[Coco] CoCoList and the Web, was Re: CoCoList Survey on email but no web browser access CoCo users.

[Frank Pittel]

As I mentioned in another email I'm a member of a number of groups
and maintain both a mailing list and web forum for them. They both have
strengths and weaknesses. The mailing list is a push process in which
members get the email quickly without having to go to the forum. The
problems is that 9 out of 10 subscribers become "topic cops" and berate
everyone but themselves for their "offtopic" posts that "fillup" their
mailboxs and threaten to unsubscribe if they don't get their way.

The problem with webforums is that most of the software out there makes
it a pain to download information. It's also a pull process which makes it
harder to make timely announcements to the members. The strength and limitations
of both are why the groups have both mailing lists and web forums. Of the
two the web forum is by far more popular.

Frank


On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 08:36:34PM -0400, John W. Linville wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 07:06:55PM -0500, Roger Taylor wrote:
> > At 12:57 PM 4/22/2009, you wrote:
> >> On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 11:59:27AM -0500, Sean wrote:
> >> > Mailing lists are good for current discussions, but forums are much
> >> > better for archiving info or being able to search for specific topics.
> >
> >> * Citation needed *
> >
> > http://www.google.com/search?q=color+computer+forum
> 
> Congratulations!  Google can find your website...so?
> 
> >> If anything, I find web forums to be _much_ more _difficult_ to search
> >> for specific topics.
> >
> > http://www.google.com/search?q=color+computer+forum+nitros-9
> 
> Setting aside whether or not "nitros-9" is a _specific_ topic...
> 
> All that does is point me at your forum.  It doesn't prevent me
> from having to click through it or deal with its awkward interface.
> And if I wanted a local copy of the information, I either need to cut &
> paste to an editor or I need to mirror your website (which also could
> change on a whim).
> 
> For comparison:
> 
> 	http://five.pairlist.net/pipermail/coco/2009-April/thread.html
> 
> Of course, that still completely misses the point.  I don't want to
> have to use a web interface _at_all_.  The email comes to me, and if
> I think it will be interesting in the future then I don't delete it.
> When I want to search for something, it is probably in my mail
> folder already.  And if not, Dennis/Mailman has it waiting for me.
> 
> John
> 
> P.S.  Couldn't leave "specific topic" alone...
> 
> 	http://www.google.com/search?q=color+computer+superboard
> 
> -- 
> John W. Linville		Someday the world will need a hero, and you
> linville at tuxdriver.com			might be all we have.  Be ready.
> 
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