“Tools don’t get socially interesting until they get technologically boring” – Clay Shirky.
Don’t feel pressured to recommend new technology over e-mail lists and forums. The older tools are often the best possible platform for your community. More people know how to use e-mail and forums than any other online technology.
Many of the most active communities today use forums because they work. If you’re going to venture into unchartered waters, with a less-tested platform that users don’t understand quite as well, you better have a fantastic reason.
The problem here is clients are against you. They want you to recommend technology they have never heard of. The result is an expensive mess. Don’t be sucked in. Recommend the right tool for your job and stand your ground.