The "topics" feature of listserv opens up some intriguing possibilities.
One I am interested in is "inter-list" connectivity on a specific topic.
 
So, I have a question: Is it possible for two different lists, running on
two different listservers, to define an identical topic, -- and then have
these two lists communicate with one another by each subscribing to the
other list with their accounts SET exclusively to this one topic?
 
For example: there are a number of high-quality LISTSERV discussions
dealing with specific religious traditions.  Buddhism, various branches of
Christianity, Judaism, certain esoteric groups, etc.  Suppose two or more
of these groups (or their listowners) decided to define a common topic,
such as INTERFAITH.
 
The objective would be to create a discussion that combined elements of
each of these specializations, dealing with interfaith issues from these
various special points of view.  Each list on this network would define
this same topic, then subscribe to every other list on the network, and
set their account exclusively to this topic.  Would this create, in
effect, a new discussion forum, linking all these groups (subscribers to
these lists who choose to receive this topic) around this one theme?  Has
anybody ever tried this?  Does something get loopy?  Is this impossible?
 
I am already doing something like this, with another list, but it runs on
a Unix clone, and has no topic feature, so the communication is just one
way (this other list is a subscriber to my list, with their account set to
one topic).  Could two, -- or many -- lists running on compatible
LISTSERVs connect in this way?
 
- Bruce Schuman
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