Once you start using the Internet, you'll notice people talking about joining lists and participating in discussions on various subjects. While there are thousands of ongoing newsgroup discussions on different subjects, there are also thousands of e-mail list discussions happening as well. Newsgroups are public discussions that anyone with newsreader software can subscribe to and participate in. You read what other members have written and can post a reply if you choose. On the other hand, a mailing list is a list of e-mail addresses of people interested in the same subject.
Mailing lists can be public or private, and involve as few as two people or many thousands.
Mailing lists are often used to provide subscribers with current information. For music fans, that might include upcoming concert dates or ticket purchasing details. With announcement-type lists , you receive messages, but can't post to the list yourself. With discussion-type lists , everyone on the list can participate. When a list subscriber sends a message, it goes to everyone on the list.