Frequently Asked Questions
General
- Q: Don't you end up spending all your time in front of the computer? Isn't it better to have in-person meetings?
A: It's possible to spend all your time front of the computer, just as it's possible to spend all your time in in-person meetings. In-person meetings are more efficient in some cases -- but don't forget to include the time you spend finding a time when everyone can meet, and getting to and from the meeting. Depending on what you need to communicate, online communication can be quicker. For example, once you've written a proposal, posting it on a mailing list or Wiki just takes a minute; everyone can then take a minute to read it when they have time. Most importantly, when an organization relies on in-person meetings, power tends to be held by those who have the most time to go to meetings. Using a mailing list allows everyone to participate when they have time, in a place that's convenient for them.
- Q: But not everyone has a computer and an Internet connection.
A: In the UK, you can buy an Internet-ready secondhand computer for £100. Internet connections have become very cheap, too; some UK ISPs provide Internet access for the price of a local telephone call. By contrast, for someone who lives in the outskirts of London, attending a weekly meeting in central London can easily cost £18 per week in train fare, for a 45-minute journey each way. At that rate, a computer would soon pay for itself.
Mailing lists
- Q: Isn't it a pain having discussions via email?
A: Email is indeed a very limited form of communication: no immediate response, no facial expressions, no tones of voice. This means that it isn't suitable for all kinds of discussion, and tends to work particularly badly when discussion gets heated. However, in most organizations, not all communication takes the form of a heated discussion. In a group of people who work closely together over an extended period of time, and largely agree on their goals, discussion on a mailing list can be very fruitful. When you reach the limits of email, you can have an online chat (which at least provides more immediacy), pick up the phone, or arrange an in-person meeting. Then you can post a brief summary of your conversation on the list, so there's a record of it in the list archives.
- Q: If I subscribe to mailing lists, will I get more spam or viruses?
A: SocialTools mailing lists have built-in spam and virus filters, which should prevent most spam and viruses from being sent through the lists, but no filter is perfect. Spammers often harvest email addresses from web pages, such as mailing list archives; in the archives of SocialTools mailing lists, email addresses are protected, to keep them from being harvested in this way.