Re: We need a forum!

[Paul Smith <paullocal@...>]

At 10:46 02/07/2004, Jonathan Jacobs wrote:
> Paul Smith wrote:
> > Personally, for Lua, I'd prefer a discussion board, as I'd prefer not to 
> > be bombarded with messages all day every day about it, since it's not a 
> > key part of my work. Most of the messages from the Lua mailing list I
>
> Well, what I do is set up filtering rules in my mail client so that any 
> mailing lists I'm subscribed to have their mail "delivered" to a unique 
> (and self-contained) "folder" (Thunderbird syntax here). That way when 
> mail comes in all I have to see is which folders have new mail, hardly 
> what I'd consider being "bombarded", and yet extremely convenient.
>
> > A lot of discussion boards have a "subscription" model where you can 
> > subscribe to the particular forums you want, and then all messages to 
> > that forum get mailed out to you, so you get the benefits of both ways.
>
> One of the "features" I like about mailing lists is that it's easy to 
> participate in; getting, storing, archiving, searching, etc. messages is 
> all up to my mail client, and replying (keeping threads etc. in tact) is 
> essentially a keystroke. I know with mutt you even get the added bonus of 
> using your text editor of choice and it's all essentially very little 
> bandwidth usage; minus the bains of having broken international access 
> (yes, that happens here with nauseating frequency).
>
> Perhaps if you find mailing lists a pain, you should consider Edgar's 
> advice of getting to know your mail client?

Accessibility is the point.

There seems to be a condescending attitude from the mailing list proponents 
"if you don't like mailing lists it's OBVIOUS you must be too thick to be 
using your email client properly, if you were as clever as me, you'd 
OBVIOUSLY find mailing lists better"

The point is that I know how to use my email client. I happen to use one 
which doesn't do threading (many don't - but people who use one which does 
like to claim that anyone who doesn't use one which does must deserve to be 
in a mental home) - it has many other nice features that I like.

I could set up filter rules, but then I'd NEVER see the messages - even 
replies to my own messages, unless I kept going into the 'Lua folder'. With 
a web forum, I could ask to be sent emails for replies to my posts, but not 
see replies to posts I'm not interested in. I have more control.

Searching messages on a web forum is just as easy as on my email client. 
Storing & archiving messages isn't an issue - they're stored once at the 
web forum host, not on hundreds/thousands of disks around the world wasting 
space ;) The web forum manages threading, usually better than mailing lists 
(see the 'hijacked thread' issue - which wouldn't be an issue on a web forum).

I like mailing lists in some places. Eg, I like a mailing list for messages 
to the Nominet UK steering committee, because those are usually important 
to me. Other less critical ones I'd prefer to move to a web forum (if you 
get a forum with RSS support, you can centralise your viewing of the forums 
as well)

As for people who say 'I'd never register with a web forum' - I'm sorry, 
that just sounds like sour grapes to me. It can't be a privacy thing - 
that's usually better on a web forum than a mailing list, so I don't 
understand any reason other than a 'I hate web forums so I won't use one, 
so there!' for refusing to use one, if there's only a web forum available.


Paul				VPOP3 - Internet Email Server/Gateway
support@pscs.co.uk			http://www.pscs.co.uk/