There are differences between mailing lists and newsgroups that you should understand to help determine which service to use.
Lists are basically closed discussions among subscribers.
Messages are delivered directly into the subscriber's electronic-mail inbox. Newsgroups are public discussions with anyone able to read and post messages. Messages are posted to a bulletin board that the subscriber must visit to read. Also, note that for groups that exceed 200, a newsgroup is more efficient than a mailing list. Faculty who want a class newsgroup .