The following links will provide access to some information on locating and joining genealogy email lists and message boards.

1. Email Lists

Email lists for Genealogists enable you to join specific email lists relating to your interests. You can join in LIST MODE which means all email messages to the lists arrive as separate emails in your email program. The number of emails you receive can be overwhelming if you join a busy list. If you join in DIGEST MODE then you receive one larger email containing 10 to 20 emails with a contents list at the top. This mode is often better if you decide to join a number of lists. It can be an advantage to learn how to set FILTERS in your email program to direct regular emails into separate mail boxes and so avoid clogging the IN BOX of your email program.

EMAIL Lists Hosted at RootsWeb - This is an extensive page of easy to locate, world wide email lists, with complete instructions and how to join, search archives of previous messages, etc.

All lists have archives (searchable) of past messages from the list - INVALUABLE !

Direct Links to Email Lists related to Australia & Victoria:

• Australian Email Lists - the full list of Australian email lists hosted at Rootsweb. If you cannot find one here that suits then it must be time to start one yourself.
  
  
• GENANZ Email List - For the discussion of Australia and New Zealand genealogy. The oldest and most extensive mailing list for the region. Busy list. Gatewayed with the soc.genealogy.australia+nz newsgroup. Note that alternative digest and index email forms also available. NOTE: There is a web page for the GENANZ email list at http://www.rootsweb.com/~billingh/ - this is a GREAT page of information & links related to the GENANZ genealogy email list run by Andrew Billinghurst. It includes links to RootsWeb's resources for Australian and New Zealand information together. Also has a search page for this forum's archives and a link to the threaded archives.
  
  
• Australian History & Genealogy List - A conference for anyone with an interest in Australian History - not exclusively genealogy - including the history of events involving Australians or their ancestors elsewhere in the world.
  
  
• Victorian Email List - this list covers the whole state of Victoria
  
  

Direct Links to specific Email Lists related to Western Victoria:

• Victorian Goldfields Email List - Join an email list covering the Central Victorian Goldfields around Ballarat & Bendigo.
  
  
• Western Victorian Email List - an email list covering Western Victoria, west of Geelong and Ballarat and north from the sea to the Wimmera area
  
  
• North Western Victorian Email List - an email list covering the North Western sector of Victoria, west of Ballarat and north to the Murray River.
  
  
• Geelong District Email List - an email list covering the Geelong District in Victoria.
  
  
• Bellarine Peninsula (Geelong) Email List - A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Interested individuals may want to check out the Bellarine Peninsula History web site at www.zades.com.au/latest.htm.
  
  

John FULLER's Genealogy E-MAIL Lists - Another page of email lists and how to join.

2. Message Boards

Genealogy message boards are constructed so that you can type a message directly into the message board in your web browser, respond to another message already on the board or search the entire board using keywords to locate any messages about your village, family name, etc. The advantage is that you do not need a separate email program to participate in the message boards.

• Genforum SURNAME Message Board - The advantage of this message board site is that you can search or leave messages relating to a specific name. You can even start a new forum for a name that does not have a forum already in operation. Worth a look!
  
  
• GenWeb-Aus Message Board - Australian genealogy message board with links to separate boards for each state.
  
  
• GenWeb-UK Message Board - United Kingdom genealogy message board with links to message beards for each county.
  
  
• GenWeb-World Message Board - The starting point for all GenWeb message boards from where you can find a message board for genealogy in mosts countires and regions of the world.