openstack team mailing list archive

[Ron Pedde <ron.pedde@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 5/2/11 5:10 PM, "Matt Dietz" <matt.dietz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


>Fair points. I can see it being used for user support.
>
>"Another way to have these sorts of discussions would be an
>openstack-users
>list, but I think lists present much more friction to tire-kickers or
>intrigued admins.  Forums have a much lower barrier to entry, and
>consequently (IMHO) they are better tools for building communities.
>Controlling forum spam is an amazing pain, but that's another issue.  :)"
>
>
>Can you explain this a little? I don't necessarily object, but I frankly
>don't see the difference, either.

Hmmm... it's possible that statement is more a reflection of my own
preferences and experience.

My experience is that I will peruse mailing list archives, but I will
rarely *post* to mailing lists.  Something about the formality of it or
the pain of subscribing and unsubscribing (or something!) makes me much
more reluctant to join a mailing list than to post a question in a forum.
If I do join a mailing list, it's because I'm actively using a product or
project -- I've already made the commitment to be a long-term member of
the community.  I won't use the list just to ask a simple question about
installation or configuration.  Forums just seem to me to be much more
immediate.

Conversely, I'm also much more likely to answer a question on a forum than
on a mailing list.

I also find that forums generally have better search capabilities than
most list archivers, and I have better luck digging an answer out of a
forum than a list archive.

It's possible I'm the only one that feels this way, though, so feel free
to disregard this data point.  :)

  -- Ron


>
>On 5/2/11 5:01 PM, "Ron Pedde" <ron.pedde@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>
>>On 5/2/11 4:03 PM, "Matt Dietz" <matt.dietz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>>I think a forum as a means of communication is great. However, I'm not
>>>sure I feel it's the right fit here. My main concern in this regard is
>>>that there would be a separation of important discussions.
>>
>>I think the class of questions on a forum would be wildly different than
>>the questions on a dev mailing list.  Forums would be a great place to
>>ask
>>questions like "How do I set up my bridge interface to persist on
>>reboot"?
>> Questions like these aren't the right questions for the openstack
>>mailing
>>list, and end-users don't want to bother devs with this sort of thing, so
>>they walk away from the project before getting it set up.  Properly
>>moderated, the forums could push dev questions to the mailing list, while
>>removing distraction from devs and building a community of users.
>>
>>>I would also be
>>>concerned about a feeling of false consensus on hot-button topics that
>>>see
>>>activity on one channel but not the other. Finally, we'd be introducing
>>>yet another fire hose for project communications, and frankly I
>>>personally
>>>wouldn't feel compelled to check both, and I'm sure I'm not the only
>>>one.
>>
>>I don't see forums as a channel for project communication or consensus
>>building.  I see it more as a way for users-to-user discussion on topics
>>like "how I implemented X on top of openstack", or "How can I integrate
>>system X with my openstack cluster".  Things that don't get discussed on
>>the dev list.
>>
>>Another way to have these sorts of discussions would be an
>>openstack-users
>>list, but I think lists present much more friction to tire-kickers or
>>intrigued admins.  Forums have a much lower barrier to entry, and
>>consequently (IMHO) they are better tools for building communities.
>>Controlling forum spam is an amazing pain, but that's another issue.  :)
>>
>>Just my opinion, but I think end-user/sysadmin focused forums are a great
>>idea.
>>
>> -- Ron
>>
>
>
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