Don, On Tuesday, October 22, 2002, Don Zeigler wrote in <mid:5739275965.20021022092304@;donzeigler.com>:
DZ> Per an earlier thread I would like to propose a message board for the DZ> purposes of promoting and discussing the Bat. DZ> So, feedback is needed: Good idea? Bad idea? Would you participate in a DZ> message board? Would you be interested in moderating a forum? How many DZ> forums would be required? To be honest, I don't have much of a preference, but I would participate. Mailing lists are quite convenient, but if there are compelling reasons to go to an online forum (I haven't followed the thread until now), I'll be there. I think that the success of any online alternative is dependent on a few factors that are not shared by all message boards. Simon described most of them in his post of today (<mid:5210104218.20021022150045@;theycallmesimon.co.uk>). Email notification of replies to a post seems a must. One of the chief benefits of TB!'s mailing lists--thanks in part to the individuals who moderate and contribute--is the regular exposure to areas that are just outside one's interests or abilities. It induces a stretch, and one's knowledge and use of the program grows as a result. An online forum should retain that function. I think it would be helpful if the posts are not separated by a hierarchic level that defines their topic, e.g., click here for all threads relating to using filters, or to questions on redirecting mail. Instead, all posts could be threaded by user-supplied topic, and participants can filter where appropriate, if they are looking for specific information. In that way, the forum can incorporate the archive, as well. One place this approach is done well is the online forum that IBM runs for their Lotus Development Domain; the following link is for the SmartSuite office suite. (Although it looks official, the majority of answers come from other users or a group of consultants who are unrelated to IBM but design for Lotus products.) <http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/ssforum.nsf/Resources/$First?OpenDocument> Don, thanks for volunteering your time and resources. -- JN ________________________________________________ Current version is 1.61 | "Using TBUDL" information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html
