I think there are several reasons why mailing lists are less accessible to
new users than a forum. The sorts of users I am thinking of here are less
computer-savvy users than you or me (or most free-software supporters). I
would think that an 'average' internet user has at least some familiarity
with internet forums - perhaps they have seen them around or have used them
before. Whereas, many of them may not know what mailing lists are or how to
use them.
An internet forum is also more 'visible', in my opinion, than a mailing list.
There is a whole webpage dedicated to it, often with nice, appealing graphics
and/or formatting, to make it easier to read. Everything is just there in one
place and works through the browser - it's fairly obvious how to make a new
post and reply to others. Plus, all of the conversations that have taken
place before are all there, in one place, and can be easily browsed. Also,
forum posts are often included in internet search results. I'm not sure that
the same is often true of mailing list conversations, is it?
It's true that, to post on a forum, you often have to make an account first.
However, usually the existing content can be browsed without creating an
account.
Using a mailing list isn't quite so simple for new users. First, of course,
they have to find it, which may be easy, may be not. Then, they have to
figure out how to use it, which I don't think is quite so simple as a forum.
They have to figure out how to subscribe to it, which isn't always obvious if
you haven't done it before. Then, they have to figure out how to deal with
the floods of e-mails coming into their mailbox. Yes, it can be done easily
enough with e-mail filters (for those that know how to use them), but this
represents some level of effort and creates a 'barrier to entry' for new
users. I can imagine that a new user, who perhaps only has a passing interest
in the topic in question, might take the view that it isn't worth the hassle
of dealing with all these e-mails and might decide not to bother. With a
forum, everything is kept in one place on the website and there is a minimum
of 'set-up' required for new users.
Then, another issue with mailing lists is that to search through previous
conversations, you have to go to another place - the archives. These are
often presented as lists of plain-text e-mails and are not usually formatted
in a nice, pleasant way, like a forum usually is. I know this 'formatting'
might seem like a minor point; however, when you are trying to sell a concept
(or anything really) to someone new, presentation and first impressions
matter.
Don't get me wrong - I don't dislike mailing lists at all and I'm happy to
use them myself, for certain things. But, in my opinion, they require a level
of 'investment' that makes them unsuitable for engaging with newcomers to a
scene or more casual people that just have a passing interest.
I think the same goes for IRC, to be honest. Many internet users are
impatient, and just want the information to be there, on the webpage, at the
click of a button, otherwise they won't bother and they'll go somewhere else.
(sorry for the long post)
