"It's not a conversation. It's a statement that may be followed by responses (and responses to those responses), but one person (or a small group) always gets to make the initial statement--and usually the final one as well."

I think that increases the quality of the discussion, actually. When people are forced to go write a post on their own blog if they have a lot to say, rather than the Usenettish ankle-biting line-by-line sniping.

It's the difference between writing an article and trying to explain your point of view to a bunch of friends on a pavment corner. Sure, the latter's a conversation, but it's unlikely to get anywhere.

Seth: Thanks.

Firas: I don't use Usenet; I will say that the best lists I'm involved with mostly provide something like real conversation. You may be right that, to some extent, the article-and-response style can increase the quality of the discussion (although the real world suggests it can do the opposite as well)--but it's still not really a conversation. It's something else; "dangling conversation" may be as good a name as any. Not bad, just different.