Joining The Listserv

What?

Being on a listserv is like having a subscription to a hyperactive newspaper or magazine; once subscribed, you automatically receive any messages that someone has sent to the listserv. By the same token, any message you send to the listserv will be distributed automatically to everyone who is subscribed to it (including to you!).

How?

To send a message to the list, just compose a normal email message, but rather than sending it to an individual, send it instead to "en51001@ait.fredonia.edu" (this is the listserv address).

However, before you can send or receive messages, you must be subscribed to the listserv. Simply send an email message to "listserv@ait.fredonia.edu" with the subject line blank and the command "join en51001" in the body (and nothing else). When your request has been processed (usually almost immediately), you will receive a confirmation message that describes other useful commands. Save this message for future reference.

Why?

Although it involves some considerable thought, time, and effort on your part, the listserv is a crucial component of this course: 1) it will provide a space for you to "think aloud" about the assigned texts for a given week, and to quickly and easily share those thoughts with your classmates and with me; 2) thus, we will all have a sense of each other's major issues, questions, and interests well before we meet face-to-face in class; 3) this means that not only will class discussions run more smoothly and efficiently, but also that you will have an opportunity to develop over time several lines of inquiry that you are most interested in and get feedback from the rest of us over time, as well.

EN 510: Major Writers, Spring 1999
Created: 1/28/99, 3:43 pm
Last modified: 2/2/99, 12:20 pm