[K12OSN] 853 unread messages...

[Tom Brown]

If K12OSN moves away from the listserv format, we'll probably lose members. 
Examples:

1. Michiana Linux Users Group changed its web site from static pages and a 
listserv to Drupal (CMS with forums, blogs, etc.). Some members flatly 
refused to use the forum based, interactive site and threatened to leave 
the organization. Apparently a significant number of folks like the simple 
listserv format and don't want to browse for information or check multiple 
forums. So MLUG kept the listerv intact, and it is more active than the CMS 
forums.

2. The Indiana Green Party had a one-size-fits-all listserv and divided it 
into two listservs (announce, discuss). The organization lost a large 
percentage of  its subscribers when members had to choose one, the other, 
or both lists. Change is a drop-out opportunity.

An advantage of the one-size-fits-all listserv is keeping local searchable 
archives. CMS/bb systems are often full text searchable, but nothing beats 
an off-line archive for availability and speed -- if you have the local 
storage.

Tom

At 08:06 PM 6/9/04 +0800, you wrote:
>On Wed, 2004-06-09 at 18:56, John Ingleby wrote:
> > Interesting... this issue just came up for me, too. I've been running
> > www.schoolforge.org.uk for a year now, which started life as a Wiki and
> > is now a PostNuke site. Over that time, from various email lists, I've
> > accumulated lots of messages with really useful information in them, but
> > never managed to develop them into Wiki pages.
> >
>-snip-
>
> > So I've been looking for a forum package that integrates with email
> > lists, and FUDforum seems to meet the bill. If so, it could turn a
> > mailing list into an easily searchable, up-to-date archive, to which you
> > can post either by email or web access.
>-snip-
>
>I'm going to contribute to this discussion, not because I have a great
>deal of knowledge in this area, simply because I have an interest in
>knowledge systems ... and I'm an opinionated bore ;-)
>
>I've got a lot out of this list over the past 18mnths simply because it
>_IS_ so diverse.  Someone's OT message may spark my interest and I'll
>look at a web site or three that would never have come to my attention
>before.  Restrict this list to specific topic groupings and I would
>never have that exposure because I have too much to read already and so
>little time.  On the other hand, force me to look at something and I
>usually go "Oh yeh, that's got to be useful" or I just skip over it.  As
>for the vexed question of accessing all that unstructured and
>(seemingly) disparate information, then all I can do is repeat that
>well-worn phrase, "Google is your friend".  I've actually ended up
>subscribing to lists that I've never heard of after a web search led to
>an answer on a mailing list.
>
>--
>         Regards,
>
>         Gavin Chester
>
>
>
>
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