Module 2 Lists

On the Rich list?

Inspecting the content on http://groups.yahoo.com/ and also http:/lists.topica.com/... my first impression was how do people make time for all of this?

Had a quick scan around – topics I would feel conformable contributing within (books, literature , September births etc) and those that I really would not (guns, romance and relationships)

Even a cursory scan on the public email lists showed that some people were not following the rules – eg I saw many ads and other posts that did not appear to be related to the topics (which were quite specific).

Some of the yahoo groups appear to be thinly veiled (or even obvious) groups for products on June 30 there were groups for curves female gym, special k challenge and All-Bran Challenge - are these people all in need of losing weight because they sit in front of a screen all the time?

Email list pros

· A wide range of opinions and information on many topics.
· Can be totally public or membership only.
· Contribution can give you a sense of reward.

Email list cons

· Being so publicly searchable can attract a wider and therefore potentially more unwelcomed audience.
· You may get the impression that a conversation is between you and another list member, but in reality, there may be thousands of people reading your opinion (Concept 19).
· Need constant input from members to keep interesting and engaging – humans are fickle creatures and with so much information competing for one’s attention, members of the groups can quickly move on to the next item of interest whatever that may be.
· Can contain posts of inappropriate content ( from ‘off the topic’ through to obscene).
· You need to contribute/ post so people know of your existence (Concept 20).
· May not receive timely answers to queries or comments.
· Discussions can become more private in nature which “alienates other list members” (Concept 19)

Discussion boards pros

· Select audience – eg WEB CT discussion board, so more ‘private’
· More specific content/ interests
· Creates a sense of community and support for people having similar experiences.

Discussion board cons

· So many threads, there is a danger of being completely overwhelmed by the amount of information contained on them.
· Need constant input from members to keep interesting and engaging – humans are fickle creatures and with so much information competing for one’s attention, members of the groups can quickly move on to the next item of interest whatever that may be.
· You need to contribute/ post so people know of your existence (Concept 20).
· May not receive timely answers to queries or comments.

Email lists are more suitable for:

• Information sharing
• Advertising / advertorial
  

Discussion boards are more suitable for:

• Discussion
• Educational purposes