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

[Chad F. Boeninger]

I've used Bulletin Boards and forums for quite some time, mostly to 
search, rather than post.  I use the WordPress forums and Pre Central 
quite a bit, and one of my favorite personal forums is BikeForums.net. 
I usually get very good information at these sites, and in most cases 
you can search for information without joining.  Unfortunately, forums 
can also encourage some bad behavior, as most people on the forums don't 
use their real name.  Flaming, baiting, and trolling, as well as 
outright criticism and verbal abuse are often found on these forums, 
particularly is you forget to "search then post".  Not to say that a 
Web4Lib Forum would ever stoop to such levels, but having real names and 
emails associated with the content helps to keep things a bit more 
professional and civilized.

K.G. Schneider wrote:
>> I also think many of the list owners are still in place. Once owners
>> retire
>> and pass on the list management, changes may occur. NexGenLib had that
>> happen. Owner stepped down and it was moved to Google Groups because it
>> offered the added functionality similar to a forum.
> 
> Before we start distinguishing between those list-reading hipsters and their
> stick-in-the-mud, change-resistant admins, a couple of years ago I suggested
> PUBLIB consider a forum-type technology (the idea was suggested first by a
> library director), and there was a very emphatic thumbs-down. Some of the
> criticism made sense, such as not having to search another silo. Some of it
> was simple resistance to change. In any event, it clearly was not a good
> time for that discussion and in retrospect it wasn't that IMPORTANT at the
> time (or I would have persisted, since people who are resistant to change
> are usually the earliest, loudest voices-at least based on the library
> committees I've served on ;) ). 
> 
> Incidentally, back to AHA Techtalk, not only is it a mailing list, it's
> moderated, and it's a single daily digest. Many on this list are very geeky
> but they're (apparently) happy to get their AHA fix once a day. There are
> various web forums for homebrewing, but Techtalk seems to make everyone
> happy. (Though it has a closed archive with very weak search.) So there are
> cultural preferences and norms that have nothing to do with being
> technically astute.
> 
> I'd love to hear about good technical solutions... it helps to be equipped
> with good info! 
> 
> Karen G. Schneider
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 

-- 
Chad F. Boeninger
Reference & Instruction Technology Coordinator
Business & Economics Subject Specialist
Ohio University Libraries
boeninge at ohio.edu
(740) 597-1932
AIM & Yahoo IM:  cfboeninger
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/businessblog/
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/