[plug] plug mailing list vs Forum

[Bernd Felsche]

On Friday 25 June 2004 07:03, Clare Johnstone wrote:
> First, I would like to thank Craig Ringer and Cameron Patrick in
> particular for the very interesting comments on various readers.
>
> On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 johnmorcos wrote:
> > i work 80 hrs a
> > week i don't have the time to waste, its hard enough to find time to
> > read plug mailing list along with my other reading aswell.
>
> In view of this I am amazed that you regard any web-based activity as
> superior to even a minimal mail reader.
>
> On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 Bret Busby wrote:
> > And, what do you do, with a forum, when you decide that it is
> > appropriate to reply to the poster of a message, rather than to the
> > forum as a whole? use email? Why not then, use email and a mailing
> > list, which makes responding to either the forum or to the poster of
> > the message to which the response is being made, much simpler?
>
> Quite so, and additionally, as one who doesn't read anything web-based
> unless forced, screaming, literally, to the terminal (read "OTRS
> Ticket#") the joy of mailing lists, to me, is the way they have the feel
> of a big conversation between friends.
>
> This same feel exists on some Usenet newsgroups too, especially if read
> with Pine rather than a newsreader. This may seem odd to you, but I am
> lazy about newsreaders, and dont have to do downloads to read news.
> However I should mention that in recent years the noise level on
> newsgroups has risen alarmingly, and gatewaying to a newsgroup for that
> reason may be counter-productive.
>
> In spite of my web aversions http://groups.google.com is a marvellous
> place to search (or just to read newsgroups) and I am surprised it is not
> often mentioned.  Perhaps it is because I use that when faced with a
> technical difficulty that I never bother with the plug archives.
>
> One of the big problems I see with using the mailing list as a source of
> technical information is that there is a gulf between the conversations
> on the bleeding edge and the answers to newbie questions. Some how we pay
> lip-service to the idea of helping newbies, but in fact just keep talking
> among ourselves. And putting those conversations into a forum or whatever
> will not change that problem. So this, which I just found via Groklaw
> might be of interest
> http://faqomatic.sourceforge.net/fom-serve/cache/1.html
>
> It is not a recommendation I have only briefly looked at it. But it is a
> system which may separate the conversational aspects (mailing list) from
> the on-line help aspects. If it is as good as it looks, it would focus on
> the technical stuff, and could be done on several levels, so that people
> without enormous experience could add help for others at their own stage
> of learning. If we did implement it, it would be very important to
> encourage more of us (even me) to contribute. If we did it well it would
> take some pressure off the mailing list; would it answer some of the
> needs felt by those wanting a "forum" instead?
>
> clare
>
> _______________________________________________
> PLUG discussion list: plug at plug.linux.org.au
> http://mail.plug.linux.org.au/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/plug
> Committee e-mail: committee at plug.linux.org.au

-- 
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