I think when you boil it down, lists and digest have overlapping uses
but in their strengths have advantages.
A listserve is especially good for developing community as everyone sees
everything unless they set up filters.
Modern forums usually have the option of email notification when you
post (or for other subject headings which interest you) and with that
feature forums can be more efficient and directed than email lists.
You don't have to open a browser/ go to the forum until you know there
is something that interest you ... and the email link takes you directly
there with one click.
Forums can be easily filtered at the start in this way while with lists
you are exposed to a lot of traffic (which can be considered good or
bad) but for sure it is an ongoing process to deal with the traffic on
lists ... even if you set up filters.
But with many people using that feature forums, don't usually develop
the sense of community that a list can.
Does anyone know if there are any lists which are also concurrently set
up as forums? ... seems like that might be possible.
db
b_s-wilk wrote:
> I'm sorry I misunderstood. So you have an older dial-up connection
> that's charged by the minute? Yes, that was the heyday of mailing
> lists. They were actually designed around that type of scenario. But
> since most everyone has unmetered connections, or always-on broadband
> these days, that reasoning makes little sense any longer.
>
> Besides, now that browsers are as fast as email clients, it no longer
> makes any sense for most of us to use anything else for email.
What unmetered world do you live in? One Broadband ISP after another
is starting to meter connections. Some are generous; others are
getting downright stingy.
Mailing lists work much better than browser-based forums in many ways.
They're more available than forums since you can get email in more
ways than an Internet connection. Email gives a bit of a buffer
between posts and are less likely to get out of hand. Email is easier
to sort than a forum where you have to wade through all of the posts
instead of easily finding ones you want, using email filters. I like
my Yahoo! Groups a lot--online AND in an email client.
Browser based forums and chats are good for tech support, but
otherwise, especially when they use proprietary formats, are best used
sparingly, so we don't have to use three browsers at a time, or switch
to another platform. Not all broadband is the same. The folks with the
10-15Gb connection are likely to dominate conversation compared to
those with 1-2Gb, unless its a Q/A type forum instead of a "discussion".
Betty
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