Hi Frank,

> How usable are those two forum formats for slow internet connections?

Highly usable. Firstly, people with slow connection can read only
those messages in which they are interested in. Secondly, people can
turn off the display of images in the browser settings, and thus
achieve quick loading of the postings.

> One thing about yahoogroups, even for high speed internet, is the

way they force

> you to view ads (for non-email usage)

By the way, the browsers like Mozilla Firefox or Maxthon provide an
opportunity of blocking such ads.

> The googlegroups looks like it might take care of the
> threading issue, and maybe they have a less intrusive and annoying

way of

> showing ads.

The ads in Google groups are now text-only.

> The other message board format you listed below is structured

better to

> organize topics cleanly, and has some advantages such as allowing

moderators

> to move threads around. So for example the especially valuable

threads can

> be moved into an FAQ group for future generations to view.

And threads devoted to specific Pali terms can gradually evolve over
the course of many years.

> Is it still common for email members to not have web access

anymore? This

> email list format is truly cumbersome and outmoded, and we should

abandon it

> as soon as it's feasible.

Well, I think that this email list format is suitable for communities
in the stage of formation, or for the communities of like-minded
people, or for the circles of friends, or co-workers working on common
project.

For me the best time on this list was when we translated suttas
together. However now my interest has shifted to the clarification of
Pali terms in the context of Buddhist practice, and such slow-paced
endeavour requires another format of discussion.

Dmytro