Sullivan County, N.Y. discussion list goes on-line

MONTICELLO - In cyberspace, boundaries disappear. Communication with scores, hundreds, or even thousands of people with similar interests is possible at the push of a button.

An e-mail discussion list - called "SuIICounty: An Internet Journal of Local Thought" - concerning topics of county interest, went on-line July 20. It is the first list of its kind in the region and perhaps the state. Subscribing costs nothing.

Hosted by Zelacom Electronic Publishing of Liberty, the list is administered by Tom Rue of Monticello, who has 10 years of experience as a journalist and mental health counselor. He maintains the e-mail list as a volunteer on his own time.

Rue described the discussion list as:

- a communication tool for people and organizations;

- a "place" to learn about or discuss issues affecting the Sullivan region;

- an interactive local news and discussion voice;

- a way to stay in touch with home while you're away;

- a sounding board or soapbox for community activists; and

- a bulletin board for local interest announcements.

Examples of relevant topics considered fair game for discussion include casino gaming (pro and con), the local economy and jobs, local quality of life issues, government services, taxes and politics, local school issues, local environmental concerns and solutions, loc,al news stories, press releases, media commentary, local' history, genealogical inquiries, tourism, culture, and events. Any opinion is allowed, Rue said, but commercial advertising is not.

To post to the list, subscribers send e-mail to a computer server, which rapidly forwards the message to all subscribers. The Sullivan list is not associated with the County of Sullivan or any other organization. Neither the listowner nor the Internet service provider are responsible for the content of postings of subscribers, and neither moderate content.

To subscribe, send an e-mail to I majordomo@zelacom.com stating "Subscribe I sullcounty [your address]," inserting your e-mail address without brackets or quotations marks. For help subscribing, e-mail:.list-sc@zelacom.com; or visit zelacom.com/~hawthorn/sullivancounty.html.

Note: The above described e-mail list is now hosted by St. John's University. For current administrative details and other info, click here: