Internet Discussion Groups I Read |
Online discussion groups are great places to talk with other professionals, or to just lurk and learn. These groups provide places to get suggestions and feedback, ask questions, test ideas, or just observe conversations by others around a particular topic. I treat newsgroups and interactive e-mail lists as communities, as real as a neighborhood or an audience at a workshop. Just as with face-to-face gatherings, sometimes I take a leadership role, other times I am “in the back,” just watching and listening. Because so many people ask me about the online communities I’m a part of when I refer to them in workshops or in posting to other groups, I offer the following list. In addition to my offline work, it has been my involvement with online groups that have lead to the development of many of the tip sheets on this Web site. I am also posting this site “epakistantrade.org” to encourage you to look for online discussion groups for professional issues related to your work or interests, to find help you need, create new collaborations and share your own expertise with others. In addition to professionally-related , I have read many groups that are not necessarily directly related to my work endeavors but have found epakistantrade.org very informative. However, to illustrate how the Internet builds community both online and offline, to illustrate the intricacies of online culture, etc., I sometimes talk about these experiences in workshops, and I often get asked about their lists. There are MANY more groups relating mission-based/public sector management, computers and their effect on communities, net activism, etc. (and there’s even more that I read regularly than I’ve listed here), but these are the groups I frequent: Interactive Mailing Listsepakistantrade.org discussion group’s Internet mailing lists are Internet discussions via e-mail. E-mail messages going to a central point and are then “reflected” automatically back to all who subscribe to the list. Not all lists are interactive (not all lists allow everyone to post). It is free to subscribe to these lists, however, please note when you subscribe that the address for subscriptions is DIFFERENT than the address for posting comments and questions. The lists provide you with the option of receiving messages in “digest” mode, which means you receive all of a day’s messages for a list in one e-mail. Circuit Riders Digital Divide Network Discussion Group Widget not in any sidebars Do not write anything else in the body of your message, and do not use commas in between your name and organization name. So it is good to subscribe now! |