Proposal - the use-revolution list

[Scott Rossi]

Recently, "Dan Shafer"  wrote:

> I plan to ask RunRev at that point
> for permission to reflect this list into the discussion board.
 
> I'd be interested in feedback on this idea

Here's one which I'm sure will be followed by many more...

I'm no expert on Web forums but have some observations.  IMO, a "best of
both worlds" solution would be to have a Web based board that sends email.
For myself, the appeal of email (as opposed to a forum) is that I don't have
to go searching for new messages, determine what I've read and what I
haven't, make sure I respond in the correct folder, etc.  All that stuff is
great for organizational purposes and future reference but it demands a
significant of time which I find bothersome.  With email, I don't have to go
looking for it, it finds me.  And keep in mind that many of the folks on the
mail lists donate their time/knowledge on a volunteer basis; if the process
for donating that time becomes too demanding, the volunteers are going to
stop volunteering.

Another issue with forums that (IMO) can be a problem are those that allow
users to create topics.  The board winds up with thousands of folders, many
of which are redundant and effectively duplicate the same problem with an
email forum: the same questions get asked and answered repeatedly but now
you have the additional headache of having to manually search through all
those message on a Web board.  Heinous.  I believe a suggestion was made
here to have some designated top level subject folders such as "graphics',
"text management" etc -- I would strongly endorse this.  Let an
admin/moderator be responsible for creating the top level folders and limit
the number of folders to a "manageable" number.

Two references that might be worth throwing in the pot:

1) Adobe has (had?) a support board that allows you to see all new messages
from any forum you are subscribed to in a single window when you log in --
kind of like an answering machine.  IMO, this is a very effective means to
save time when looking for new messages/threads and should be a basic
feature of whatever board technology is evaluated.

2)  ColdFusion has a board system that allows threaded posts to be emailed
so you are notified by (and can respond via) email any time a new post
reaches the board.  To my mind this falls under the "best of both worlds"
solution.  It offers multiple methods for folks to participate which makes
it appealing and effective for a broader range of users.

FWIW, 

Regards,

Scott Rossi
Creative Director
Tactile Media, Multimedia & Design
-----
E: scott at tactilemedia.com
W: http://www.tactilemedia.com