Tech support for Bloglines said the ability to reply from Bloglines will come soon enough, but suggested many lists provide e-mail confirmation. That’s true if you’re running more modern list software. PUBLIB is still running on LISTPROC 6, and that’s a bigger problem. (Web4Lib, on the same host, has the same problem.) PUBLIB needs a new home; that’s a goal for 2004.
Meanwhile, Steven, on Library Stuff, said he doesn’t subscribe to discussion lists. That’s fine, but I disagree with him on the value of these lists, which he describes as 90% “crappola.”
A good blog is a great resource, but it couldn’t possibly replace the collective input of thousands of librarians sharing (and accumulating) information. It’s a completely different tool.
PUBLIB and Web4Lib are two examples of discussion lists with long and honorable histories of providing information, discussion, advice, and sometimes just a sheer sense of community. Both have editorial oversight; PUBLIB is moderated by two of us who have been around the block a few times–Sara Weissman and me–while Web4Lib has a four-member editorial board that provides oversight and general direction for the list (admittedly, I’m on that board, too). Other lists, such as Stumpers, Autocat, and LM-Net, also serve as an important voice for their communities as well as a resource, sounding board, and historical archive of how we done it good or bad, or just plain done it anyway.
I like voicing my opinion in this space, and I appreciate reader commentary. But it’s not the same as participating in a longstanding community. Nothing like 5,000 reality checks for your ideas!
I’ve been using the MailBucket email-to-RSS gateway for exactly this purpose, (see http://mailbucket.org/yoyolibref.xml for an example). The only way I was able to do some of them was to use my POP3 accounts at yoyology.com to do the actual subscribing/confirming, then forwarding them to, e.g., yoyolibref@mailbucket.org. I agree that it’s a hassle, and an insurmountable obstacle to many, but I also agree that it’s an incredible boon to be able to read all of these discussion lists at any Internet-connected computer. I hope that Bloglines comes through with the “Reply” feature. I’ll be going through another round of unsub/resub on that day!