Discussion: Forum participation by email

[BustaCap]

I'm glad to hear that this project may still happen. Given the level of interest shown here I'm sure it would be a popular hack.

[BillP]

I'd be interested in a SUBSET of this hack.

I run a mailing list. I'd like to archive the posts into a READ ONLY vBulletin forum. So my email list users could use the search functions of vBulletin to read through the archives.

Features I'd like to see include obfuscation of email addresses, in order to prevent spiders from using them for spam.

What we really need is a command line utility to inject a thread or post. Maybe the logic for "new thread or append to old" is in the utility, or not.

What I would do, if I had the time and expertise, is base the thread on the subject line automatically, and that's about it. A single forum for a mailing list, read only, with straight email injection based on subject line.

[BillP]

Originally posted by nicksaunders
and the command-line thing is a good idea, but simple-minded users might not be able to use it...

It wouldn't be for use by end users!

vbull-injector@mydomain.com would be a user in the mailing list subscription. He gets a copy of each post to the list.

vbull-injector is aliased as a pipe to a command line. This is the way Majordomo and MailMan (list managers) handle mail. The injector program would do the same.

I'll probably end up doing this myself. This subset is so easy in comparison to the application you are discussing here. No authentication is necessary. Just the "threading" piece, which is simple enough to do via SQL.

[N!ck]

oh, come on bill... no making false quotes

[Stylez]

i would be very interested in this, as its a great idea. it might actually get some of my board members to subscribe to a forum =p.

[mashby]

I run a web site for Palm User Groups (aka PalmPilots, PDAs, etc.). We host these groups for free and offer support and assistance in helping them run their local organization. Given our position, we are constantly facing the issue of mailing list vs. online forum.

Some users prefer mailing lists, some prefer online forums. It's a discussion that we have time and time again. Then there's the small group that want both. The hurdle I'm faced with is that we have to try and support any one, if not all of these options. The one that I've not really supported has been e-mail lists and those PUGs have turned to Yahoo Groups.

In the last year, I've become more and more familiar with vBulletin and have truly fallen in love. :knockedout: and I'm constantly amazed by what can be done with it and I'm really interested in this thread.

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E-mail vs Forums
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Pro E-mail: Those who prefer mailing lists, appear to like the fact that they can easily participate in discussions simply by using e-mail. No need to log-in to a web site, browse various forums, etc.

Pro Forum: Those who prefer forums like the fact that threads are organized and that you can review all posts when it's convenient, etc. Of course we all here don't have go on how great forms are here.

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Can We Get The Best Of Both Worlds?
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So can this elusive hack bridge the two and create the best of both worlds? Allow those users who prefer e-mail to post and respond via e-mail and those users who prefer to use forums to access vB as normal? I'd like to think so, but has this hack taken any form?

I noticed this thread regarding the E-mail gateway support and it would appear that this hack could be a start. However, I don't know any site that is using this with e-mail.

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Throw A Bone
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Anyone know if there's a way to merge the best of Yahoo Groups and the best of vBulletin into one total solution? Any help on this subject would be most appreciative.