Forums are OK, but second-best. The problem I see with a forum is probably the thing you like about it: messages are broken up by (arbitrary) "topic" or "subjec

Forums are OK, but second-best. The problem I see with a forum is probably the thing you like about it: messages are broken up by (arbitrary) "topic" or "subject". Basically, each thread in a forum operates like its own little mailing list - that enables someone to ignore parts of the discussion. They will then inevitably miss something that they needed to have seen. "But how else can you manage the volume of messages?" I hear you cry. Well, having only a single "thread" forces you to use social pressure to keep the discussion on topic. A forum can have obscure corners which people start to use for off-topic discussions, or general mouthing-off or project gossip. That kind of noise can't be tolerated on a mailing list - because there's no good way to ignore it. So the off topic stuff is pushed out, and the discussion remains mostly on-topic. The "social pressure" that keeps mailing list discussions on-topic is often interpreted by newbies as "rude people shouting at them", and perhaps that's accurate. But the end result is worthwhile.