Web forums vs. mailing lists
totototo@telus.net (Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:35:08 PDT)
The difference is very simple: with forums, you, the reader, have to go to the
messages. With mailing lists, the messages come to you. Forums have the further
difference that you can set up a forum subdivided into different subjects.
Some people prefer one, some prefer the other.
However, when there's a successful mailing list already running (such as this
one), setting up a web-based forum for reasons that are essentially spurious
(i.e. claims that web forums are inherently better) may have the effect of
balkanizing discussion. As matters stand, if you want to read all online
discussion of, say, trilliums, you have to look in quite a number of places.
This is not good, but I cannot propose any solution.
What I detest is ineffective moderation. I used to subscribe to alpine-l when
Harry Dewey was running it, but when a message came through from someone asking
about how to grow petunias, I unsubscribed.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island