A Beginner's Guide to the Internet for Paleolimnologists

At present, some of the major tools that a user can employ to explore the Internet are mailing lists, news-groups, anonymous ftp, Gopher, and the World Wide Web. Although others exist, many are permutations of, subsumed by, or accessed by these basic types. Of these, the mailing list is the least common denominator. It requires no "front-end", i.e., no special software for its use. All that is needed is an electronic mail (email) address and the knowledge to send and receive messages. It is a great introduction to the power of the Internet for beginners, and even the most experienced networkers find that mailing lists remain the most efficient way to touch base with knowledgeable colleagues. This article will discuss LISTSERV: the most extensively used mailing list program. A brief discussion of other information access types is included. Following this article are descriptions of some "lists" that paleolimnologists might find useful.