I think you may have hit a few nails on the head there Dave. I'm no spring chicken but mentality wise am probably a bit younger than my actual years
I think the main difference can initially be proactivity, a web based forum requires you to physically log on to see what updates have occurred whilst an email based forum will 'push' the responses to your chosen medium (PC or phone). It takes more effort to log on but once you have done so it's so much easier to navigate and use the vast facilities available. I must admit the email forum I am a member of gives me a headache.
But in the end Simon is also spot on. It's the members that really make a forum what it is. There may be an effect of the above that governs who frequents which forum and thus affects memebership. This can make a forum light airy fun open and informative; or stuffy fuddy-duddy, authoritarian and narrow-minded.
Horses for courses......
Andy (mental age a lot less than 47)
