Forum vs. email-list Communication Modes

[Jon Matcho]

I like the freedom of a elist coming to me via email...

On the other hand, there's something to be said about the freedom of being able to go to the discussion at one's leisure, without e-mail access (at someone else's house, etc.) Other benefits of forum-based communication include:

• Topic Categorization

  email lists do not allow easy categorization of the topics, whereas with a forum you need to consciously determine what you're writing about before you send something to everyone's Inbox.

• Browser Based (email NOT Required)

  No matter where I'm at, as long as I have access to any sort of Web browser, I can get my fill of canard-related shop talk.

• Topic Subscription

  You can subscribe to topics that interest you and have e-mails sent notifying you of discussion in that particular area. In this regard, the modes of communication are almost the same, with the exception of being able to reply via your e-mail client (I'm looking for a solution for this BTW).

• Attachments

  Most email lists prohibit attachments. Here you can attach a file, and if a graphic, see a thumbnail to help determine whether you want to bother looking at it.

• Instant Archive & Search

  When my Inbox began to consume 100MB of canard-related messages, the time came to prune and rely on the archive database. Most e-mail list-based archives and search are not up to par with the searching capabilities of this particular forum software configuration.

• URL Discussion Thread Reference

  Forum discussion topics and text is permanent, allowing me to forward a simple URL to someone if I want to direct them to a particular sub-forum, discussion/thread, or individual post.

• Text Embellishments

  Having rich word processor-like functionality facilitates good communication.

 

The freedom of choice is yours, and by all means, do feel free to choose to use this forum however you like.

[Spodman]

I like both, being at the information gathering stage. I imagine both would get irritating to the more experienced when newbies start tired threads like "Hey! Has anybody thought of fitting retracts to a Cozy?" or "I've read that the Lycoming was first used in Fred Flintstone's homebuilt Pterodactyl, can I bolt on a Caterpiller diesel?", but with the forum you can direct goose-boy to the link rather than pleading for him to consult the archive.

 

I like to keep snippets from the mail list, and I'll have them as long as I can read the format. In the forum it depends on the moderator still being there when I want the information. The EZ Squadron had a huge archive of Hangar Flying which has gone down the gurgler due server failure or something

 

I can also access both formats away from home, as my e-mail provider has a web-mail service that's easy to browse.

 

I can also filter "Lycoming risk assessment" "failure rate" so they never leave the server & use my e-mail browser to filter everything with "Cozy" into a separate INBOX. This means I don't miss an opportunity for a stronger, longer, thicker something-or-other with free money & extra hair if it takes me a week or two to get through a backlog of Cozy messages.

 

But if I want to know something I'll check the archive here first, and its much easier to follow a discussion here, particularly if I come in late and need to review what the actual question is.

 

Pikkies are good too, must be some overstuffed servers somewhere. Below is my 1:72 Cozy. It's progress doesn't bode well for full scale production anytime soon.

[cncdoc]

I like the informal "in your face" format of the email list along with the almost immediate responses to the original comments. After a while you get a better sense of who knows what they're talking about and who is an "armchair" builder.

 

On the other hand..............

 

I delete a lot of one line congradulatory remarks, test emails, hodge podge and unrelated drivel. Sometimes I just "mark all as read"

 

The Forum has a more organized structure, like a filing cabinet. There are some threads I will never read. However, some of the threads get hi-jacked into something I like or am interested in and I can't find it. I like humor in posts, but most emails are down to business.

 

I think there are advantages to both, and disadvantages to both. If I had to suggest an improvement to each it would be:

 

Email lists: Keep the responses and questions pertinent and to the point. Rambling comments without factual content just wastes everyone's time. Remember that there are hundreds of people who have to sort through the stuff written. Make it worth reading or don't write it.

 

Forums: Keep the posts lively and informative. Here is a good place for congradulatory remarks and acknowledgements. Do you have an idea? Did you find something to share but you're not quite sure of it's value to the Canard community? This is a good place for it. The search allows others to recall the post they read earlier and can add to it, refresh it and shine new light on it.

 

I could go on but I think that both methods of communicating ideas, facts, and information have their place. As long as we take into consideration the time spent by others' reading our words, it will be of value to almost everyone.