Sometimes I feel like a slacker. I don’t subscribe to Ruby-Talk or any of the official Rails mailing lists. I just don’t have time to read 500 messages a day!

I do lurk on several local Ruby mailing lists. The traffic is usually smaller and the content is top notch.

Here are a few that I enjoy reading…

NOTE: If you choose to subscribe, be courteous. Lurk for a few weeks and get an idea for the content that is posted before starting a new thread.

• Seattle.rb: This is my local hometown list. I read it not for the educational value, but for the entertainment. Some of the personal interactions can be quite hilarious. Read the archives to find out why we don’t have wifi at our meetings, and don’t you dare post a job lead! Do that on the separate rubyjobs list.
• NYC.rb: A lively list with regular appearances by luminaries David Black (who has the record for posting 10 times in a 24 hour period), Francis Hwang, Zed Shaw, and others. Many threads end with a discussion of where to go for good arepas.
• Ruby on Rails Australia (subscribe by emailing discuss-subscribe AT rubyonrails.com.au): Even though they don’t have a website yet (but Tim Lucas promises that they will soon), this list has had some great discussions on metaprogramming, Camping, and even Rails.
• Wellington, New Zealand: Not to be outdone by their neighbors, the Wellington group recently organized a free workshop for people wanting to learn Rails. It was quite well attended. From time to time, Michael Koziarski often makes an appearance on this list.
• London: This list has quite a bit more traffic than the others, so you might want to subscribe to the digest. Apart from general Ruby knowledge, you can also learn a lot about the great pubs in London from posts by Dan Webb!

What local mailing lists do you subscribe to?