[Icehouse] Forum v List

[David Artman]

I have not seen a modern forum system which does not allow e-mail
subscription. Ever. So folks who "threaten" pack up their toys and go home
if we move to a forum are just being willful (or ignorant). Period.

Log onto the group/forum, go to Preferences (User Settings, whatever) and
check the checkbox/pull down the drop-down list to "E-mail Subscription."
Boom, done. Just like a list--you won't be able to tell the different in
your e-mail client... except if someone sets it up on a "free" hosting site,
and its footers are cluttered up by that site (ex: Yahoo). Google Groups
allows the admin to specify the footer--thus, it could be blank. But even
THIS list has a footer, so even THAT's a non-criticism.

The optimal solution is installation of a forum on a private-hosting (i.e.
paid-for) site. Baring that, the next-best solution is Google Groups. Either
solution should be "Official," to avoid community schism... and THAT is the
only real reason nothing will happen--never enough time, never enough
attention, we make-do, even though all we Officially need is someone at LL
to send a post to this list, tell us about a move, and then shut it down
after about a month. I figure ten minutes of effort... never gonna happen.
(Cue tedious explanations about how every Official action requires hours of
agonized deliberation and communications to the four corners of the office,
etc....)

What never gets mentioned is that the list is actually inefficient, for some
things. Photos? Nope. Want to share a file? Go find hosting and hope your
message with your link is noticed (and can be found by a reasonable archive
search). Planning something? Where is the Calendar function on this list?
...Oh, right... lists don't have ANY other functionality other than group
e-mail management. Gee...

Folks, face the facts: those who want a list-like experience can have it
trivially, with a web group/forum. But those who want the groupware
functions offered by most forums and groupware applications... we're
screwed. The use of a listserv is, flatly, prejudicial with no real benefit
to those enforcing the prejudice.

It's just, plain stupid. 1990 technology, defended only by blind
conservatives or people utterly terrified of change.

NOW it's a fight? Happy?
David
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