File spoon-archives/list-proposals.archive/list-proposals_2000/list-proposals.0001, message 35


Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 08:30:26 -0500 (EST)
From: Nacho Cordova <cordova-AT-wam.umd.edu>
Subject: Re: BB


M:

	I tried the freeware version briefly, before taking the
plunge. When I say briefly, it really means briefly, a few days max. It
was no big deal to set up, looked the same (that is, I did not mess around
much with the basic look or colors, etc.) It provides the same basic
capabilities for a simple use like announcements, complaints, tech
support, FAQs, reviews, and so on where people don't have to constantly be
on checking.

	There are other BB systems out there but I am not familiar with
them at all. The other system I have used for course lists is the
Egroups.com lists. Egroups provides a list interface, that is, you
subscribe and receive the list postings to your email like a regular list,
or you can read them on the website. It is a Free service that serves as a
vehicle for advertising (or you can pay $5 a month for no ads). The system
provides polling options, reminders, archives, live chat, databases, and a
calendar feature. Those make it very easy for anybody to set up a
"list" without having to use a major list package like majordomo,
listserv, get a sponsor, be a techie, etc.

	More and more I lean towards a solution than combines as many of
those ease of use features as possible. A calendar system that sends
automatic reminders is nifty, polling system and charting (and
reporting) is pretty cool too. The best bet would be for somebody to
really tinker with a major list software and bring them into the 21st
century.

Ciaito,

N. Cordova
cordova-AT-wam.umd.edu

On Thu, 20 Jan 2000 ma-AT-panix.com wrote:

> > 	Yes, that can be one of the negatives... or then again, a positive
> > if seen from the point of view of getting folks to participate who are
> > really committed to the issue. 
> 
> Hee hee, maybe you are speaking from practical experience, but speaking
> purely from theory I would expect the opposite: people who are really 
> committed to the issue would be too busy to engage with this interface.
> But let me ask you this: do you have any experience with the freeware version?
> I am tempted to say that if it is close enough to the real thing 
> then we should install it and use it for something, and try to understand
> if we can envision a better interface.  I find this interface profoundly
> irritating, but if someone asked me exactly how it could be improved 
> I wouldn't know yet.
> 
> The literature says that the code is all Perl, so theoretically speaking
> one should be able to hack it.  On the other hand, I have a feeling that for
> example my own irritation with this design has to do with something more 
> extensive than what could be fixed simply by hacking.
> 
> 
> -m
> 


   

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