Listserv Implementation and Sense of Community: The Relationships with Increased Knowledge and Face-to-Face Interaction

This study examines how a listserv affects its members’ sense of community (SOC) with the sponsoring organization. It was expected that the listserv would increase members’ knowledge about and participation in the sponsoring organization department, which, in turn, would increase their SOC. The study examined listserv members and non-members before and after implementation of the listserv. As expected, listserv membership increased knowledge and face-to-face activity, and knowledge and face-to-face activity increased a sense of community. However, ironically, there was no effect of listserv membership on sense of community. These findings challenge previous theories about the development of sense of community while nonetheless demonstrating the positive effects of listserv membership. Organizations can use one way, informationdispersing listservs, to keep their members informed and connected. Listservs are group distribution e-mails in which members conveniently can send messages to one e-mail address, usually the listserv name, instead of all of the individual members’ e-mail addresses. Sometimes, organizations assign members to listservs. But often, members choose to join a particular listserv in order to stay informed about the organization or topics relevant to the organization. Work organizations can use listservs to keep employees updated on policies, announcing the entry or departure of key personnel, changes in benefits, and upcoming social events (e.g., the company picnic). Educational organizations can use listservs to inform students about upcoming classes, research and internship opportunities, and extracurricular student activities (e.g., clubs).