I'm thinking of going back to Google Groups (from the current forums.tinkermill.org software. Thoughts?

[Scott Converse]

What do you guys think?  Should we stick with the forums.tinkermill.org software or go back to Google Groups?

I'm seeing alot less activity with the new software than we used to have here on Google Groups is why I'm asking.

[Matt James]

I'm a fan of Google groups :-)  One less website to check for "stuff" in my case...

Matt

On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 10:45 AM, Scott Converse <scott.c...@gmail.com> wrote:

What do you guys think?  Should we stick with the forums.tinkermill.org software or go back to Google Groups?

I'm seeing alot less activity with the new software than we used to have here on Google Groups is why I'm asking.

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[Karl Niemann]

I never really switched over to the new forums so I would be a +1 for Google groups.
Karl

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From: Scott Converse <scott.c...@gmail.com>
To: longmonth...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 10:45 AM
Subject: I'm thinking of going back to Google Groups (from the current forums.tinkermill.org software. Thoughts?

What do you guys think?  Should we stick with the forums.tinkermill.org software or go back to Google Groups?

I'm seeing alot less activity with the new software than we used to have here on Google Groups is why I'm asking.

[Dixon Dick]

Hm, I think this warrants a discussion from a different direction. If you think about what the Tinkermill is trying to accomplish, there are two conflicting goals, PR vs Knowledge Curation. The initial division about doing the Forum seems clearer in this light.

On the one hand, Google creates public chatter and conversation. This creates free PR and enables both ourselves and the public to see into Tinkermill, engaging if/when something of interest happens.

On the other hand, we have a duty to promote and curate the group, sub-group and other useful common knowledge. This builds over time to make up the body of Tinkermill knowledge to pass on to others. This is why we video things, ask/answer questions among each other and so on.

What's the way forward between these different goals? Put your hand up if you think curation is not a goal, that would be important to know.

If curation is important, then the Forum does a good job structuring what Tinkermill knows. Further, Forum activity can be echoed to the public with relative ease.

It seems harder to capture Google group traffic in a structured way to curate knowledge. Though Google search is not bad, it's not structured.

A third way is to emphasize the strength of each of these systems and divide the work. Perhaps this is a Solomon-like solution, with that same outcome.

dcd

[Scott Converse]

How do we set up a more active mailing list?

s

Scott G. Converse

Phone: 303.875.1243

email: scott.c...@gmail.com

On Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 8:09 PM, Troy Vitullo <tr...@troyvit.com> wrote:

This post won't make it onto google groups because I'm too lazy to reply from my google account, but it'll get you guys.

I agree that curation is important, but for that curation to be effective and for a real archive to be built people have to use the tool. Do people use forum.tinkermill.org? I wish all the time that I did, but I don't. How much of our history is it missing?

Troy

PS and yeah I would totally go for a more active mailing list instead of either *grin*

> >   ------------------------------
> >  *From:* Scott Converse <scott.c...@gmail.com>
> > *To:* longmonth...@googlegroups.com
> > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 1, 2014 10:45 AM
> > *Subject:* I'm thinking of going back to Google Groups (from the current
> > forums.tinkermill.org software. Thoughts?
> >
> > What do you guys think?  Should we stick with the forums.tinkermill.orgsoftware or go back to Google Groups?

[Chris Yoder]

I have a strong tendency to forget the the forums even exist.

We could set up a mailman list manager at some point.

[Scott Converse]

Setting up a members only as well as a public mailing list "At some point' sounds like now.

How do we go about doing this?

s

Scott G. Converse

Phone: 303.875.1243

email: scott.c...@gmail.com

[Chris Yoder]

Install the correct software on the box that handles our email and populate it with email addresses.

It might be best to hold off until we are in our own data center for this.

[Scott Converse]

Bueller?

Bueller?

(come on... someone... please.. volunteer to help out here).

sigh

Scott G. Converse

Phone: 303.875.1243

email: scott.c...@gmail.com

On Wed, Apr 2, 2014 at 5:51 PM, Troy Vitullo <tr...@troyvit.com> wrote:

We have mailman set up but it's rarely used.

Troy

---
Please excuse any typos, this email was sent from my phne.

[Troy]

 I'd say that while mailing lists or forums of any type can collect knowledge they aren't great at curating it, because they're messy. I have a hard time searching the forums and an iffy time searching our g-groups. Extracting any found data to something useful would be even more formidable.

So that's my 2 cents and I think there's plenty of room to argue. I personally would get at least as much functionality from mailman as I do from g-groups, and much more than I get from forum.tinkermill.org. If I was able to properly set up notifications from the forum I'd have something more, but I can't and that's a barrier.

Personally mailman solves all those problems. Discussions get pushed to me and I can filter them how I see fit using email.

Chris, I understand you've done some work automating mailman for 303. If you're interested in doing something like that here I'd give you sudo access and let you have at it. Once we get a box in our own lil' DC we can move everything in there.

In the end I think it's imperative we do something. When it's convenient this kind of communication really increases buzz, and that increases participation, and yeah that's key.

Troy

[Chris Yoder]

I don't use mailman.

I use smartlist as a barrier for entry, but I use it with a very different group.

--

[Scott Converse]

Would it work for us?  If not, why not?

s

Scott G. Converse

Phone: 303.875.1243

email: scott.c...@gmail.com

[Troy]

Smartmail is made by the procmail dudes so it should work fine on my debian box if it's not too big a hassle for you to do. Anyway the offer is open and I'd hang around when you did it to provide any support that I can and just generally learn about it. We could make it a class if you want. It would be one of those "live without a net" classes but it could be doable if you had a chance to look at the existing structure of my system first.

Troy

On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 9:33:47 PM UTC-6, Chris Yoder wrote:

I don't use mailman.

I use smartlist as a barrier for entry, but I use it with a very different group.

On Wed, Apr 2, 2014 at 9:32 PM, Troy <you...@troyvit.com> wrote:

 I'd say that while mailing lists or forums of any type can collect knowledge they aren't great at curating it, because they're messy. I have a hard time searching the forums and an iffy time searching our g-groups. Extracting any found data to something useful would be even more formidable.

So that's my 2 cents and I think there's plenty of room to argue. I personally would get at least as much functionality from mailman as I do from g-groups, and much more than I get from forum.tinkermill.org. If I was able to properly set up notifications from the forum I'd have something more, but I can't and that's a barrier.

Personally mailman solves all those problems. Discussions get pushed to me and I can filter them how I see fit using email.

Chris, I understand you've done some work automating mailman for 303. If you're interested in doing something like that here I'd give you sudo access and let you have at it. Once we get a box in our own lil' DC we can move everything in there.

In the end I think it's imperative we do something. When it's convenient this kind of communication really increases buzz, and that increases participation, and yeah that's key.

Troy

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[Chris Yoder]

The interface is a bit harder for the end user, but it should work for us.

Troy, when are you available?

[Paul Tiger]

old, but not dead topic. 

pointfully - forums.tinkermill.org sucks. Pretty simple.

The reason has to be no one is able to tell one thread from another. Replies are indistinguishable from originating posts. It's just a loony bin.

I'm an active blogger, but gave up on participation on-line with TM at the outset. forums.tnkermill.org is designed to squelch discourse. For that purpose - it works well.

aka - it sucks

[Paul Tiger]

I've been asked to take on a move to GG. There is an intent in conversation to have a members only area, or at least a list address for member announcements. I believe that Google Groups will show an email address for whatever group the admin sets up.

That's my first try and what ever comes next.