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I agree, a web-based forum would be better in almost every way.
I have been using web-based car forums for nearly a decade. They are easier
to ask questions, easier to provide clear answers with picture and movie
supports. Topics are better organized, easier to search for old messages and
all messages and answers are accessible to all viewers (people will no
longer need to write summaries of the answers). And yes, they are extremely
easy to use.
Quyen
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mischa Machius" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Bulletin Board CCP4" <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 8:49 AM
Subject: [ccp4bb]: Moving the bulletin board to a modern format (again)
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The recent discussion about molecular biology has prompted me to try
again to suggest moving the bulletin board to a modern, web-based format.
I have suggested this in the past with mixed results. Most "hip" bulletin
boards (poetry, music, cars, etc.) are organized that way; the CCP4BB is
behind the time.
The most often voiced argument against this idea, and in favor of an
email-based system, was that an email-based system keeps one on their
toes. This is because one choses to monitor one's email account. If one
would choose to monitor a web browser window, one would have the same
benefits. In addition, one could always have any message posted to the
board automatically forwarded to one's email account.
The benefits of a modern system are numerous. It is easy to set up
different sections, so that one would not have to sign up for 15
different bulletin boards (O, CNS, CCP4, etc., etc.). We would thus have
a unified platform. Email accounts won't get clogged. Such a board would
be accessible from any access point to the Internet, whereas email may
not always be that easy to get to. There are also powerful communication
tools, like personal messaging and chat rooms that make interacting a lot
more straightforward compared to email.
To pre-empt the argument presented by some people last time I mentioned
this, that it would be too difficult to get used to a new system, I would
say, it is much more difficult to get used to a new piece of software, or
even a new version of it. We are all intelligent people (or so one would
assume), able to adjust instantaneously to new scientific results. We
would certainly be able to adjust to a new way of clicking buttons.
And: modern bulletin boards come with those funny emoticons. Now that
should brighten things up a lot. We could design emoticons to resemble
certain moods of certain people, such as DVD (formerly known as CD)
wearing a police hat, Gerard B. raising his eyebrows, Wladek M.
scratching his long-gone beard, etc., etc.
Cheers!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Mischa Machius, PhD
Assistant Professor
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.; ND10.214A
Dallas, TX 75390-8816; U.S.A.
Tel: +1 214 645 6381
Fax: +1 214 645 6353
