| 1.4 Online Community
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1.4 Online Community
The online community for any band is composed of message boards, mailing lists, and (usually) a newsgroup or two. Here are the defining characteristics of these forums:
Message Boards - message boards can be created by just about anyone and they are thus prone to come and go often. A message board is exactly what it sounds like: it is an HTML or script-based series of pages where people can create and reply to topics that deal with the subject of the board. For more info on message boards and where to find QOTSA-related boards, go to section 1.4a.
Mailing Lists - again, the name is an accurate description of what this is, which is, quite simply, a list of email addresses that a piece of mail goes to. A mailing list can be run by a person or group of people. In this case, every address would be entered in the CC (carbon copy) or BCC (blind carbon copy) rows so that the person who runs the group wouldn't have to resend so many messages. By sending messages out BCC, everyone else's addresss is hidden from others on the list so that no one has to worry about their addresses being sold to SPAMers. Mailing lists can also be run through 3rd party systems, such as Yahoo. In this case, a person subscribes to the group by sending a message to an address, such as subscribe-qotsa@yahoo.com, and that person's address is then added to the list. This service is almost always provided for free. For more info on how mailing lists work and the names/subscription addresses for QOTSA groups, go to section 1.4b.
Newsgroups - a newsgroup is significantly more complicated than either a message board or a mailing list and they are thus very difficult to create. There is a rather lengthy process involved in creating one, and once one is created, you need a newsreader (which you can obtain for free) to view it. Because they are so complicated, a short description of one is not provided here. Go to section 1.4c for information on them. Currently, there is no QOTSA newsgroup. At least one effort has been made to create one, and that effort failed. See section 1.4c for more info on how to get a QOTSA newsgroup started.
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