ListServ: Ability to subscribe/reply to discussions via email +6
Problem:
Many groups have listservs on yahoo and google groups. To get folks to have those discussions on WE instead, we need to be able to link ones email with the discussion forum. At present that is not the case.
Solution:
When posting a comment on a discussion, enable email subscribtion to further comments so that replies are sent to your email, then when you receive a WE email make it such that you can reply to it through your email and the reply is posted on the WE site. This way a user doesn't have to take the extra step to get on the site to reply to discussions. Yahoo and google do this, so it seems WE should be able as well.
Other strategic considerations:
THIS WOULD BE HUGE, We have over 350 people in the SF area as apart our permaculture community, over 200 in the east bay and over 1200 international subscribers to the openpermaculture list serve, to name a few.... I am apart of over 12 list serves for the permaculture community and so many discussions yet how to follow?
This is where Wiser earth could be a tool for the communities that use it.
by Benjammin Fahrer (benjammin). Transported and edited here by Bowo (bowo)
Key ListServ software programs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majordomo_(software)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LISTSERV (not open source)
Comments (1 - 12 of 12)
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Angus, et.al.,
There also seems to be a related dicussion about emails/listservs going on at: Communication between users/email "replies":
Would it be possible to combine this -- and all other's that might exist -- into one discusssion so that we could all come together and outline an emai l /listserv protocol that we could then ask the admin/editors group [maybe Group Support also], to comment on? |
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@ Benjammin:
Your comment on ListServs was posted to this discussion by Bowo. It peaked my interest. Could you be more specific about what features you would like to see in a ListServ implemented on WiserEarth? We were thinking broadly of implementing something like Majordomo where you can subscribe using an email to the list, and post, and comments can be moderated (or not). The integration points I could see with the ListServ would be to:
Can you think of anything else? Best, Angus |
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Wow, no kidding. This would make discussions on posted topics a much more accessible option. As you know, I am pushing for enhanced conversation capacity. People just want to hit links and reply.
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Angus, et.al.
Six months seems like a nice amount of time for a discussion and the design of a WiserEarth specific listserv, and given how often the technical staff seems to be faced with putting out fires and other emergencies... I'm sure they'll be pleased.
Count me in on the discussion and design!
jp |
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@ Bowo: Majordomo (open source) has all the features we would need I suspect. I think it could be integrated into the Forum module - and give it some life! JP - its definitely a priority but we have limited resources. I think a six month time frame is realistic.
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I tried to transfer a number of discussion that were going on in the food security and sovereignty community on to the WiserEarth platform -- BUT -- because there was no listserv ability on WiserEarth, people had no desire to join.
It might be hard -- but not impossible -- that groups who are already on Google or Yahoo might move over to WiserEarth, especially as security concerns and data-mining concerns grow about Google, Yahooand other groups.
"Smaller" networks such as the Permaculture groups would probably find it adventagious to have a listserv capability on WiserEarth since there are also lots of resources here they are concerned with. And this might be true of other environmentally- and sustainably-focused groups.
I think it should be a high priority after the redesign of the various pages is completed!
jp
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I think it's important (and easy enough) to have people signing up to WE to use the listserv feature for transparency reasons. I'm more worried on making it easy for listserv groups to transition to WE. Google groups makes it easy for people to move out of Yahoo groups into it. Perhaps we should do something similar.
As for technicalities, I imagine we can integrate the discussion module with listserv. By enabling the listserv feature on the module, new comment will automatically be relayed to all group members via email. Members can reply via email, get their comment automagically posted on the discussion module, and relayed to all the other group members' email. Group members can opt out of single threads, or from all threads. They can still use the standard watchlist feature to monitor comments.
We can even imagine creating a new group template called "Listserv", which will display only the discussion module.
... this looks like a lot of coding work already. But I think this is key, since many people prefer listservs over other online communication tools for it's simplicity. And having those people move here would really bring in much needed conversations, dynamics and traffic that WE need.
Some other features needed: - Ability for group admin to moderate new topic submission (not new comments) - Daily, weekly and monthly digest (similar to watchlist digest). |
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Really useful feature. Although I doubt that anyone will convert/switch over from an existing listserv this functionality is core to most groups. It could also form a new way for non-users to participate in WiserEarth. For example, I could see listservs being based around groups - so that any group can flick a switch and create a listserv but they could also make the listserv public with subscription open via an email application. That way people without WE useraccounts could participate. Only issue is around transparency - if these conversations are captured in the discussion section on WiserEarth we would need a way to moderate / delete a subscriber who is violating guidelines/policy.
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Camilla, that will mean that three other people has supported this idea (me, Sheri, and You). So, I changed from +2 to +3 on your behalf.
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Yes, I agree that this would be a nice feature to have.
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This suggestion is transported from another suggestion's comment section. Here were the comments discussing the idea:
Benjammin Fahrer (benjammin): I have thought of this alot, and the idea of having threaded discussion is SO valuable.
Bowo (bowo): Benjammin,
Sheri (SheriHerndon): I completely agree with Benjamin here and this could be how we deepen
our ability to have conversations and dialogue with each other and to
have it scale for participation of larger numbers. To me this gets at
some of the questions around Wiser's identity. Are our conversations
leading us somewhere in our efforts to share information, learn,
disagree, cocreate and move into wise action? I believe so. |
@JP:
Good idea with asking editors and group admins on this.
Can you help put links on top of each suggestion article?... something like "See also this related article on....."