[ARSCLIST] message board vs. listserv

[Brandon Burke <burke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

All,

Curious as to how many list members might prefer a message board format 
over the standard email listserv currently in place.  Message boards make 
more sense to me for the following reasons:

1. Generally speaking, it is difficult to browse the ARSClist 
archives.  Especially if a topic began in one month but continued into the 
next, as the two parts tend to become divorced from one another.

2. With a message board, one can view both the original topic/question/etc 
and all subsequent responses in one fell swoop, something that comes in 
particularly handy when performing searches in the archives.  As it stands 
now, all posts in the archives must be viewed individually, losing much 
narrative/conversational flow along the way.

3. When a list member changes the name of a thread in mid-conversation, 
subsequent posts again become divorced from the original topic.

4. Let's be honest, on chatty days, the in-box traffic can get a little 
overwhelming...especially for those of us NOT taking part in a particular 
conversation.

For the record: Yes, I'm aware of the *digest* option...seems to me, the 
only grievance it solves is item #4.


thanks as always,
Brandon

_______________________________________
Brandon Burke
Assistant Archivist for Audiovisual Collections
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6010
voice: 650.724.9711
fax: 650.725.3445
email: burke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx