[Wikipedia-l] use of a bot (long)

[Jimmy Wales]

The Cunctator wrote:
> The short response to Erik's reference for email over a BBS is
> essentially that for a power-user, with the talent, knowledge, and time
> to configure and use "good email clients" which make "quoting and
> threading transparent and easy to use", email is preferable.
> 
> The reality is that is not the case for most people.

I don't accept that mailing lists present an additional barrier for
most people.  Almost everyone uses mailing lists -- from Yahoo groups
on up -- and most people understand the concept implicitly.  The user
interface is one that they are already familiar with, i.e. their
comfortable normal mail software, as opposed to a brand-new and
generally idiosyncratic user interface for a bbs.

> Because the the discussion forum is currently in email form, there are
> several additional barriers to entry.

But I don't think these barriers are very large, and not as large as
the barriers to using a BBS.

> But instead of having the argument about why a BBS would be better than
> an Email list, I recommend setting up a BBS, and letting practice
> decide.

I'm open to this idea, and I'm keenly interested in what the Japanese
speakers are doing, and why they are doing it.  I wonder if their
reasons are similar to yours, or if they have other, unique reasons,
having to do with Japanese language support in email or something like
that.

Unless there's a way to gateway email conversations into a bbs, then
the bbs is almost certainly doomed to failure, just due to inertia.

--Jimbo