-=> Quoting Tom Silva to Wes Leatherock <=-
 WL>         I believe you are confusing newsgroups with mailing lists.
 WL> They are two different things.
 TS> I actually find Mailing lists to be far closer to Fidonet 
 TS> Echo's then the newsgroups are.  
 TS> .
 TS> The main difference between a mailing list and a Fidonet 
 TS> echo is that one you must call a bbs to access.  
 TS> In essence your mail box becomes the echo.
 TS> .
 TS> I like both.  Mailing list are far harder to find.  (List of that is).
        I am in agreement that mailing lists are much more like
Fidonet echoes than newsgroups are.
        It seems to me that newsgroups are much less civilized
than mailing lists.  Newsgroups have much more nasty stuff (and
I don't mean just the porno stuff that you mentioned in another
post but very ill-tempered flames and responses, too).
        Actually, I read mailing lists on a BBS which has both
Internet (e-mail only) and Fidonet access.  Internet e-mail,
including list messages, is presented just like Fidonet echoes.
One of the areas is named "Internet" and I pick up both Fido and
Internet messages in one call and read them (and post to the
Internet) with the same off-line reader (Blue Wave).
        One reason mailing lists are harder to find is because
they are so readily set up, and do not require all the formalities
that are required in establishing a newsgroup.  You've just got
to find a server to host it, and try to make others you think
have similar interests aware of it.
        That's one reason for their success, I think...they can
be on individual topics that will be of interest to one group of
people who can share their information and views on subjects
that interest them, rather than as wide ranging as some Usenet
newsgroups are (and some Fido echoes, too, although not to the
same extent).
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