Re: <nettime> Goodbye Classic ? email lists?

[Alan Sondheim <sondheim {AT} panix.com>]

Oddly, around the same time the email list I co-moderate, Cybermind, did 
the same thing - it was a way of reaffirming community.

7-11 is still operable, as is Syndicate; both are fairly moribund. Cyber- 
mind functions, but the posts are down from 50+ to 10+ / daily. This seems 
to be true across the board, except for specialized lists (for example I'm 
on harp-l, harmonica players).

The population of Cybermind has steadily aged as more people obviously go 
to blogs, Facebook, etc. I wonder how viable these lists are at this point 
- whether they're not archeological relics more than anything else.

The advantage of the email list seems to be extended discussion and a 
relatively open commons; most of the lists I'm still on have little or no 
moderation. Blogs seem less of a playing field; I'm always aware of the 
design/framework, which, with email, is minimal.

On the other hand, email itself might be dying; many people I know us 
Facebook, MySpace, etc. as a primary means of communication. Email works 
well as thin (lower ascii / low bandwidth) software, which seems less 
necessary. So as communication evolves into multi-media, etc. etc.

(This is occasioned by an ethnographic study of Cybermind that just came 
out by Jon Marshall, an anthropologist, who has been a member/participant 
of the list for years.)

- Alan




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