Discussion groups on the Internet

Citation

(1998), "Discussion groups on the Internet", Facilities, Vol. 16 No. 9/10. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.1998.06916iag.001

Discussion groups on the Internet

Discussion groups on the Internet

Information is bombarding facilities managers from every conceivable direction. Increasingly we hear stories of information overload and the resulting stress that ensues. With this in mind, perhaps the last thing a facilities manager wants to know about is the Internet ­ a world of limitless yet disordered information. It is indeed true that there is plenty of "chaff" too often concealing the wheat in the online world. It is typically only the information technology (IT) enthusiast who thinks about tapping into the Internet to obtain information. In this issue of Facilities we look at online discussion groups in various flavours: bulletin boards; mailing lists; and newsgroups. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff in these discussion groups and how do you get the answers you really need?

Discussion groups on the Internet provide a mechanism for addressing questions to people around the world on a specific topic. The topic may relate to a particular area of legislation such as health and safety; to a particular product such as a computer-aided FM program (CAFM) package; or a particular sector such as the health industry. Because the reach is global, there is a much greater likelihood of reaching someone who knows the answer to your question. The more specialised your interest area the more likely you are to obtain the information you need.

Mailing lists

So how does a mailing list work? To "subscribe" to a mailing list you need to send an e-mail to a particular listserver address. This allows you to become a participant in the group. How do you interact with this group and derive benefit from it? There are a number of ways:

1. 1.

   You can be an eavesdropper ­ many mailing list members fall into this category. Rather than volunteering your own questions and ideas why not wait for other people to do it? Obtaining information as an eavesdropper can be very useful: invariably people ask the same questions which you are currently asking or will soon be asking. However, to remain as an eavesdropper does lead to a "fisherman's dilemma" situation whereby nobody chooses to initiate discussion.

2. 2.

   You can be a discussion initiator by presenting your own question. However, there is no guarantee that anyone will respond.

3. 3.

   You can volunteer your own solutions or expertise.

So there are three actors:

1. 1.

   the eavesdropper;

2. 2.

   the questioner; and

3. 3.

   the solution provider.

With the wrong mix of these three actors discussion groups fail to function. If nobody raises a question, electronic traffic fails to circulate and the mailing list becomes "inaudible". In contrast, you can have too many questioners, repeatedly raising questions which have been addressed in the group before. To avoid this, a question and answer section is often provided which distils some of the learning experience of the group. Alternatively, most mailing lists maintain an archive of previous discussions that might hold the answer you want. An archive deters people from revisiting a discussion that has already been concluded, thus allowing the body of know-how to move on. The third actor, the subject expert, is vital to the success of the discussion group. People will be swapping between one of the three acting modes, but at some stage people must be willing to volunteer their own expertise. Many discussion groups fail because questioners remain questioners and experts remain experts. As the expert stands to gain nothing from the exchange, their continued involvement ceases.

There is one further actor in this: an unwelcome actor intent only on promoting their product. This practice will annoy other group members. The mailing list format lends itself to calm, thoughtful, literate, mature discussion, where relationships between the members actually grow and deepen over an extended period of time.

Listserv is the most common specific version of mailing list. Listserv was originally developed for use on BITNET, but most Listserv lists have switched over to run on the Internet.

Newsgroups

Usenet is a special transmission method and the software which has evolved specifically for discussion groups does not rely on conventional e-mail technology. In contrast to mailing lists which use a "push" technology to disseminate discussion, Usenet makes use of a "pull" concept, whereby users are able to browse threaded discussions without having to fill up their own e-mail box or disk space. To be effective, it relies on the ability of contributors to write meaningful titles in their messages. Discussion groups on Usenet are called newsgroups. There are thousands of newsgroups and each has a unique name. As contrasted with domain names, newsgroup names are read from left to right.

Internet forums

Another discussion mechanism gaining favour is the Internet discussion forum which makes use of conventional World Wide Web technol-ogy to allow threaded discussions to take place using a Web browser. While the technology is somewhat different from Usenet, for the user the process of interaction is almost identical.

Facilities management example

Let us examine a typical scenario for a facilities manager (FM). Imagine that you were concerned about the issue of duct cleaning. How often should it be undertaken, if at all? To answer this question, the FM looks at some promising discussion forums. One which appears to be promising is the "Management Forum" at the Web site http://facilitiesnet.com/. Looking through the online discussion, someone asking the same question appears:

Duct Cleaning Pros and Cons

I would like to hear from those of you that have real life experience with duct cleaning. Have you felt it was worth the expense? What benefits have been realized? What was promised and what was delivered?

The forum then allows the FM to navigate to the responses received regarding this query. The second message is sent by someone who wants the initial sender to clarify their question.

Duct Cleaning Pros and Cons

I really would like some more details so I could help you. What type of areas do these ducts feed? Why do you want to clean (regulatory issues, IAQ complaints, dirty ducts)? Cleaning for the sake of cleaning may be noble, but it is costly and may cause other problems, such as collapsed ducts, dust all over, etc. Please let me know some more specifics and I'll try to help you.

The third message results in some explicit and useful advice:

Mostly Pros

We have done a number of duct cleaning jobs over the years for a variety of reasons. The best reason has been as part of PM. By re-airing or replacing deteriorated interior soundproofing and removing years of dust/dirt/contaminant accumulation. It has also given us a thorough examination and an opportunity to repair a system that usually gets addressed only due to complaint. We have also initiated duct cleaning as a standard part of every major component replacement project. This gives us a renewed asset with a known lifecycle to plan with. I would highly recommend the use of either still photography or video as a way to document the "before & after" conditions for your records and to show interested occupants. This process is not inexpensive, but has very positive results with improved control and credibility.

Finally, a well-thought out response comes from an experienced practitioner:

Duct Cleaning Pros

Duct cleaning is extremely important.

1. 1.

   It removes the debris that accumulates in the ducts and can be blown out after a shut down. This has been a hot topic in my organization.

2. 2.

   It allows for a survey of your duct work, a good company will confirm the path of the ductwork, locations of re-heats, dampers and other accessories and make sure that there are no blockages.

3. 3.

   In ducts that have not been cleaned for a long period of time, the process can increase air flow.

4. 4.

   It gets rid of pollutants like mold in the ductwork that can cause illness.

5. 5.

   The cleaning of the fans, coils and other devices will actually increase heat transfer and reduce energy costs. The only downside is the need to access the ductwork which can damage ceilings and cause disruption to activities. You need to budget for repairs and access panels.

Here you can see a very rich discussion on a topic that is likely to be of interest to a number of people in the group. In a dynamic environment, there may be little guidance in the form of printed material and informal exchange of information provides the ideal answer.

Vendors' discussion forums

Many facilities managers involved in installing new products often feel that they end up knowing more about the product than the manufacturer's or supplier's support team. This is often the result of painstaking experience and trial and error. Increasingly, users are looking to other users to share information and resolve difficulties. In a sense, this might be thought of as product development by the client! Manufacturers and suppliers are becoming conscious of this and are starting to provide facilities to enable users to exchange ideas in this way. One example of this is the AutoCAD discussion forum site at http://www.autodesk.com/support/discsgrp/index.htm. Discussion groups at this site range from Year 2000 compliance, the use of AutoCAD with the Internet, Customer File Exchange (where users exchange example problems and solutions in their drawing files); and the CAD Manager Café.

Finding a discussion forum

There are various Web sites which allow you to search for topics of interest. These include:

List of Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists on: http://www.neosoft.com/internet/paml/index.html

A search under the term "Facilities" at this site will yield a number of discussion groups including Hospital Downsize ­ an "unmoderated discussion list about downsizing, closing, merging, re-engineering, and reorganizing medical or mental health facilities such as general hospitals, specialty hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, state psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment centers and other similar facilities". Another list is the Fire-List the purpose of which is "to discuss the design, installation, maintenance and testing of special hazards fire suppression systems commonly installed in data processing rooms, process control rooms, and telecommunications facilities. This mailing list is sponsored by NAFED, the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors, a trade group with over 1,200 organizations. The list is unmoderated, digested, archived and open to all with an interest in fire protection. Postings are restricted to subscribers".

Two other sites for searching Usenet groups and mailing lists are:

1. 1.

   Internet Mailing List Directory produced by America Online at http://ifrit.web.aol.com/mld/production/

2. 2.

   Liszt ­ an excellent search tool which uncovered a number of Usenet and mailing lists at: http://www.liszt.com/

Other forums

Property Management and Facilities Global Forum

The aim of the Property Management and Facilities Global Forum at http://www.mcb.co.uk is to broaden knowledge in the area by providing users with more informed research. The site provides information ranging from basic research information to support and advice, including:

• •

  Latest news and views from some of the world's leading experts in the field.

• •

  Access to specific information on property management.

• •

  Access to some of the best publications and research data in the world.

• •

  Advice, guidance, support and practical solutions.

• •

  Discussion areas, which keep you updated via e-mail.

• •

  Worldwide virtual conferencing facilities.

• •

  Instant access to other useful sites on the World Wide Web.

Mailbase

Mailbase (http://www.mailbase.ac.uk) is a UK-based mailing list service which encompass a number of areas of interest to facilities managers. These include the facilities management discussion group, and the energy managers discussion group. It must be said however that the traffic level for some of these groups is very low with only a few messages per month.

Summary

Discussion lists provide a mechanism for anyone to publish on the Internet ­ even cursory thoughts and opinions. This is both an asset and a liability. It means that questions can be addressed instantaneously and the solutions to these questions be disseminated to many other interested parties. It also provides an ideal mechanism for a body of knowledge to develop alongside more formal and rigorous outlets such as academic journals. However, continued success relies on intelligent usage and the ability of users to refrain from promoting products and services.