Yes, J. R., there are other technologies besides mailing lists.
web pages
web-based discussion boards
search databases
FAQ sheets
FTP sites
chat rooms
and those are only some of the well-developed technoligies. The really
exciting stuff comes in when you look at technologies that haven't been
used much, or technologies that haven't been used at all. Consider, for
example, the following sorts of questions: what would it be like if
subscribers could search or filter list content to get only the
information they want, rather than wading through thousands of irrelevent
messages? How could we combine real-time chat rooms with ongoing list
discussions, and with what benefits? How can we use "superlists" and
"sublists" to make communication with the right people easier and more
effective? How can web technologies benefit online discussions more? How
might an interactive and dynamic FAQ sheet work?
With the speed that technology changes, it seems short-sighted at best to
assume that any one technology is the best for any particular task.
----------------------
Ken Gourlay
Chain Communications
----------------------
On Thu, 4 Feb 1999, J. R. Molloy wrote:
>
> Chuq Von Rospach wrote,
> >The big problem is, we built hammers years ago, and put a lot of
> >effort into making really good hammers. But we're just now doing the
> >same for screwdrivers and table saws, so we tend to use the hammer
> >for everything, even if other technologies make more sense.
>
> "other technologies"? Name three.
>
> --J. R.
>
