[Buddha-l] What's the use of buddha-l?

[Margaret Gouin]

2009/12/27 Richard Hayes <rhayes at unm.edu>

> With such resources as wikipedia, Google scholar, facebook, blogger and
> wordpress providing easy access to information, misinformation, opinion and
> prejudice in much larger quantities than buddha-l can provide them, who
> needs buddha-l?
>

I'm not sure it has to do with 'need'. My own experience with a variety of
Buddhism-oriented online groups (blogs, social networks, academic lists) has
been that each one has its own set of 'regulars', and they carry the bulk of
discussion in that forum. They may be members of other groups as well, but
tend to post in that one.

It's kind of like having a local pub. Sure, there are lots of pubs in the
area, and they all have something to recommend them, some of them may even
have better food or finer beer or a nicer decor; but there's one where
everyone knows your name and you know them and somehow that's where you
always wind up. Buddha-L has its own group of 'regulars'. We may not always
be in harmony, but this is where we hang out.

Whether this is a good enough reason to keep Buddha-L going is a decision
for the moderators. List management involves work which takes time that
could be used elsewhere--like at the local pub (or whatever the New Mexican
equivalent is).

Margaret