The Fate of Kinema Club Website

[Jun-Dai Bates-Kobashigawa]

I, for one, would very much like to see a discussion forum.  I find this
mailing list to be filled with useful and interesting information and
opinions, but it also tends to be more transient and disorganized than I'd
prefer.  If having a discussion forum on the website is possible (I
recommend PhpBB), then perhaps we should discuss the merits and demerits
of having one, and what its role in relation to this mailing list should
be.

One obvious benefit of a mailing list is that you don't need a web browser
to use it.  Another feature (I'm not sure whether it's a benefit) is that
you don't need to check a website for new information; it appears in your
inbox.

With an http-based forum, however, we can: organize topics into
categories; see the conversational context of someone's comments without having
to search through old e-mails; have the more casual interchanges in
areas of the forum that won't interrupt the flow of conversation on more
"serious" topics; and we won't have people sending personal responses to
the entire list (which is usually entertaining, but perhaps also
dangerous).  There is some danger that switching to a web-based forum will
alienate those who are currently hesitant to use a computer longer than it
takes to check their e-mail, or are just barely internet savvy enough to
use e-mail (and are wary of using a browser).

Of course, a mailing list and discussion board needn't be mutually
exclusive.

Just a suggestion.  I like the list the way it is now, and am merely
thinking of possible improvements.

Jun-Dai