Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
Hi Greg and all, The greatest problem I have with the list is people send Me private emails with the list in the subject box: Since I sometimes Don't read all the posts or sometimes take days to read them all, This means some private posts never reach me. We would all do well to NEVER send a private post with [meteorite-list] in the subject box - unless it is preceded with OFF LIST My 2 cents. Michael on 2/21/08 1:41 PM, GREG LINDH at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Del, I agree with you. If I'm away from my computer for just a few days, I have a couple of hundred e-mails to go through. What a pain. Plus, I have to look very carefully at the e-mails because I delete the vast majority of the ones from the meteorite list. If I don't check the e-mails carefully, I may delete an actual e-mail from a friend. It's happened before. I've moderated a Yahoo Group (forum) for about 6 years and it is much more user friendly than the Meteorite List. I love all of the knowledge that is given out by the members of this list. I just wish it didn't come to me in my e-mail. With respect, Greg Lindh Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:35:18 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format? I agree with this too! A lot of very good info here and boy it really sucks if you go on vacation or something because you'll have 100+ emails to clean out. The least that could be done for a forum is maybe setting up something through Yahoo. It isn't that difficult to do and it would probably take an hour or two to setup. Del --- JKGwilliam wrote: David and List, I don't know the answer to your questions, but they sure make sense. About a year and a half ago, I finally shut down the Meteorite Impact Forum due to a lack of participation. Even with nearly 200 registered members, there was very little traffic for the final three months. Online forums offer a lot of updated features that the old mail servers don't. The one feature that I really like, and is reason enough to use a forum, is that replies stay in chronological order. I don't know about the rest of you, but it's very frustrating for me to try and read all the replies to a thread in order. I end up reading all the replies and then try guessing what order they should be in. If you miss even one reply, some threads don't make sense. With a forum, this doesn't happen. My only guess is that the Meteorite List has been around for a long time ( I've been here for 10 years) that no one wants to mess with convention. Or, could it be an old dog/new trick issue? Best, John At 12:56 PM 2/21/2008, David Kitt Deyarmin wrote: I'm not trying to stir up trouble or incite arguments I'm just curious. Email lists are by today's standard an antiquated venue for discussing any hobby. They have many limitations and can be taxing on your email inbox, which is why I receive the Dailey Digest. I delete them and do all of my reading from the archives. Online forums are easier to use and the posted info is easier to track. Plus it's easy to ignore topics that you're not interested in without having to pick through a bunch of emails. However, I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying stir up trouble, I'm just trying to understand the aversion most of this list has to using a forum. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list _ ___ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
on 2/21/08 12:37 PM, Gary K. Foote at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. Gary and all, I don't use forums for the following reasons: #1 - most require a sign in identity AND a password (I can hardly keep track Of all the passwords and sign ins I have already). For instance, I refuse to have anything to do with Yahoo because of their obsession with signing in, passwords, etc. #2 In some forums people do not identify themselves, but instead have a handle or forum nickname. I don't care to communicate with people whom I cannot identify. #3 Forums are always live - right now, for instance, it is 5:43 AM and I Am writing the list. People will read it when they are ready, when they are Not at work, or eating dinner with their wife or watching TV or the like. I doubt any forum has anyone on at this time. #4 People can pretend they are ME and say horrid things in such a format. (There was a Meteorite Blog that started about a year ago - I dropped out within 20 minutes for this reason and the general filth of the place). Lastly, many or even most may not see my reasons as valid - but you might want to accept the fact that lots of people do things - or don't Do things for reasons we, ourselves, see as irrational or an excuse or whatever. It is still a fact. The meteorite list suits me just fine - you can read it when you want - you can delete and still look up old posts at Meteorite Central. It is all I need. However, I might drop in some time to check out this forum thing. Who knows, I might get into it. Best wishes, Michael __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
I know you said most may not see my reasons as valid but this went to the entire list so I would like an opportunity to address each of your issues for the benefit of the other members that may not be familiar with how forums work. --- #1 - most require a sign in identity AND a password (I can hardly keep track Of all the passwords and sign ins I have already). For instance, I refuse to have anything to do with Yahoo because of their obsession with signing in, passwords, etc. The Met List required you to create a password when you signed up. There has to be a cookie somewhere on your computer that identifies you when you send an email to the list otherwise anyone could send emails to the list without subscribing. When you sign up for most forums you can elect that it bypass the sign in procedure every time you visit which will put a cookie on your computer. Yahoo does require you to sign in frequently but most other forums don't. --- #2 In some forums people do not identify themselves, but instead have a handle or forum nickname. I don't care to communicate with people whom I cannot identify. The Met List allows people to do the same thing. On this list you see my email which is bobadebt at ec.rr.com, my real name is David Deyarmin. Several other members use email addresses that are not connected to their real identity. HOWEVER, a forum admin can make it mandatory that you have your real identity attached to your profile. An added benift of a forum is that you can use avatars (small pictures) to represent yourself in each post. I'm sure most people would use a real picture. The Admin can actually require that a member either uses a real image or none at all. Being new to the community I would love to see who I'm talking to when I read this list. --- #3 Forums are always live - right now, for instance, it is 5:43 AM and I Am writing the list. People will read it when they are ready, when they are Not at work, or eating dinner with their wife or watching TV or the like. I doubt any forum has anyone on at this time. Of all your reasons I find this one the most confusing. You do not have to use a forum in real time. A forum can be accessed by any member at their convenience. I think your talking about chat rooms. --- #4 People can pretend they are ME and say horrid things in such a format. (There was a Meteorite Blog that started about a year ago - I dropped out within 20 minutes for this reason and the general filth of the place). People can do the same thing at the met list I could create a yahoo email account that was mblood at yahoo.com and make it appear as Michael Blood when I send emails. I could subscribe to the list and pretend to be you. Forums are actually have more security protocols available designed to prevent this very issue. --- This is from your other post to the list The greatest problem I have with the list is people send Me private emails with the list in the subject box: Since I sometimes Don't read all the posts or sometimes take days to read them all, This means some private posts never reach me. We would all do well to NEVER send a private post with [meteorite-list] in the subject box - unless it is preceded with OFF LIST All forums have a Private Message System which allows any member the opportunity to send a message to a single person. Members have the option to disable this feature if they do not want to receive PMs. Some forums have a Send a member an email option which enable a person to email a member without that member having to make their email address public. --- I hope this helps clear up a few of the concerns that you have. Art has already said he's implementing code that will allow users to use this list as an Email List or a Forum so hopefully it will please satisfy all the members that use this venue to communicate with the meteorite community. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
Dear Listees: I find it bizarre and somewhat annoying that every so often someone joins the M-List and then tries to change it. Why isn't it this way or that way? you ask. The M-List, along with Meteorite Times, are the cornerstones of the international meteorite collecting community and the List works great just the way it is. If you don't want to read the as it happens news, subscribe to the daily digest. Very easy. The List has been around for 11 (?) years. I've been a member for more than ten, and I also run a large international fossil discussion group -- The Paleolist -- which employs exactly the same excellent Mailman software which Art Jones uses to run the M-List. In fact, I modelled the Paleolist after the M-List in some respects (thank you Art), because it does work so very well. I've also been a web professional for more than ten years and in my experience, forums are difficult and inefficient to use, have security and reliability issues, and -- please! -- the suggestion about moving to Yahoo Groups? That is the WORST available discussion format -- loaded with cheap ads and with Yahoo's tacky, antiquated and user-unfriendly features slapped on top. The M-List is the biggest and best meteorite discussion group out there, and I'm quite sure it always will be. Love it or leave it : ) Respectfully, Geoff N. www.aerolite.org www.campometeorites.com __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
The M-List is the biggest and best meteorite discussion group out there, and I'm quite sure it always will be. After a fine speech, our dear respected friend and long-time list member Geoff stepped off the soapbox! I could not agree more... Thanks also a bunch to Art Jones, the admin of this list! Alex Berlin/Germany [...member since the very beginnings...] __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
I guess that sums up my sentiments as well! I must agree with Geoff even though I do belong to some forums. But I like instant gratification whether positive or negative and I seem to get that here. Also the knowledge base here is more apparent to me. Not that forums lack informed participants but I can't seem to relate personally to them as readily as here. After all, this is up automatically every time I open email. If that's lazy then I confess sloth. Jerry Flaherty - Original Message - From: Notkin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Meteorite List meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 1:51 PM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format? Dear Listees: I find it bizarre and somewhat annoying that every so often someone joins the M-List and then tries to change it. Why isn't it this way or that way? you ask. The M-List, along with Meteorite Times, are the cornerstones of the international meteorite collecting community and the List works great just the way it is. If you don't want to read the as it happens news, subscribe to the daily digest. Very easy. The List has been around for 11 (?) years. I've been a member for more than ten, and I also run a large international fossil discussion group -- The Paleolist -- which employs exactly the same excellent Mailman software which Art Jones uses to run the M-List. In fact, I modelled the Paleolist after the M-List in some respects (thank you Art), because it does work so very well. I've also been a web professional for more than ten years and in my experience, forums are difficult and inefficient to use, have security and reliability issues, and -- please! -- the suggestion about moving to Yahoo Groups? That is the WORST available discussion format -- loaded with cheap ads and with Yahoo's tacky, antiquated and user-unfriendly features slapped on top. The M-List is the biggest and best meteorite discussion group out there, and I'm quite sure it always will be. Love it or leave it : ) Respectfully, Geoff N. www.aerolite.org www.campometeorites.com __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
Well said Geoff...I totally agree...hope you've recovered from the Tucson efforts...great show! Best wishes, Graham Ensor Notkin wrote: Dear Listees: I find it bizarre and somewhat annoying that every so often someone joins the M-List and then tries to change it. Why isn't it this way or that way? you ask. The M-List, along with Meteorite Times, are the cornerstones of the international meteorite collecting community and the List works great just the way it is. If you don't want to read the as it happens news, subscribe to the daily digest. Very easy. The List has been around for 11 (?) years. I've been a member for more than ten, and I also run a large international fossil discussion group -- The Paleolist -- which employs exactly the same excellent Mailman software which Art Jones uses to run the M-List. In fact, I modelled the Paleolist after the M-List in some respects (thank you Art), because it does work so very well. I've also been a web professional for more than ten years and in my experience, forums are difficult and inefficient to use, have security and reliability issues, and -- please! -- the suggestion about moving to Yahoo Groups? That is the WORST available discussion format -- loaded with cheap ads and with Yahoo's tacky, antiquated and user-unfriendly features slapped on top. The M-List is the biggest and best meteorite discussion group out there, and I'm quite sure it always will be. Love it or leave it : ) Respectfully, Geoff N. www.aerolite.org www.campometeorites.com __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
I also belong to a couple forums. They are nice for some reasons, but not great for others. Most of those have been mentioned already. One thing that I really like about e-mail lists is that I can click on one or two buttons in my e-mail application (Outlook) and go through all of the messages easily. The Delete button gets used half of the time; the next button gets used the other half (which means I want to keep the e-mail). That is very simple. Most forums have multiple sections, so you have to click on different links or buttons to switch between the sections, then click on a topic, and then scroll down through it. At the bottom of the topic thread, some forum software will allow you to go to the next topic, but others don't. Some allow you to go to the next section; others do not. Navigation in e-mail is so much easier. In e-mail, I can sort my Inbox by subject, select multiple e-mails with that subject and delete them (or move them to a specific folder if I want to keep them). You can't do that on a forum. Sometimes the already read automatic feature in all forums don't work correctly (especially if you click on your web browser's Back button to go back to the section's topic index), so after you have read a topic in a forum/section, it doesn't get marked as read and the next time you go in there (maybe a few days or a week later), you mistakenly re-read a topic that you've already read, even if no new messages are posted in it. That doesn't happen in e-mail with a good e-mail application. As others have said, most forums allow pictures and that is nice. Forums are also more like a community because you are able to see a forum member's profile or their avatar (a small personalized picture) like David mentioned. But, when you have that community feeling, you tend to get a lot of one-line replies like Yeah, me too or Great job or Congrats on finding that meteorite. I like to hear that sometimes, and I even say it sometimes, but sometimes I'm too busy to wade through 20 of those to get to the next meaningful post in the topic thread. On an e-mail list such as this one, we don't seem to get nearly as many of those. Sometimes having different sections in a forum are good if the forum is very broad and the sections are very specific. But people often post to the wrong forum section so you won't be able to find the messages that you are looking for (unless you search through all of the sections). You don't have to worry about this with e-mail. It all comes in to one place and it's very easy to search. I know we aren't voting, but if we were, I would strongly vote to keep this list as it is. Anyone who would rather have the forum functionality, they are free to join those other forums. I have joined other forums and other lists specifically so I can get all of the information possible. I think that is the best way to do it, but you have to know what to expect in forums vs. e-mail lists or you might go crazy. :-) Regards, Bob -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jerry Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 2:52 PM To: Notkin; Meteorite List Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an onlineforum format? I guess that sums up my sentiments as well! I must agree with Geoff even though I do belong to some forums. But I like instant gratification whether positive or negative and I seem to get that here. Also the knowledge base here is more apparent to me. Not that forums lack informed participants but I can't seem to relate personally to them as readily as here. After all, this is up automatically every time I open email. If that's lazy then I confess sloth. Jerry Flaherty - Original Message - From: Notkin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Meteorite List meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 1:51 PM Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format? Dear Listees: I find it bizarre and somewhat annoying that every so often someone joins the M-List and then tries to change it. Why isn't it this way or that way? you ask. The M-List, along with Meteorite Times, are the cornerstones of the international meteorite collecting community and the List works great just the way it is. If you don't want to read the as it happens news, subscribe to the daily digest. Very easy. The List has been around for 11 (?) years. I've been a member for more than ten, and I also run a large international fossil discussion group -- The Paleolist -- which employs exactly the same excellent Mailman software which Art Jones uses to run the M-List. In fact, I modelled the Paleolist after the M-List in some respects (thank you Art), because it does work so very well. I've also been a web professional for more than ten years and in my experience, forums are difficult and inefficient to use, have security and reliability issues, and -- please
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
Hi All, I would like to keep this list as is as Bob L. mentioned. I am a moderator of three groups and have found that often I do not read them daily unless a post was send directly to me, and also if photos were posted and it was send in a message one never knows. Other groups I belong to I read only as a daily digest because they clutter up my mail box. The forum I belong to is also nice and one can see the photos right away, but one always has to scroll all the way down to read an added reply or sometimes they even show up added to an old topic of two months ago. I like this list and have it come into a separate folder and this doesn't interfere with my personal emails. I also like when some one has an URL send to share a picture. Usually that is one click and certainly no problem at all. Keep up this terrific list Art, many thank yous from me. With best regards, Moni _ Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your fix. http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
David and List, I don't know the answer to your questions, but they sure make sense. About a year and a half ago, I finally shut down the Meteorite Impact Forum due to a lack of participation. Even with nearly 200 registered members, there was very little traffic for the final three months. Online forums offer a lot of updated features that the old mail servers don't. The one feature that I really like, and is reason enough to use a forum, is that replies stay in chronological order. I don't know about the rest of you, but it's very frustrating for me to try and read all the replies to a thread in order. I end up reading all the replies and then try guessing what order they should be in. If you miss even one reply, some threads don't make sense. With a forum, this doesn't happen. My only guess is that the Meteorite List has been around for a long time ( I've been here for 10 years) that no one wants to mess with convention. Or, could it be an old dog/new trick issue? Best, John At 12:56 PM 2/21/2008, David Kitt Deyarmin wrote: I'm not trying to stir up trouble or incite arguments I'm just curious. Email lists are by today's standard an antiquated venue for discussing any hobby. They have many limitations and can be taxing on your email inbox, which is why I receive the Dailey Digest. I delete them and do all of my reading from the archives. Online forums are easier to use and the posted info is easier to track. Plus it's easy to ignore topics that you're not interested in without having to pick through a bunch of emails. However, I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying stir up trouble, I'm just trying to understand the aversion most of this list has to using a forum. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
I just tried something here. If it works, I'll explain what I did. John At 01:08 PM 2/21/2008, JKGwilliam wrote: David and List, I don't know the answer to your questions, but they sure make sense. About a year and a half ago, I finally shut down the Meteorite Impact Forum due to a lack of participation. Even with nearly 200 registered members, there was very little traffic for the final three months. Online forums offer a lot of updated features that the old mail servers don't. The one feature that I really like, and is reason enough to use a forum, is that replies stay in chronological order. I don't know about the rest of you, but it's very frustrating for me to try and read all the replies to a thread in order. I end up reading all the replies and then try guessing what order they should be in. If you miss even one reply, some threads don't make sense. With a forum, this doesn't happen. My only guess is that the Meteorite List has been around for a long time ( I've been here for 10 years) that no one wants to mess with convention. Or, could it be an old dog/new trick issue? Best, John At 12:56 PM 2/21/2008, David Kitt Deyarmin wrote: I'm not trying to stir up trouble or incite arguments I'm just curious. Email lists are by today's standard an antiquated venue for discussing any hobby. They have many limitations and can be taxing on your email inbox, which is why I receive the Dailey Digest. I delete them and do all of my reading from the archives. Online forums are easier to use and the posted info is easier to track. Plus it's easy to ignore topics that you're not interested in without having to pick through a bunch of emails. However, I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying stir up trouble, I'm just trying to understand the aversion most of this list has to using a forum. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
It's fine if a forum is both web and email based (like Yahoo, for example). Personally, I hate web forums, however, and generally avoid them. Email is so much more convenient, it comes when it comes and doesn't have to be checked on some website. I wouldn't be on this list if it was web-only. I have pseudo-broadband Internet: satellite. It's my only option, and the latency is horrible. Using forums and web-based email is simply painful. BTW, Outlook Express aside, most email readers these days are threaded, so you should still be able to see messages grouped by subject, allowing you to ignore threads of no interest. Chris * Chris L Peterson Cloudbait Observatory http://www.cloudbait.com - Original Message - From: David Kitt Deyarmin [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:56 PM Subject: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format? I'm not trying to stir up trouble or incite arguments I'm just curious. Email lists are by today's standard an antiquated venue for discussing any hobby. They have many limitations and can be taxing on your email inbox, which is why I receive the Dailey Digest. I delete them and do all of my reading from the archives. Online forums are easier to use and the posted info is easier to track. Plus it's easy to ignore topics that you're not interested in without having to pick through a bunch of emails. However, I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying stir up trouble, I'm just trying to understand the aversion most of this list has to using a forum. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
I'm not trying to stir up trouble or incite arguments I'm just curious. Email lists are by today's standard an antiquated venue for discussing any hobby. They have many limitations and can be taxing on your email inbox, which is why I receive the Dailey Digest. I delete them and do all of my reading from the archives. Online forums are easier to use and the posted info is easier to track. Plus it's easy to ignore topics that you're not interested in without having to pick through a bunch of emails. However, I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying stir up trouble, I'm just trying to understand the aversion most of this list has to using a forum. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
I agree with this too! A lot of very good info here and boy it really sucks if you go on vacation or something because you'll have 100+ emails to clean out. The least that could be done for a forum is maybe setting up something through Yahoo. It isn't that difficult to do and it would probably take an hour or two to setup. Del --- JKGwilliam [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: David and List, I don't know the answer to your questions, but they sure make sense. About a year and a half ago, I finally shut down the Meteorite Impact Forum due to a lack of participation. Even with nearly 200 registered members, there was very little traffic for the final three months. Online forums offer a lot of updated features that the old mail servers don't. The one feature that I really like, and is reason enough to use a forum, is that replies stay in chronological order. I don't know about the rest of you, but it's very frustrating for me to try and read all the replies to a thread in order. I end up reading all the replies and then try guessing what order they should be in. If you miss even one reply, some threads don't make sense. With a forum, this doesn't happen. My only guess is that the Meteorite List has been around for a long time ( I've been here for 10 years) that no one wants to mess with convention. Or, could it be an old dog/new trick issue? Best, John At 12:56 PM 2/21/2008, David Kitt Deyarmin wrote: I'm not trying to stir up trouble or incite arguments I'm just curious. Email lists are by today's standard an antiquated venue for discussing any hobby. They have many limitations and can be taxing on your email inbox, which is why I receive the Dailey Digest. I delete them and do all of my reading from the archives. Online forums are easier to use and the posted info is easier to track. Plus it's easy to ignore topics that you're not interested in without having to pick through a bunch of emails. However, I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying stir up trouble, I'm just trying to understand the aversion most of this list has to using a forum. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
[snip] I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. [snip] An excellent question. I've often wondered the same since forums allow pictures of our treasures and we all know how much we like pictures. Yet this list, like other early-adopter lists I belong to, have a life of their own. If I had to state a reason I'd speak a simile; Being the '800 pound gorilla in the room' creates prestige and draws the best talent to itself. This list is that 800 pound gorilla. There's a lotta talent here and a lotta knowledge to be gleaned. Who wouldn't want to be here? Gary __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
Hi Del, I agree with you. If I'm away from my computer for just a few days, I have a couple of hundred e-mails to go through. What a pain. Plus, I have to look very carefully at the e-mails because I delete the vast majority of the ones from the meteorite list. If I don't check the e-mails carefully, I may delete an actual e-mail from a friend. It's happened before. I've moderated a Yahoo Group (forum) for about 6 years and it is much more user friendly than the Meteorite List. I love all of the knowledge that is given out by the members of this list. I just wish it didn't come to me in my e-mail. With respect, Greg Lindh Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:35:18 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format? I agree with this too! A lot of very good info here and boy it really sucks if you go on vacation or something because you'll have 100+ emails to clean out. The least that could be done for a forum is maybe setting up something through Yahoo. It isn't that difficult to do and it would probably take an hour or two to setup. Del --- JKGwilliam wrote: David and List, I don't know the answer to your questions, but they sure make sense. About a year and a half ago, I finally shut down the Meteorite Impact Forum due to a lack of participation. Even with nearly 200 registered members, there was very little traffic for the final three months. Online forums offer a lot of updated features that the old mail servers don't. The one feature that I really like, and is reason enough to use a forum, is that replies stay in chronological order. I don't know about the rest of you, but it's very frustrating for me to try and read all the replies to a thread in order. I end up reading all the replies and then try guessing what order they should be in. If you miss even one reply, some threads don't make sense. With a forum, this doesn't happen. My only guess is that the Meteorite List has been around for a long time ( I've been here for 10 years) that no one wants to mess with convention. Or, could it be an old dog/new trick issue? Best, John At 12:56 PM 2/21/2008, David Kitt Deyarmin wrote: I'm not trying to stir up trouble or incite arguments I'm just curious. Email lists are by today's standard an antiquated venue for discussing any hobby. They have many limitations and can be taxing on your email inbox, which is why I receive the Dailey Digest. I delete them and do all of my reading from the archives. Online forums are easier to use and the posted info is easier to track. Plus it's easy to ignore topics that you're not interested in without having to pick through a bunch of emails. However, I would like to understand why so many of the members here prefer not to use forums. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying stir up trouble, I'm just trying to understand the aversion most of this list has to using a forum. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
Hi all I've been using forums since they were mailing lists and a part of the BBS way back in ancient times in the 80:ies. Mailing lists are great since they allow you to read an answer in piece at home. They were great when most people had phone dial modems. Today, when we are graphically spoiled by nice looking forums and less people have phone dial modems, at least here in Europe, they tend to overtake the mailing lists. If that is good or bad, I let the user deside. But online forums have one benefit over mailing lists and that is, unless the forum structure is bad, it's easier to follow threads and like Gary said it's a lot nicer to see all those beautiful images. But other than that, it's the information och people sharing their experoience and knowledge that is the most important thing. For me they can both coexist. I like them both... Regards Lasse __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] What doesn't this list use an online forum format?
I don't know about other people (haven't read all of the replies yet) but here are somr reasons for me: 1.) A mailing list automaticly sends the information to you-- you get all the updates at once just by opening your e-mail app. With web forums, it is up to you to actively search for new information, popping in and checking updates on possibly several different threads located in several different areas. E-mail is therefore easier and more convenient. 2.) Archiving-- if you want to keep the information that you read, it is simple with e-mail-- just avoid deleting it. With web forums, again it takes active effort on your part to save that information-- sometimes lots of trouble. (Options include printing out physical copies, copying and pasting to a document, or installing a PDF-creating applet to make PDFs from the page-- trusting an on-line archive of the posts at the original site just doesn't cut it for me). Again, e-mail is easier and more convenient. __ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
