Read the information file. You'll also find out if the list welcomes beginners or if it is aimed more at experts. If so, pay a visit. Some mailing lists support excellent homepages offering mailing list archives, FAQs, and good collection of related links. Spirited disagreements are one thing, but when discussions degenerate into personal attacks, the whole list suffers.
Some lists mix in a great deal of off-topic chatter among the regulars.
If you don't check your e-mail daily, that chatty list that lands 100 or more messages in your mailbox may not be for you. All Rights Reserved.