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.
