RE: FW: call for a vote -- should debian-user mailing list replies go to author or to list?
Andy Streich wrote:
> As a supplement to (not replacement for) this email list, I'd really
> love to see a weblog where anyone who registers (just like we
> subscribe to this list) can post questions and comments. Ideally
> when signing up for a list you could choose to be a weblog user or a
> mailing-list user or both. Posts and comments on the blog would be
> sent to the list and vice versa.
Yahoo! Groups offers web forum and e-mail integration. I post and read via
e-mail, delete the messages locally, and use the web interface to dig through
the archives. I believe it is possible to post via the web, but I don't
remember if I've done that (I prefer composing messages in my mail client).
Google'ing for "debian weblog", I see a lot of 'blogs by individuals. I suspect
many of them are implemented using open-source technologies (PHPNuke?, etc.).
After participating in various physical and virtual forums/ organizations, there
seems to be a common issue: how does the group set goals and achieve them?
Informal groups tend to be guided by the (good) will of the founders/ leaders/
maintainers (e.g. benevolent dictatorship). Formal organizations have things
like rules of parliamentary procedure, constitutions, bylaws, charters, etc.
(e.g. democracy or corporations). Informal organizations are easier to start
and run when small, but formalism seems to be required for larger organizations
and/or those with legal status. There does seem to be some gray near the
informal end of the spectrum (such as an informal forum with a page of
guidelines), but I can't think of any examples directly in the middle -- perhaps
this is a transitory state, such as an informal organization that adopts
Robert's Rules of Order and then proceeds into a constitutional convention?
I suspect that adding a web interface to the debian-user mailing list, with
whatever feature set is agreed upon, would be an ambitious, educational, and
positive undertaking; both agreeing upon the feature set and then implementing
and supporting it. I'm willing to help in whatever capacity I am allowed.
David
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