September 1999

Society Offers Electronic Mailing Lists to Chapters and Committees

By Kevin Lewis

The NYSSCPA has set up multiple electronic mailing lists to better serve the membership and provide easier collaboration among members of Society committee and chapters.

The Society currently uses LISTSERV, a commercial product available through L-Soft International. People sometimes incorrectly use the term LISTSERV to refer to a mailing list server.

When a user addresses an e-mail message to a LISTSERV, everyone on the list automatically receives the message. Lists can have open, unrestricted membership, or can filter requests to join through a specific individual who accepts or rejects potential subscribers. Unlike a newsgroup, the messages are sent as e-mail and are therefore available only to individuals on the list. For example, the Society currently runs a mailing list for the Buffalo Chapter. A member simply can address an e-mail to buffalo_chapter@nysscpa.org, and each person on the list (theoretically the entire chapter) receives the message.

The electronic mailing lists will help improve committee and chapter operations by facilitating delivery of important news targeted directly to members interested in this specific information. Since members sign up for the mailing lists, no one is "spammed," or receives mail they did not request.

The Society's information services department, which sets up and maintains the lists, generates useful statistics--for example, the amount of messages and the number of members on each list--that will help indicate which committees and chapters best take advantage of this technology to better communicate with each other.