[kwlug-disc] Posting without subscribing to the KWLUG-Help list

[unsolicited]

Paul Nijjar wrote, On 06/02/2010 9:59 AM:
> As for the other issues: this is a long discussion we have had several
> times. If we use a web forum then our experts won't check it. If we
> use a mailing list newbies won't join. If we try integration then
> everything blows up. 

A web forum means experts won't check in? If I subscribe to a forum I 
(optionally) get forum posts via e-mail. Depending upon the forum 
software, that can be the entire message, or just that someone has 
posted. (Or perhaps that's a profile setting.)

Wouldn't the experts just subscribe to the forum and receive and reply 
via e-mail, as always? (Guess it depends upon the sw.)

I've seen webforums (forget where) where people can sign up, and post, 
immediately, but the moderator has to approve them before the posts 
are actually visible. i.e. In actuality, probably as long as it takes 
until the moderator next checks in - and they probably get an e-mail 
notification of an admin action required, when the new member signs 
up. So, anonymity issues go away, and some, less awkward, moderation 
functionality is present.


A serious and significant advantage of a webforum over an e-mail list 
is the very newbie friendly ease of 'archive' viewing. The same 
question would repeat less if they can use the forum via web and 
search it.


Presumably part of any kwlug-help response will be an encouragement to 
join the web forum support of the particular distro they are using. 
The advantage of kwlug-help is presumably geographical proximity, and 
the ability to voice interact at a kwlug meeting. Is it not reasonable 
that anyone wanting to join kwlug-help be able to join their distro's 
forum? Albeit, perhaps with a little kwlug-help help?


The forum experience I'd be looking for (assuming acceptable e-mail 
integration), is similar to that at OpenWRT (punBB) or ubuntu 
(vbulletin). phpBB?

I cannot recommend, from experience, BigTent 'forums'. It is quite 
awkward compared to other forum software. It is VERY e-mail friendly, 
hard to tell from a mailman list actually, but rather strange on the 
web. It looks more like an e-mail list, on the web, than any other 
forum I've ever used. Used via e-mail, especially if people hit reply 
and remember to remove the body of what they're replying to, it works 
very nicely. Used that way, the web forum flows nicely. If the replies 
are left in, the web gets very, very long, with lots of redundant 
text. BigTent feels more like facebook, actually, than a traditional 
forum. But I can't recommend BigTent forums, if a more traditional 
forum experience is at all possible. (But it can be tried, if people 
would like to.)


A forum module under drupal / kwlug.org isn't viable?

http://drupal.org/project/modules?text=forum