[PLUG] Wouldn't a news service be more appropriate?

[Joe Coyle <iterative@home.com>]

In the last meeting's talk about NNTP service, the group addressed the
advantages of a news service over email-based discussions.   Where there are
long threads, a news server is much more orderly than a mail list.  A person
looking to a particular discussion can more easily access different parts of
the discussion individually (random access,) and minimize the amount of
repeated information that is encountered.

I receive the PLUG list in digest format, mostly because the list is so
active that to receive each posting separately is a distraction.  The
catch-22 is that  the "digest" format makes it difficult to follow one
individual discussion thread from day to day going backward.  When I see an
interesting thread, a lot of work is required to find the first posting or a
specific previous posting.  Moreover, as I search I inevitably encounter use
of lots of different "reply quoting" options resulting in repeated text
(according to how individual posters have set their email clients to
respond.)  To sort through  the clutter requires a lot of effort and time.

Has the group ever considered using a news server?  It seems obvious that
the news server format would give easier access to the valuable information
produced by the PLUG discussions.  Postings would be neatly sorted by
thread, and the subject line could be changed to reflect a new posting's
content without disrupting the thread.  Basic ground rules on "reply
quoting" would also be useful in reducing the clutter.  My two cents.

/Joe Coyle 

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