On 2/9/01 1:19 PM, "James M Galvin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Mailing lists are not inflexible, it is the management interface that is
> inflexible.
I think we're picking nits. Here's the scenario I'm thinking of:
I have a hockey list. Someone does something stupid, gets suspended. List
gets 25 messages all whining about something or other about the suspension.
On a straight mail list system (majordomo or mailman, for instance), to
split this out, I have to config out a list and get it running, then go back
to the first list, tell everyoen about the new list and ask them to go sign
up (which everyone has to do), and use that list to talk about the
suspension. By the time that's done, the burst of messages are done, the
suspension is over, and everyone's wondering what's going on.
For long-term splits, this is fine. For dealing with high-load bursts, mail
lists can't handle it.
> Case in point. I have and use a web-based system that is quite
> literally two clicks (one to type in the name and one to type in the
> welcome message) on a web page to create a list and two clicks (one to
> destroy and one to confirm) to destroy it. Subscribing is one click or
> email message to request a subscription, and one reply message to
> confirm it. It is not obvious to me how to make this easier but your
> mileage may vary.
Which is pretty darn good. I'm impressed. But even that's a huge pain in the
middle of an active discussion. Sort of like going to a party, and when
someone brings up politics, telling everyone to go out onto the patio and
stand on their heads in the middle of the sentence.... (grin)
> Don't get me wrong. Large discussion lists can be a problem, and while
> mailing list technology in general may not lend itself to the desired
> functionality, that's no reason to blame the management. The management
> just needs to be fixed.
I'm not blaming the management -- it's an inherent aspect of the technology.
With a web-forum type thing, it's pretty easy to create a new area, shift
the messages over, and leave a pointer to people to follow -- and even in a
hybrid web-email system like I run, it minimizes the amount of mail people
get from this kind of topic-burst until they have a chance to decide if they
want it... It's a lot easier to dynamically structure your topic areas on
the web than by e-mail, so you don't have to worry as much about "is it
worth building a list?" for things -- because even with your system, you
have issues like documenting list topics, getting people to know it exists,
convincing them to move a discussion to it. It's all doable, but not easy
for the admin or the user.
--
Chuq Von Rospach, Internet Gnome <http://www.chuqui.com>
[<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> = <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> = <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]
Yes, yes, I've finally finished my home page. Lucky you.
It's not the pace of life that concerns me, it's the sudden stop at the end.
