Free, Online Discussion Groups

One of the most convenient means to get quick, useful advice is to join a free, online discussion group in which to pose your questions. There are 1,000s of these groups and that number continues to grow rapidly. There are a variety of names for the groups, for example, listservs, egroups and eforums. Some people have strong feelings about which name should be used and why the names are different. Usually, groups have a home page which includes description of the purpose of that group, and how you can participate in it.

Groups use a wide range of technologies to support discussions. One of the first types was Usenet, or newsgroups, usually having names with words separated by periods, e.g., "alt.activism" or "soc.org.nonprofit." Often, these groups need special types of news readers, many of which are available for free on the Internet. (The following link might be helpful, usenet groups. Also see finding groups.) More recently, new customized software packages make it even easier to find the best newsgroups for you and help you to participate in them.

The following lists by no means includes all groups. However, many of the major ones are listed below. New ones are often announced in some or all of the following, as well.

If you want to add a new link now to a free, online discussion group, please first read the short section "Add to Library" referenced from the sidebar.

For-Profit and Nonprofit
Nonprofit-Specific