Mailing lists are forums used to disseminate information about specific topics. A copy of the e-journal is sent to all subscribers and subscribing is usually free. Listservs are mailing lists in which any message sent to the listserv is relayed to all subscribers. Anyone can send comments or questions to the list. E-journals are electronic journals.
Subscribers often receive a table of contents and they can then download specific articles.
Usenet newsgroups are discussion groups related to specific topics. A network of host computers store and forward all sent messages for a few days then discard them. Anyone can connect to the newsgroup at any time, browse through the messages and leave messages, then disconnect. These are different from listservs in that you don't subscribe to them and nothing is sent to you automatcially, you connect when you wish. Gopher is used to access information stored on computers around the world.