Page 165 - DLIS408_INFORMATION_TECHNOLOGY-APPLICATIONSL SCIENCES

Information Technology and Application

Notes Advantages of Discussion Lists

Discussion lists are ideal for promoting interaction, exchanging expertise, obtaining feedback and
fostering collaboration among geographically dispersed work team members.
1. Discussion Lists Facilitate Information and Expertise Sharing: From experts to everyday
people, members of a discussion group can easily come together to discuss a topic of shared
interest, exchanging information and expertise.
2. Discussion Lists Build Communities: A sense of community is developed when people
discuss topics of shared importance. Online communities provide a vital link to many people
who may lack in-person support and understanding regarding a specific issue or challenge.
3. Discussion Lists Help Manage Information Flow: Organizations can use discussion lists to
quickly distribute and discuss announcements across various departments for day-to-day or
crisis communication.
4. Discussion Lists Create Business Support Forums: Companies can create moderated or
non-moderated discussion forums about their products and services, serving as a cost-
effective means to provide customer support and to enhance customer relationships.
5. Discussion Lists Form Collaborative Work Groups: Discussion lists allow employees to
collaborate on special projects, committees and task forces, making them more active
participants. Discussion lists also allow telecommuters and other geographically dispersed
colleagues to easily work together, creating virtual teams.

Task Define how electronic mailing differ from traditional one.

14.4.2 Listwashing
Listwashing is the process through which individual entries in mailing lists are removed. These
mailing lists typically contain email addresses or phone numbers of those that have not voluntarily
subscribed. An entry is removed from the list after a complaint is received.
Only complainers are removed via this process. It is widely believed that only a small fraction of
those inconvenienced with unsolicited email end up sending a proper complaint. Because most of
those that have not voluntarily subscribed stay on the list, and only the complainers stop complaining
because they are removed, this helps spammers to maintain a “complaint-free” list of spammable
email addresses.

Notes Internet service providers who forward complaints to the spamming party are often
seen as assisting the spammer in list washing, or, in short, helping spammers.

List of Academic Databases and Search Engines
This page contains a representative list of major databases and search engines useful in an academic
setting for finding and accessing articles in academic journals, or in repositories, archives, or other
collections of scientific and other articles. As the distinction between a database and a search engine
is unclear for these complex document retrieval systems, see:
the general list of search engines for all-purpose search engines that can be used for aca-
demic purposes
bibliographic databases for information about databases giving bibliographic informa-
tion about finding books and journal articles.

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