I don't know, this seems a bit dogmatic. Maybe it's true on average for random things posted on random websites, but for interesting math problems, that's not so obvious. E.g., Stan Wagon's POW (Problem of the Week) on the Macalester College website was well-known to problem enthusiasts. The word spreads fast among math fans. —Dan ----- Dan said:
From: Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: MoMath's Mindbenders for the Quarantined
There's no reason anyone should have to "sign up" when MoMath could easily just post the problems on their website.
There's a huge difference. If you post stuff on your website, you are relying on people coming to visit, and there's a clear drop-off of people doing that. On the other hand, if you deliver things to people's inbox, that reminds them of your existence, and potentially prompts them to come and visit the website, as well as providing the material in question. Simply posting stuff on a website does not work. Email lists do work. It's as simple as that. -----