>
> Sure, Yahoo is free. Hard to beat that ratio. ;')
> Heck, I don't even know how to have an upload area yet, or how to
> allow attachments.
> One of the big problems with a mailing list Yahoogroup like this one
> is that it becomes more and more difficult to find info as it ages.
> With categories, at least you are starting with a huge percentage of
> messages ruled out. The PIC list has some -very- strict rules on
> subject lines, as things are divided strictly by what it says in the
> subject line into categories. I think it sucks, as it is very
> difficult to search the archives.
> You can select "Watch this topic for replies", or check a box when
> posting to do the same. I am not seeing such a subscription button for
> a whole category or area. You would still have to go to the forum to
> reply.
> Have you looked at it yet? Give me some more feedback!
> Steve Greenfield
No i haven't looked it yet, those forums are more or less all the same
anyway.
Quite frankly i do _not_ see this group as an archive of information. If i
want written down archived information i go to google and can get many
pages which are much more coherent by the way.
I see this group as a _discussion_ group, for members to talk with each
other. New members will need information, but the archives of a discussion
can not be the best source for that, ever. We may talk two weeks about
some tiny little detail that is of no interest to a newcomer anyway. If
you worry about that create a wiki, so there is an easy way for everyone
to contribute and make somewhat of a starter's (maybe advanced) guide.
What i see this group as is a place where i can go if i have a silly idea
and hear your opinions on it. It should be a place where someone new to
the topic can go and ask specific questions, or get help when something
doesn't work as per instructions.
So IMO the archives are really secondary, and the forum style would - for
me - severely damage the main function of a discussion group.
I like that i get all posts as email, because i will look into many more
posts than i would look into in a forum and learn new things. For example
i would probably rarely look in categories that do not directly apply to
what i do, but here i will still quite often learn new things. But the
whole time it is still easy to skip all he topics i do not want to follow
further.
The difference is between getting everything - and igonring the
uninteresting bits, and getting noting, and actively searching out the
interesting bits.
I've used web based forums on a regular basis before, and i still
occassionally have to use one if it's like for something specific i need
help with right now. But i'm not an active member of any web based forum
any more, only yahoo mailing lists, because the web interface is simply so
much unnecessary effort. I don't want to get "new reply" notifications and
have to click on some link to see the thing after it finally loaded, and
then reply via a web form i probably _hate_. I don't want to see stupid
smiley pictures or formatting i don't like. I don't want to see posts
inside windows with loads of plainly useless frames and borders and gaps
and colors and spaces and tiny 8 point text and crap that can't be changed.
What i want is to get all the posts in my mail software, where it is
displayed in a sensible manner with minimal fuss and overhead that i can
choose and that stays that way, and a way to reply in that same software
that is sufficiently convenient. When i also get local storage of past
messages, easy off list direct mails, etc.. that's great.
Yahoo does this, _still does it_ despite all the changes and nonsense, and
so far i haven't known anything else that does even come close in
convienence and quality of service (yes it is crap, but it's still the
best crap out there). When i look at my unread emails i have all the posts
there already, waiting for me, and i don't need to do anything or go
anywhere or load something. A web based interface isn't ever going to be
nearly as convenient, and frankly those who prefer a web interface must
simply have a crappy email software, i have no other way of understanding
it.
Anyway, i hope i was quite clear on why i believe changing this isn't a
good idea to even think about.
ST