I have rediscovered today why I don’t like technical email lists. Not to say the lists are wrong. I think it has more to do with personalities, and some people are comfortable with lists, others not. I am not.
So why do I, or should I say, did I go out out to the lists recently? This week, in all cases, it was because someone thought I might be able to help with something, or that I should share the code I’d created. So I ended up in three lists, two of which didn’t go well. The third did. One out of three isn’t bad. Not for me.
The two that didn’t work out have terrific people, and great stuff going on, as does the third. So why did the one work for me and not the others?
Much of it has to do with my perception of the third list as much quieter in tone than the other two. In some ways, I didn’t feel as if I was ‘on stage’ with the third, whether this feeling is backed up by reality or not.
I wonder if my discomfort with mailing lists has something to do with the fact that I don’t like IRC, either? Could it even be extended to that age old question of introverts or extroverts? In other words – extroverts do well in IRC and in email lists, introverts don’t? This could be a fascinating little study. We always assume extroversion/introversion has to do with being with people in person. Be interesting to find out if this extends to our online interactions.