Email lists. Not something I've looked into before and now I know why. There are some things that are good, being emailed a digest of the messages is a good way of keeping up to date with activity without having to go in and check the board.. if the list works properly. One of the ones I joined didn't send the digests even though I had selected that option. Inactivity or listed groups that no longer existed was also a problem I noticed.
While discussion boards need to be visited to be checked, although some have the option of sending notifications when messages are posted to threads you are following, they are easier when it comes to following particular threads where as email lists can be a little harder to follow where things fit.
To me, I think discussion boards are very useful for a generalised group when there are likely to be very different discussions happening, the different threads can be made much clearer. Email lists I think are better for more specific groups where the discussions may be varied but still have a stronger link than a more general discussion board. By delivering the discussions they also make it easier for all participants to keep up with all messages, useful when the group has been set up with a goal to achieve.
