Most sites tag your message with your e-mail address, so you may also be contacted directly. With this type of networking, the information is sent via e-mail. One person starts a new subject, asks a question, or makes an observation. Everyone on the email-listserv receives a copy. People reply or comment on the original e-mail, and copies of that are given to everyone as well.
Users can scan a list of experts and select one based on the credentials provided.
Most of these services are free of charge but offer basic consulting only. If a more detailed service is required, Web sites offering these services suggest contacting the expert directly to make arrangements. All three of these communication vehicles can put you in touch with a variety of contemporaries from around the world. Thanks to the Internet, communication of this type has never been easier or as inexpensive as it is today. Return to article index page Originally published in the December 2000 issue of Engineer's Digest.