Think of it as an internet club. People who share a common interest subscribe to the list and have discussions by writing (or posting) to the rest of the membership. Or think of it as a bulletin board. People who have questions post them, and anyone with an answer or comment can respond. (A Yahoo "group" is the same thing as a list.) An email list provides a way to have a discussion among a group of people without having to send individual emails to each one.

Petdogs-L is largely run by Yahoo software. Here's the sequence:

1) To subscribe, you send your email address to Yahoo and the software adds you to the "list" of people who want to participate.

2) Then you can write a question or comment; again send it to Yahoo.

3) Because this is a moderated list, Yahoo then sends your message to the list moderators for approval.

4) Once it's approved, it goes back to Yahoo, and

5) Yahoo then distributes it to everyone on the list.

6) Anyone on the list who has a comment or response for you begins with step 2.

Lists vary in the amount of email they control. Petdogs-L is a relatively high-traffic list, averaging 30-35 posts a day. For tips on how to manage all this mail see the FAQ.