Re: [Phpwebsite-developers] users complaints about lack of support

[Philip M. <ph...@li...>]

Hope you don't mind my 2 cents.

As I see it there are a number of options for user support, all with
their pros & cons.

1) IRC
Already have an IRC channel on irc.openprojects.net #pphpws

Pros:
* Don't need to refresh the view to see new questions
* Instantaneous contact

Cons:
* Instantaneous contact
* Need to remember to log in and keep watching your IRC session
* Harder to create an archive of previously asked (& answered) questions

2) Forums
Already available on sourceforge, could set up on main site

Pros:
* More organised threads
* Archive of questions and answers implicit

Cons:
* Need to remember to periodically check forums
* Potentially harder to see new posts (depends on the forum software)

3) Mailing lists

Pros:
* Don't have to remember to check for new posts
* Can keep an archive of messages

Cons:
* Mails arrive irrespective of whether you can be bothered to deal with
user queries or not

4) Newsgroup

Pros:
* You choose when you can be bothered to check for new messages
* Message archival

Cons:
* You still have to physically check for new messages


Now, I would personally favour e-mail as I find it easier to click
'reply-to' than have to log in to sf.net and choose the right project
then check the forums for new posts.

However, I understand that this does not suit some people and Bob will
certainly not be out on a limb by expressing his preference to not have
a mailing list.

This isn't the end of the world, there is a way to cater for both
preferences without having 2 separate sets of discussion threads going
on.

You can set up a newsgroup and a mailing list and then run some gateway
software to forward usenet posts to the mailing list and vice versa.
Something like Mailman (
http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/features.html ) or news2mail would
do the trick.

If people *still* prefer web access, then there's always the option of
using one of the many web-based usenet services out there.

-- 
Philip McAllister <ph...@li...>
  "All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy"
  - Spike Milligan
Milligan