Girls’ History: History of Girls, III
Miriam Forman-Brunell and Ilana Nash, Contributing Editors
Studying Girlhood on the Web: The Girls_Studies_Scholars List
What is the Girls_Studies_Scholars list?
The Girls_Studies_Scholars discussion list provides a forum for exchanging information on the academic study of girlhood. Members come primarily from the humanities, arts, and social sciences. We are starting a syllabus file and have a strong bibliography of varied books and essays. Members have the opportunity to add files, post Calls for Papers, ask questions, and launch relevant discussion topics.
Why is it hosted through Yahoo?
The list is hosted through Yahoo! Groups, an outstanding Internet service that provides its discussion groups with great flexibility and a large amount of space for uploading files and creating databases. It also gives members the option to control how much email they get from the group – if you prefer not to have another subscription cluttering your Inbox, you may elect to read and post messages solely by visiting the group’s website. Because Yahoo is an internet service, not a privately owned List-proc, the list is extremely easy to access – you can be on any computer, anywhere, and simply sign in on the website with your i.d. and password. It allows all members to edit their membership preferences directly, without having to go through the Listowner. Yahoo! is free to all members, although the price we pay is the presence of advertisements on the site. These can be a minor irritation, but are easy to ignore.
Because Yahoo! is a public service, and because the word “girls” tends to attract the wrong sort of people, the Girls_Studies_Scholars list is restricted in membership. This means that every request to join must be approved by the listowner. Anyone with an .edu extenstion to their email address will be automatically approved. People with .com email extensions will be asked to write a few sentences verifying that they really are academics. We apologize if this seems a bit fascistic, but it is the best way to protect our group from pedophiles.
How do I join?
There are two memberships at issue here: first, you must be a registered Yahoo! user, with a log-in i.d. and a password (easy to do, and free). Second, you must subscribe to our specific discussion list. Both tasks can be completed in about 15 minutes.
To join the Girls_Studies discussion list, go to this URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Girls_Studies
1. Once there, click on the link that says “join this group.”
2. The next page will offer you two options. You can either sign in to Yahoo! directly, if you already have a Yahoo! i.d. and password, or – if you have never used Yahoo! before – you can click “sign up now” to register.
3. If you already are a registered Yahoo! user, just enter your i.d. and password and follow the simple steps to join the GS discussion list. If you are brand-new to Yahoo, however, click on the “Sign up now” link, and you will be walked through a simple registration form. You do not need to answer the questions they ask about your personal interests—this is a marketing tactic, so skip those questions and make sure you UNCHECK the box that asks if you want to receive advertisements. The system will send a confirmation code to the email address you enter, and you’ll then be asked to return to the Yahoo site to enter that code (this is how they make sure that you are a real person with a functioning email adress).
The signup process is quite simple and straightforward for anyone familiar with registration-based Internet services. If you’re not familiar with such services, you may need to take your time and read the instructions on each page carefully. If you encounter any difficulty at any phase, write to the listowner for assistance: ilana_nash@yahoo.com
NOTE: Please write down your i.d. and password and store them in a safe space. Yahoo can be difficult to deal with if you’ve forgotten these essentials.
How Do I Access the List’s Features?
Messages from the list will go straight to your email account, if you so choose. Otherwise, you read them on the website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Girls_Studies. At that website, you will also find a menu with hyperlinks like “files,” “databases,” “links,” et cetera. Currently, the “files” and “databases” folders are the active ones; click on them, and you’ll see our (as yet) small collection of syllabi, and our rather robust bibliography. These features are visible only to subscribed members.
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: bookmark the group’s website.
