in the United Kingdom        geocal@leicester.ac.uk
    Send "subscribe geocal <Your Name>" to vmsserv@leicester.ac.uk.

|  "Green" travel and tourism discussion    [unknown]
|    Send e-mail to Marcus Endicott <mendicott@igc.apc.org>, asking for
|    a subscription to the green.travel mailing list.

   Killifish, Cyprinodontidae            killie@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
    Send e-mail to killie-request@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us

   Neotropical birds discussion        avifauna@rcp.pe
    Contact phillips@cipa.ec (Roberto Phillips)

   Neural networks digest        neuron-request@cattel.psych.upenn.edu
    Send requests and all submissions to the above address.  Back issues
of
    the digest are available via anonymous FTP on
cattell.psych.upenn.edu.

   Orchids                    orchids@scuacc.SCU.edu
    Send "subscribe orchids <Your Name>" to mailserv@scuacc.SCU.edu.

|  Peptide Libraries                pep-libs@net.bio.net
|    Send "help" to biosci-server@net.bio.net for subscription
information.

|  Plant hormones discussion list        plant-hormones@mailbase.ac.uk
|    Send "join plant-hormones <Your Name>" to mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk.

   Plant Taxonomy                plant-taxonomy@mailbase.ac.uk
    Send "join plant-taxonomy <Your Name>" to mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk.

   Primate discussion                primate-talk@primate.wisc.edu
    Send e-mail to the owner, primate-talk-request@primate.wisc.edu.

   Prion Research Digest            [unknown]
    Send e-mail to prion-request@stolaf.edu.

|  RNA                        rna@net.bio.net
|    Send "help" to biosci-server@net.bio.net for subscription
information.

   The S statistics package            s-news@utstat.toronto.edu
    Send e-mail to s-news-request@utstat.toronto.edu.

   SANET-MG Sustainable Agriculture Network    sanet-
mg@twosocks.ces.ncsu.edu
    Send e-mail with the text "subscribe sanet-mg" or "send guide" or
    "send catalog" to almanac@twosocks.ces.ncsu.edu.

   Simulated Annealing Mailing List (ANNEAL)    [unknown]
    Send e-mail with the text "subscribe anneal" to majordomo@sti.com.

   Society for Mathematical Biology Digest    smbnet@fconvx.ncifcrf.gov
    Send e-mail with the text "subscribe smbnet <Your Name>" and/or
    "help" to listserv@fconvx.ncifcrf.gov.  Back issues of the digest
    are available via anonymous FTP on fconvx.ncifcrf.gov in smb/digest/.
    The editor is apparently Ray Mejia.

|  Yeast Artificial Chromosomes        yac@net.bio.net
|    Send "help" to biosci-server@net.bio.net for subscription
information.

   Young Scientists' Network            ysn@zoyd.ee.washington.edu
    Send e-mail to ysn-request@zoyd.ee.washington.edu with the Subject
    (not text) "subscribe" or "send info".

   Volcano list
    Send all subscription requests and submissions to the editor,
       Jon Fink, aijhf@ASUACAD (via Bitnet) or
aijhf@asuvm.inre.asu.edu.

   Note, any mailing lists you may discover at net.bio.net or
daresbury.ac.uk
   that are not explicitly mentioned in this FAQ are not mentioned
*because*
   they are actually gated lists for the bionet.* newsgroups.  See
section
   2.2.2, Special Usenet Hierarchies and Gated Mailing Lists, for
instructions
   about subscribing to any bionet.* newsgroup via e-mail.

|  There is a 6-part FAQ in news.answers (da Silva 1993) that
includes
   brief descriptions of the charter of each mailing list.  This FAQ
is
   stored in FAQ archives in the directory /mailing-lists/.

   A very long (1.2 megabytes) list of lists is available via
anonymous FTP
   from ftp.nisc.sri.com in netinfo/interest-groups or (in compressed
form)
   netinfo/interest-groups.Z.  It can also be obtained via e-mail by
sending
   the message "send netinfo/interest-groups" to mail-
server@nisc.sri.com.
   There is a printed, indexed version, titled "Internet:  Mailing
Lists",
   that can be purchased from Prentice Hall.  However, this list is
up-dated
   through submissions, and thus is incomplete and not very correct.

-*- 2.5. Newsletters

   Many of the mailing lists mentioned in the above section are
actually
   digests, where readers' queries and comments are condensed into a
   single large document that is distributed periodically.  Yet
another
   variation on this theme is electronic newsletters.  Those not
listed
   elsewhere in this guide include:

   * Animal Behavior Society Newsletter.  Editor James C. Ha,
     jcha@u.washington.edu.

   * Bean Bag: Leguminosae Research Newsletter, edited by Charles R.
Gunn
     and Joseph H. Kirkbride, Jr., jkirkbride@asrr.arsusda.gov.
Available
     via gopher and anonymous FTP from huh.harvard.edu.

   * Botanical Electronic News (BEN), edited by Adolf Ceska, Canada.
     Available via gopher and anonymous FTP from huh.harvard.edu, and
     the wildnet mailing list.

   * The Chlamydomonas Newsletter.  E-mail subscriptions are
available from
     Mike Adams, adams@ecsuc.ctstateu.edu.  You can also get this
newsletter
     via gopher from gopher.duke.edu and via anonymous FTP from
     acpub.duke.edu in pub/chlamy/.

   * Climate/Ecosystem Dynamics (CED).  E-mail subscriptions are
available
     from Daniel Pommert, daniel@lternet.washington.edu, gopher
access
     available via lternet.edu.

   * Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN) Newsletter,
Australia
     Available via gopher and anonymous FTP from huh.harvard.edu, and
via
     the ERIN gopher on kaos.erin.gov.au.

   * Flora Online.  A journal for collections-oriented botanists
published
     by the Clinton Herbarium, Buffalo Museum of Science, New York
USA.
     Editor Richard H. Zander, visbms@UBVMS.bitnet.  Available via
gopher
     and anonymous FTP from huh.harvard.edu.

   * LTER Data Management Bulletin (DATABITS).  Available via gopher
on
     lternet.edu.

   * STARNET Echinoderm Newsletter.  Send e-mail to the editor, Win
Hide,
     whide@matrix.bchs.uh.edu.

|  * Titnet.  Notices of interest to researchers of Paridae and other
hole-
|    nesting birds.  Send e-mail to J. Hailman,
jhailman@macc.wisc.edu
|    WISCMACC on Bitnet), with your name and address (postal and e-
mail),
|    what species you study and what types of studies you do.

   The paper journal The Scientist is available via anonymous FTP on
|  ds.internic.net, in pub/the-scientist, and gopher on
gopher.gdb.org.

   Michael Strangelove, 441495@acadvm1.UOTTAWA.ca has compiled a
directory
   of electronic serials.  To retrieve it, send e-mail with the text

    get ejournl1 directry
    get ejournl2 directry

   to listserv@acadvm1.UOTTAWA.ca.

--
    Una Smith

Yale University, Department of Biology, Osborn Memorial Laboratories,
PO Box 6666, New Haven, Connecticut  06511-8155     smith-una@yale.edu