Some send e-mail that is prepared by an individual or sponsored by an organization about a particular topic on a regular basis. Other lists are ongoing virtual discussions in which subscribers have their comments automatically distributed to all the other subscribers by e-mailing to a computer program. The value of the e-mail discussion lists is the ability of a subscriber to tap the resources of all the other members of the list. Whether it is a surgical procedure, fine china, or a particular piece of computer software, somewhere there is an e-mail list dedicated to the topic, with list members who have something to say. Subscribing to a list requires that specific information be sent to the list address in a particular format.
Different lists ask for different information.
The programs that process mail for lists strip information from the incoming e-mails and present that information in a particular way. At the AORN site, subscription instructions are provided for each list. This is an extensive list of nursing mailing lists on a wide variety of topics. Other links to nursing sites, specialist sites, accident and emergency sites, state and statutory boards, online journals, and others are available here. All of the e-mail lists that are posted include instructions for subscription.