28 p o p u l a r g ov e r n m e n t

Long before computers existed,people networked—through socialevents, shared academic experi-

ences, professional organizations, work,neighbors, relatives, friends of friends.Networking is as old as conversation andthe bare feet that originally carried mes-sages back and forth within a village orfrom village to village. Papyrus and ink,roads and horses, waterways and shipsled to significant leaps in networking inthe ancient world as these new technol-ogies emerged and civilization spread. Inmodern industrial nations,especially the UnitedStates, networking tech-nology has vastly expanded to includetelephones, fax machines,overnight mail, e-mail, and the Internet. Even with all the advances intechnology, the reasonsfor networking remain the same: to share or find reliable and accurate information,when it is needed, to solve problems,maintain and create relationships, andgenerate a sense of community.

The Institute of Government (IOG)at The University of North Carolina atChapel Hill currently helps North Caro-lina local and state officials networksuccessfully among themselves and withIOG faculty. The IOG functions as ahub for reliable and accurate informa-tion about legal issues in various areas ofgovernmental concern, such as zoning,contracting, purchasing, local govern-

ment law, and criminal law. This articledescribes one of the IOG’s currentnetworking technologies, listservs.

The IOG’s history of networking inthe state reaches back to 1931. Fromthen to the early 1990s, the IOG usedbasically four networking technologies:roads to drive to locations to teach,telephones and mail for advising, andpublications. In 1994 the IOG added e-mail and in 1995 a Web site, NCINFO.Although e-mail and the Web site bothexpanded the bundle of networking

tools, each had certainlimitations in terms ofreaching an ideal of net-working communication—dynamic, immediateconnections among a large group of peersand experts.1

E-mail works similarlyto telephone calls: it isbest one-on-one andmoderately good with a

small group. But when you want toreach hundreds of people and allow allof them to interact, e-mail quicklyshows its shortcomings.

A Web site can overcome some of theproblems of sharing information with alarge group. Hundreds, thousands, andeven hundreds of thousands of peoplecan obtain the same information fromthe same location. Such is the magnitudeof the Internet; it is a world bulletin boardto which people have access twenty-fourhours a day, seven days a week. How-ever, dynamic interchange does notoccur with “static” Web pages—pagescontaining fixed information. Someonewith a specific question is much morelikely to make a telephone call or sendan e-mail than to search a Web site foran answer, especially if he or she needsthe answer quickly. Enter listservs.

What the Listserv Is—A KillerApplication for Networking

“Killer application” is jargon in thecomputer industry for “an applicationprogram that intentionally orunintentionally gets you to make thedecision to buy the system theapplication runs on.”2 More looselydefined, a killer application is some-thing a computer user cannot livewithout. A listserv is a killer applicationbecause it subsumes multiple e-mailaddresses under a single one, thusallowing all the listserv members toshare an address. To accomplish thesame feat using an e-mail applicationalone (say, Microsoft’s Outlook orNetscape’s Messenger), each memberwould have to create a “group” (a listof e-mail addresses that the memberwants to be related under a singleheading) in his or her own e-mailapplication. If someone left the group,everyone would have to update his orher list. The listserv solves this problemby centralizing the list of members in asingle database and attaching that list toa single e-mail address—for example,humanresources@listserv.unc.edu orncpublicworks@listserv.unc.edu. Eachmember simply sends a new e-mailmessage to the single address, and themessage goes to every member of thelist. When a new member joins or anold member leaves, the change is madeto the central database, and users justkeep sending messages to the singleaddress without worrying about makingchanges to a group in their own e-mailaddress book.

One of the IOG’s largest and mostactive listservs, ncplan, contained 593members on February 11, 2002. Ima-gine creating that list in your own e-mailapplication, getting the other 592

Digitally Connecting Local Governments in North Carolina

Philip Young

P O P U L A R G O V E R N M E N T

The author is the director of the School of Government’s Web presence, NCINFO.He specializes in instructional andinformation technology (IT), IT policy,and IT management. Contact him atyoung@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

As a planning director in a city of 20,000, with 3 planners, I find the listserv to be like having a planning staff of 10.

—Jeff Hatling, planning director, Kernersville (member

of the ncplan listserv)

f a l l 2 0 0 2 29

members to create the same list in theire-mail applications, and all of youkeeping the list updated—not an easysolution for sharing accurate and reli-able information quickly.

Local governments in North Carolinahave a great need for this kind ofknowledge sharing. Small as well aslarge administrative units are responsiblefor all the areas in which governmentperforms. Administrators working ineach of those areas, and in many casesacross several areas, form a peer group

I am on several listservs as I wear many hats in a small organization (finance, purchasing, human resources, instructional technology, andgeographic information systems).Being a “jack of all trades and master of none”confronted with limited time and unlimited responsibilities,[I find that] the listserv helps me keep up with what’s going on in the state and feel more comfortable that I am directing operations in compliance with applicable laws and best practices.

—Martha Ziegler, director of administration and finance, Asheville (member of the nclgba listserv, among others)

that can network through conferences,associations, telephones, letters, and e-mail.

Taking all the forms of networkingmentioned earlier, a person can “kluge”an impressive, if sometimes inconsistent,networking system. (Coined in 1962 asa noun, “kluge” means “a system andespecially a computer system made upof poorly matched components.”)3 Adda listserv to an area of specialization, at-tach all the e-mails of the peer group,and include some outside experts, and

local government officials have a consis-tent, reliable, and comprehensive net-working system that is free and easy touse. Instead of one person taking re-peated telephone calls from differentpeople about the same issue, informingonly those who call, an e-mail to a list-serv shares the question and the answerwith all the members, and creates an elec-tronic file of the exchange that can berecalled from an archive of the messages.

Besides connecting a group of e-mailusers under a single e-mail address, a

listserv works well with what is currentlythe most comprehensive electronicfoundation in the state—the telephonesystem. A listserv can run efficiently andeffectively across existing telephone lines,which reach into almost every home andbusiness in North Carolina. So everylocal government can participate withminimum cost and maximum benefits.Even local governments that are notcurrently online will likely find joiningsurprisingly easy and not particularlycostly, especially considering the benefits.

30 p o p u l a r g ov e r n m e n t

IOG LISTSERVS

Name Client Group List Administrator Administrator’s E-mail Address

buslic Business licensing Philip Young young@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

ccmanagers City/county managers William Rivenbark rivenbark@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

clerks City/county clerks Fleming Bell bell@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

dssattorneylist Department of Social Janet Mason mason@iogmail.iog.unc.eduServices attorneys

fodg Facilitation and John Stephens stephens@iogmail.iog.unc.eduorganization development

humanresources Human resources Diane Juffras juffras@iogmail.iog.unc.eduadministrators

instofgovpubs Publication buyers Katrina Hunt huntk@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

iogcriminal Criminal lawyers Robert Farb farb@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

lglaw Local government Fleming Bell bell@iogmail.iog.unc.edulawyers

ncard Registrars of deeds William Campbell campbell@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

ncfinance Finance officers Gregory Allison allison@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

ncgis Geographic Information Philip Young young@iogmail.iog.unc.eduSystem administrators

nclgba Budget association Maureen Berner berner@iogmail.iog.unc.edumembers

nclgisa Instructional Philip Young young@iogmail.iog.unc.edutechnology administrators

ncplan Planners David Owens owens@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

ncpma Property mappers William Campbell campbell@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

ncpublicworks Public works Richard Whisnant whisnant@iogmail.iog.unc.eduadministrators

ncpurchasing Purchasing agents Frayda Bluestein bluestein@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

ptax Tax administrators Joseph Hunt huntj@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

soilconservation Soil and water Richard Whisnant whisnant@iogmail.iog.unc.educonservation specialists

waste Waste managers Richard Whisnant whisnant@iogmail.iog.unc.edu

f a l l 2 0 0 2 31

The IOG currently maintains twenty-onepublic listservs for government officials(see the sidebar, opposite).

What a Local Government Needsto Join a Listserv

To join a listserv, a local governmentneeds an office with a telephone jackand a power outlet. Building from thatsimple foundation, the government willhave to purchase a computer with amodem, a standard feature on almostall computers. (A computer with amodem, a monitor, and speakers nowcan be purchased for as little as $600.)

Most computers purchased througha major distributor (such as Compaq,Dell, or Gateway) or a major retailer(such as Best Buy, Circuit City, orWalmart) will come with a subscriptionto an Internet service provider (ISP),usually Microsoft Network (MSN) orAmerica Online (AOL). On-screeninstructions will take you through theprocedures for setting up Internet and e-mail accounts. If an ISP subscriptiondoes not come with your computer,your next step is to contact an ISP,which might be a local phone companyor a national provider (such as Mind-spring or Earthlink) or the State ofNorth Carolina Information Tech-nology Services at (800) 722-3946.Most basic Internet service rates areabout $20 per month.

Once you have set up an Internet ande-mail service, you can direct thecomputer to connect to the Internet byhaving the modem dial the number for

the provider andestablish a link. Thenyou have access to theInternet, and you canbegin to send e-mailto and receive it fromIOG listservs.

How the IOG List-servs Work

The University ofNorth Carolina atChapel Hill managesthe listserv applica-tion. Members canreceive their messagesthrough e-mail orview their messagesthrough a Webbrowser (Internet Explorer, NetscapeNavigator, or Opera). Membership in alistserv generally is restricted to local orstate officials working in the area ofspecialization covered by the listserv,and to the IOG faculty member whoadministers the list.

There are several ways to join a listserv. The fastest way is to go to alistserv entry page on the Web (forexample, http://www.cpt.unc.edu/technicalassistance/appmanagement/listservscreenshot1.htm; see below) andfollow the instructions there. After youhave entered your membership in-formation, your request to join will belogged in and sent to the list adminis-trator. If you do not have a clearlydesignated city, county, or state e-mail

address (name/title@ci.cityname.nc.us, name/title@co.countyname.nc.us, or name/title@ncmail.net), you maybe contacted via e-mailby the list administra-tor or the NCINFOdirector at the IOG(who administers allthe lists) to verify yourposition.

A second way tojoin a listserv is to callthe NCINFO directorat (919) 962-0592and request to be puton a listserv. A thirdway is to send arequest by e-mail toyoung@iogmail.iog.unc.edu.

What to Expect after Joining

The listservs connect a large number ofpeers, so e-mail traffic may at first seemheavy to new members. A member’samount of e-mail may rapidly expand ifhe or she is a clerk or a manager in asmall municipality who participates inseveral listservs to accommodate themany hats he or she wears. A single ac-tive listserv like ncpurchasing or human-resources can produce 5–20 messagesdaily. A clerk or a manager trying tofollow conversations on multiple list-servs might face 25–100 messages a day.Fortunately, most e-mail applicationshave methods for automatically routingand managing incoming mail. Thelistserv application offers several waysto receive or retrieve messages. They arediscussed next.

E-Mail Management through a Web BrowserOnce a member joins a listserv, thedefault setting for message delivery is to receive e-mail as it is posted to thelistserv. So each time a message is sentto the listserv address, that messagegoes out to the membership.

A member who accesses the listservthrough a Web browser (Internet Ex-plorer, Netscape Navigator, or Opera)will find an option called Your Settingsthat will allow him or her to change the

I am constantly being askedto gather data or poll theassessors and collectorsregarding legislative issues.Our ptax listserv [the listservfor tax administrators] hasproven to be the very besttool available to reach mycolleagues in one quick andmassive stroke.Ptax has enabled us to respond tolegislative issues in a veryefficient and effective manner.

—W. A. (Pete) Rodda, taxassessor/collector, Forsyth County

(member of the ptax listserv)

IOG’s Web siteincludes instructions

for joining eachlistserv. For example,

the screen shot heretells users how to

join the ptax listserv.

delivery method, or Status, to one of thefollowing:

• Index—one daily message with onlythe subject lines for that day(recommended)

• Digest—one daily message with allthe contributions for the day (notrecommended)

• Mimedigest—one daily message withall the contributions for that day inMIME format (not recommended)

• Nomail—no mail to be received fromthis mailing list (not recommended)

Among the Web browser options,Index is recommended because it mixesthe “pushing” advantage of a listservwith the “pulling” feature of a Webbrowser. That is, it sends the member asingle message daily but requires themember to go through a Web browserto read the contributions. Comparedwith management through an e-mailapplication (see the next section),though, this option adds a layer of workto the responsibility of the user, whichmay deter him or her from getting themost out of the service.

The Digest method is not recommen-ded because the messages are not sent inplain-text formats. Instead, they comewith codes used to make messages look “pretty” (special fonts, colors,backgrounds, etc.). The digest messagestherefore can be difficult to decipher.Mimedigest messages also cause prob-lems for e-mail applications because theyoften contain text and code not relatedto the content of the messages. The No-mail option is not recommended be-cause a member may forget about thelistserv and miss important discussions.

Viewing listserv messages through aWeb browser has advantages anddisadvantages. On the positive side, itallows you to get to messages anywhereyou can get online with a computer. Ifyou are away from the office for a fewdays or are on vacation and cannot letgo of work, you can go online and readthe listserv messages.

However, you cannot download list-serv attachments through a Web browser.If you choose to use the Index optionand a member of the listserv sends anattachment (a form or a policy document,for example), you will have to e-mailthat member directly and ask him or her

to send the attachment to you. Of course,viewing messages exclusively onlinehelps prevent viruses from entering yourcomputer through attachments.

E-Mail Management through an E-Mail ApplicationThe best solution is to receive e-mail asit is contributed to the listserv, but to setup folders for it, then apply rules (inMicrosoft Outlook) or filters (in Net-scape Messenger) to route it to designatedfolders as it is delivered. Using a rule ora filter allows you automatically todivert incoming mail from the inbox(the main mailbox) and have it waitingin a folder for reviewat certain times of theday or week. Deletingunnecessary or un-read mail becomeseasier because all themail is organized infolders. Also, mes-sages that containimportant informa-tion can be kept forfuture reference.

Unfortunately theinstructions for set-ting a rule or a filterare not the same, evenfrom version toversion of the samesoftware. So, forexample, if you areusing MicrosoftOutlook, the instructions may bedifferent between Outlook Express 98and Outlook 98, and even between thelatter and Outlook 2000. When you seekhelp with any software application, it isimportant that you know which versionof the application you are using, becauseyou probably will be asked.

Since the process for setting up rulesor filters can be tricky, feel free to con-tact the NCINFO director at (919) 962-0592 to get started. If the NCINFOdirector cannot help you or you cannotget in touch with anyone in a timelyfashion, the next-best solution is to gettechnical help from Microsoft’s customerservice at (800) 936-5700 (for a fee of$35 per request) or Netscape’s customerservice at (800) 411-0707 (for “low costassistance”). If you currently have on-line access, you can see a sample of Net-

scape Messenger’s filtering process forNetscape Messenger 4.7 on the Centerfor Public Technology’s page about e-mailmanagement at www.cpt.unc.edu/technicalassistance/appmanagement/email.html.

How to Avoid Viruses

An important concern in joining a list-serv is that an increase in e-mail trafficleads to greater chances of getting a virussent to your computer. No one should beusing a computer without virusprotection software installed, running,and regularly updated. The IOG has a

policy of addressingvirus-infected mes-sages as quickly aspossible. TheNCINFO directormonitors all listservsfor virus problems. Assoon as one is detected,the offending accountis removed from thelistserv, and the mem-ber is notified that hisor her account hasbeen suspended untilthe infected machinehas been cleaned.Once the machine hasbeen cleaned and themember confirms thatthe proper action hasbeen taken, he or she

is allowed back on the list. Members can help police the listservs.

The first person to spot or receive avirus message can contact the NCINFOdirector immediately and, if possible,contact the member whose account sentthe virus. (Most virus messages are sentautomatically by a virus program thattaps into the address book of the in-fected machine and sends itself out toevery member of the address book with-out the owner’s knowledge. So be nicewhen you call; don’t accuse the memberof personally sending you a virus.)

Another concern of listserv subscrib-ers is whether the IOG can shield themfrom viruses sent by other members.Unfortunately, although computer userscan easily install and use virus protec-tion software, making virus protection apart of the listserv system itself is more

32 p o p u l a r g ov e r n m e n t

Many times I am able to lookback at saved responses toearlier questions and avoidcontacting my counterpartsin other organizations to ask for info on how they pay,administer benefits, disci-pline employees, etc. My onlyproblem is . . .how to siftthrough all the info that mypeers put out there!

—Judith Carton, human resourcesdirector, Burke County (member of

the humanresources listserv)

f a l l 2 0 0 2 33

difficult. The university has resisted ef-forts to install filters for electronic mes-sages, including those that may containviruses, for two reasons. First, the uni-versity considers itself a common carrier,like a telephone company, and commoncarriers typically do not filter the infor-mation that they carry. Second, addingvirus protection to the listserv softwarewould be very costly. Until the NCINFOdirector finds a way to resolve these twoproblems, it is easier for listserv users totake responsibility for obtaining virusprotection on their own computers.

How to Use a Listserv

Once you join a listserv and your ac-count becomes active, you will beginreceiving messages. To send a new mes-sage to the listserv, you need only addressa new e-mail message to the listservusing the following convention: listservname@listserv.unc.edu (so, for example,humanresources@listserv.unc.edu or clerks@listserv.unc.edu).

Because the listservs generate so muchtraffic, it is important to know and tryto follow some listserv “netiquette”(proper or good behavior in sendingand replying to e-mail).

• Write meaningful subject lines whenposting a message. If you have a ques-tion, say, about Web use policy foremployees, don’t just write “question”in the subject line. Instead, write “Ihave a question about Web use policyfor employees” or simply “Web usepolicy for employees.” Vague or am-biguous subject lines force members toopen the e-mail to see if it has anyrelevance for them. Fellow memberswill become quickly frustrated if theyopen an e-mail only to discover thatthe question is not of interest to them.Meaningful subject lines allow mem-bers to scan messages and skip overones that do not interest them withoutworrying that they are missing impor-tant information.

• Remember that, by default, your replywill go to all the members of the listserv.The listserv promotes public discus-sion. In most but not all cases, answersshould be shared. When only thesender should receive your reply, youshould open a new e-mail message,

insert the intended member’s e-mailaddress, and send the new message to the intended member. If you try to shortcut the reply by clicking onand selecting the individual e-mailaddress from the original message(and thus not starting a new e-mail),the default control can and will likelyoverride the single-address reply and send the message to everyone on the listserv.

• Avoid sending simple replies to all themembers of the listserv. If a member hasanswered a question sufficiently, resistsending replies to the listserv that say,“Ditto,” “Yes,” “Us too,” and thelike. Instead, send these simple repliesdirectly to the sender. The sender maywant them to get a sense of how manymembers solved the problem or an-swered the question the same way, butall the listserv members do not needthis information. If they want to knowhow many people agreed, they can e-mail the original sender.

• If you are a new member, do not requesta reply to your first (possibly test)message. Another default setting fornew accounts is that members receivecopies of their messages after theyhave sent them. If you are a newmember sending a test message, youwill receive a copy of your e-mail. Ifyou do not, contact the NCINFOdirector at (919) 962-0592. If you area veteran member, resist the urge toreply to test messages. Such repliescreate unnecessary e-mail.

Toward a Networking Ideal:Expanded Listservs

The IOG hopes to continue to expandthe number of listservs and the member-ship of the current listservs. Its vision isa listserv for each area of specialization,with a faculty member to support thelistserv and with every local and stateemployee who works in that area ofspecialization on the list.

How realistic is this vision? Consid-ering that e-mail works effectively withthe existing telephone infrastructure,having every local government officialpossess an e-mail address is quite feasible.The number of members that should be

on any list can be determined by thestructure of state and local governmentin North Carolina. For example, a com-plete clerks listserv (for county clerks,city clerks, etc.) would have 100 clerksfrom the counties and 700-plus fromthe municipalities (assuming that allhave clerks or a person who performs theduties of clerk). As of February 11,2002, the clerks listserv had 273members. So the IOG has a way to go.

Another goal is to maintain the integ-rity of the listservs in providing accurateand reliable information supported andsustained by knowledgeable peers andIOG faculty members. Ideally, therewould be a faculty member for eacharea of specialization. In reality, theIOG creates only listservs that it cansupport with a faculty member. Unfor-tunately the IOG has had to turn downrequests for listservs for lack of a facultysponsor. If you are a member of a localgovernment area that uses the IOG andone of its faculty members for supportand there is not a listserv for yourgroup, contact the faculty member todiscuss whether creation of a listserv foryour group makes sense.

An easily attainable goal is to maxi-mize the number of people who partici-pate in each listserv. If you are amember of one of the groups alreadyserved and you do not currentlysubscribe, consider joining. You maycontact the NCINFO director for help.No other current networking option ortechnology will allow you to achieve theshared knowledge and dynamic inter-change that the listservs provide. Withproper management tools, propersecurity tools and knowledge, and peereffort to use listserv netiquette, everyonecan participate in community discussionand problem solving.

Notes

1. As used in networking communications,“dynamic” describes active solicitation ofinformation that results in immediate replies:at least on the same work day, at best within afew minutes or hours.

2. From Whatis.com, available at http://searchSolaris.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid12_gci212442,00.html.

3. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, availableat www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary.