[plug] Forum Software

[Bernd Felsche]

Cameron Patrick <cameron at patrick.wattle.id.au> wrote:
>W.Kenworthy wrote:

>> The reason is forums suck in a plug like setting - big time!
>> Thats why few do it ... there should still be a viable mailing
>> list option for those of us who prefer email.  I have not
>> followed the thread until something prior to this caught my eye
>> which seemed to *imply* that plug was moving to a forum and there
>> will be no email list.  Please tell me its not so?

>The suggestion from Pia last night went something like this:
>"newbies do web pages and not e-mail, we need to be friendly to
>newbies, therefore we should set up forums".  This was, er, not
>universally well-received...

There are other options... such as increasing the exposure of the
plug.* newsgroups.

Unlike forums, the user interface is completely under the control
of the user. They can have silly animations to represent smilies and
vor people who want to be seen, include article headers with ugly
mugshots (aka avatars).

At least users of newsgroups have the option of using a real text
editor.

Unlike forums, users can read and post while offline.

Unlike forums, it is unlikely that the web site hosting the forum
will become owned by spammers, etc. due to security flaws in the
software.

Unlike forums, administrators of systems running NNTP servers
can leave things running on "automatic".

Administrators can set expiry times on threads in newsgroups.
(e.g. Leafnode expires by thread.)

Like forums; "administrators" can cancel articles and nobody will be
able to fetch them in future. (Articles appearing forums in the past
can of course be archived in any number of locations.)

And look; PLUG already has an NNTP server with mail<->news gateways.

You have a working gold-mine and you're looking for lead?
-- 
/"\ Bernd Felsche - Innovative Reckoning, Perth, Western Australia
\ /  ASCII ribbon campaign | The object of life is not to be on the side of 
 X   against HTML mail     | the majority but to escape finding oneself in
/ \  and postings          | the ranks of the insane.  -- Marcus Aurelius