Persistence and lurkers in discussion lists: a pilot study

In email-based discussion lists (DLs), messages resident in archives, email clients and elsewhere are persistent. One way of examining persistent messages is through the eyes of lurkers. For participants in this study, persistent conversation is an inhibitor to participation, a mechanism for engendering participation, and something to be managed. Participants viewed persistent conversation, especially when it can be retrieved through search mechanisms at a later date, as a loss of security and privacy, and art impediment to public participation. Participants followed conversations to understand the practices and language of a DL. Strategies for reading and managing email were idiosyncratic and goal driven. Some participants were concerned about maintaining access to DL information for future use. Others, more concerned about being overloaded with too much email, focused on eliminating messages. Where possible, design implications are put forward.