[Web4lib] Are e-mail discussion lists still relevant?

[Walt Crawford]

Ah, but "New platforms add another element to diversity of communication
channels" doesn't make for headline journalism, where "DEATH OF X IMMINENT!"
is always hot stuff.

And where would we be without the biennial note that lists (and email) are
universally dead, since User X (or, worse, Pundit Y) prefers some other
form?

Maybe we should form a Ning, build a wiki, and create a Facebook page so
that we can discuss the death of lists in contemporary fora. Chances are, it
would take a while to get 4,790 participants...

-walt crawford-

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 7:21 AM, Roy Tennant <tennantr at oclc.org> wrote:

> I'm not sure where this idea that email discussion lists are "silos" any
> more than blogs, wikis, Twitter, etc. Web4Lib has been browseable and
> searchable by anyone since shortly after its debut in 1994. The fact that
> individual posts are easily located in Google has been a point of
> contention
> for some.
>
> I welcome diversity of communication channels, which allows people to
> participate in professional discussions however they wish, but I don't seen
> any of these communication channels going away any time soon, and as Leo
> points out, list subscribership is very healthy -- Web4Lib has never had
> more subscribers than it does today, some 4,790 hardy souls who apparently
> are either too lazy to unsubscribe or continue to find value in it.
> Roy
>
>
> On 6/30/09 6/30/09 € 6:50 AM, "Leo Robert Klein" <leo at leoklein.com> wrote:
>
> > You know, it's funny:  At the time I put together the Drupal4lib list
> > (way back in 12/2007), a few people commented that it was 'old school'
> > and that I was creating/perpetuating yet another 'library silo'.
> >
> > Within a couple hours of the announcement, we had over 100 subscribers.
> >   We doubled that within a couple of days.  I should really check but I
> > think we're over 500 at the moment.
> >
> > Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worn out.  Either that, or
> > librarians love their silos.
> >
> > LEO
> >
> > -- -------------------
> > www.leoklein.com (site)
> > www.ChicagoLibrarian.com (blog)
> >
> > aim/msn/yhoo/goog: 'leorobertklein'
> > -- -------------------------------
> >
> >
> > B.G. Sloan wrote:
> >>>> Young, Jeffrey R. Change or Die: Scholarly E-Mail Lists, Once Vibrant,
> >>>> Fight for Relevance. Chronicle of Higher Education. June 25, 2009.
> >>>> http://beta.chronicle.com/article/Change-or-Die-Scholarly/46962/
> >>>>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Web4lib mailing list
> > Web4lib at webjunction.org
> > http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
> >
>
> --
>
>
>
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