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there seem to be a lot of forums starting up lately.

what, in your opinion, makes a good forum? possible reasons include: "i like non-threaded formats." "i like it when chicks post smart stuff." "what's a forum?"

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2000

Answers

As you know, 'sted, I *don't* like non-threaded formats. I like the way the little blue messages and their answers nest their way down and across the page, and I like to be able to have an overview when I cherry-pick those things that interest me most. Smart chicks? Nah!

What makes a good forum for me though is a mixture of opposites. I like the tension of discussion and debate (though not dispute), yet I like it when those involved are familiar enough with one another to be comfortable with the possibility of disagreement in the face of devil's advocacy. I guess that prescribes a relatively small, "intimate" and probably invitation-only membership. The same, by the way, goes for mailing lists.

-- Anonymous, September 04, 2000


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