He kept up with the latest developments and passed on his knowledge in published monographs and articles. People connected to the Internet have an even better opportunity to keep current about their professional, recreational, or personal interests and contribute to the discussions. One of the best ways to get connected to a group that matches your needs is to subscribe to a mailing list covering your work, hobbies, or viewpoints. Depending on the list, you'll soon start getting e-mail about things like job openings, technical issues, conferences, trade shows, special events, new software, travel destinations, the latest music, and so on and so on. Mailing lists work as automated e-mail programs that collect messages sent to a special address and then distribute them to the subscribers.
Lists range from small and very specialized to large forums with thousands of subscribers.
Some are operated by big organizations, some by individuals with a passion for their subjects. Naturally, there are resources to help. Mr. Holmes would be appalled if his visitors failed to display the best of behavior. The traffic on some lists can be overwhelming, with 100 messages or more per day. Other lists are very intolerant of even slightly off-topic discussions or naive questions.