A key difference between a public folder and a mailbox is that with a public folder a status of whether a message is read is maintained for each user who adds it to Favorites. With a mailbox, a message read by one is read by all. That makes a mailbox more suitable for a "help desk" type activity by reducing the number of people answering the same message.
Ed Crowley MCSE+Internet MVP kcCC+I Tech Consultant Compaq Computer Corporation Protecting the world from PSTs and Bricked Backups! -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Wat, Allen Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 9:14 AM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: RE: Opinions on distribution list vs. public discussion folder vs . m ailbox Jim, Paul brings up a good point on the DLs. You need to understand your user's requirements better to determine the best solution. Some tips: - A DL is a good solution for diseminating information (and may be good for passing responsibility between user's inboxes if only one user is on the list at any one given time), but it doesn't allow for any sort of workflow. It will be difficult for a department to determine who has responded to different requests with this solution and a request may end up with multiple differing responses. - A mailbox is a good shared solution. It can be a little more cumbersome to manage than a PF but the department can set up a heirarchy of folders to detail responses and manage workflow. I find it easier to set up 'send as' rights on a mailbox as well. Remember, by default Sent Items defaults to the user's inbox not the 'send as' sent items. If this is a requirement though, I've seen a COM addin that will facilitate. I think it on www.slipstick.com. - PFs are easy for users to get to and are an easy solution to implement and farm out to users. I find that Public Folders are well suited for open-forum items. This mailing list is the perfect example. You can also allow users to create a heirarchy below for management but be careful because PFs often grow like weeds and once there it can be tough to remove/organize once user's get used to it. Public Folders also offer some enhanced web folder capabilities if you really want to push the envelope but that is probably more than what you need. There are lots of solutions but the best one will depend mostly on the requirements being satisfied. Find out how the department wants to collaborate/coordinate efforts, basically understand the desired workflow. Good luck! Allen -----Original Message----- From: Hurst, Paul [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Posted At: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 7:01 AM Posted To: SWYNK-Exchange 2000 Conversation: Opinions on distribution list vs. public discussion folder vs . m ailbox Subject: RE: Opinions on distribution list vs. public discussion folder vs . m ailbox Jim, I find that DL's for this usually does not work as each committee members get an email that they reply unknowingly that their colleague on the committee has already answered it. Cheers Paul Standards are like toothbrushes, everybody agrees you should have one, but no one wants to use yours -----Original Message----- From: Jim Helfer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 3:59 PM To: Exchange Discussions Subject: Opinions on distribution list vs. public discussion folder vs. m ailbox A user came to me with a request to set up a new GAL Distribution list for the members of a commitee, for the purpose of having a place that other employees can e-mail questions and have them addressed by members of the commitee (it's a CAD Standards commitee, and people have been using the excuse that they don't know who to ask when they have questions about the proper rules). I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to set up a public folder that people could post to, or just have a single mailbox that would be monitored by whomever is interested? Or is a DL the best solution for this? I guess what I am worried about is a flood of people wanting me to create Public distribution lists for every comittee or project. Besides being a bit of a hassle to maintain the proper membership, we only have about 100 "real mailboxes" in the GAL now, and it might be confusing for people if there are so many distribution lists mixed in there. Just wondering how other people handle this. I know the answer is "however management thinks best serves the business needs of the organization", but the boss is going to ask me the best way to set this up. Thanks for any ideas Jim Helfer _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ ********************** The information contained in this message or any of its attachments may be confidential and is intended for the exclusive use of the addressee(s). Any disclosure, reproduction, distribution or other dissemination or use of this communication is strictly prohibited without the express permission of the sender. The views expressed in this email are those of the individual and not necessarily those of Sony or Sony affiliated companies. Sony email is for business use only. This email and any response may be monitored by Sony United Kingdom Limited. (05) ************************************************************************ ********************** _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________________ List posting FAQ: http://www.swinc.com/resource/exch_faq.htm Archives: http://www.swynk.com/sitesearch/search.asp To unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Exchange List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
