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

[Ben Haines]

> I have wondered over the years as to why librarians still like their
email
> lists.  In Libraries, online discussion forums (or bulletin boards)
are a
> completely overlooked Web 2.0 service.  Within many other industries
and
> communities, forums are much more prevalent.
[snip]  
> James Day

I'd say it's mostly momentum, and a bit of "if it ain't broke, don't fix
it". Other communities started out using the blog format (LiveJournal)
or the forum format (4chan) and stuck with it. The mailing list was the
best technology available when librarians began using the internet for
professional development, so that's what we used. Sure, forums might be
more convenient in some ways--but there's a lot of work invested in the
existing structure, and rebuilding would be costly.

That's not to say there's not room for additional options. Just that I
think it's going to be hard to get critical mass, when any new
list/forum/website becomes Yet Another Thing To Check for the average
overworked librarian.

--
Ben Haines
Reference/Technology Librarian
Forest Park Public Library
bhaines at fppl.org