A computer conference may also be known as a bulletin board, a Usenet newsgroup, a forum, or an e-mail mailing list. If the conference is being held on-line at the host computer to which you connect, you can probably join in by selecting the conference option when you connect to the host computer. If the conference is private, you might need to ask the support staff of the host computer how to receive permission to take part. Accessing on-line conferences, however, involves no extra costs beyond those related to the longer time spent connected to the host computer, while browsing through the conferences. Yes, in part.
Mailing lists are off-line versions of computer conferences.
They often focus on topics of specific interest to NGOs. To use a mailing list, send an e-mail message to the list's address. Mailing lists can be set up as public fora to which anyone can subscribe, or as private groups which can help coordinate the activities of organizations working in partnership. Mailing lists are powerful tools for coordination and information sharing. You can sometimes also access them across computer networks, if they are not located at your local host computer.