There have been a few problems at my alma mater of late, which have captured my attention sufficiently to get me to attend alumni meetings, where passionate grads are arguing the future of one of America's great institutions, Antioch College.
So while I'm sitting at the most recent one trying to follow the conversation, someone said something that has proved to be the only direct quote I recall from the meeting: "Email is for old people."
The speaker, whose name I've been trying to get but alas, she may not reply to email, went on to say that "young people post. They don't email."
I email and I post. Like right now. This is a post. I've been thinking since about what this might mean. Is there only direct 1:1 communication in public? In private forums that the public can join by registering?
We know from our research over the years -- and we are by no means the only ones recognizing this -- email has its limitations. Long discussions do not lend themselves to email. Bulletin boards, threaded discussions, and Internet buzzword of the moment, wikis, do.
Having been involved in computer conferencing (what the wiki idea stems from -- Hello, Murray Turoff and Starr Roxanne Hiltz) for 25 years now, I am a committed believer in "public," many-voice conversations. But I ain't throwin' in the towel on email yet. Nothing is better for 1:1 asynchronous (different time) communication (gospel according to me).
