[C320-list] Subscription service charge comments

[Jeff Hare]

Hi Chris,

     I'd like to address a couple points, but first, thanks for the kind
words.

First, as many of you know I have resisted hosting our own discussion
forum since there was a fine free alternative.

I believe Sailjazz uses the Lyris List manager software.  We're now using a
fully supported package called Mailman.   It's hosting thousands
of public mailing lists and has been for many years.  In comparison
to Lyris,  Mailman has many of the same protection features, plus
our hosting company supports and maintains it, not me.  It's one
of the features we're already paying for.

I don't plan to actively moderate it, and I doubt anyone else will either.
It may take me or someone else an few minutes a couple times a week
to answer subscription questions and the like, but it isn't likely to
be much of a burden.

Regarding spam:   well,  with SailJazz, you have no control over that.
With us,  we'll have some control.  SailJazz used to have their full
subscription list wide open to peepers and spammers. Fortunately
they seem to have closed that security threat.   I'm clearly not the
only one who's seen that list.  I'm not smart enough to be the only
one...   BTW,  You do remember all those unsubscribe emails that
we used to all get?  They're not perfect either.

Consider that I take extra steps to ensure that nobody has access
to member's email addresses on the C320 website.   But there are
lots of people smarter than I, that will probably find a hole in our
system.  But, by the same token, there are people smarter than the
Boyles too and anyone who runs a web business knows the risks.

But, as you said,  it is what it is.    The C32o association's list has been
running since 1 am this morning and already has nearly 80 members
signed up.  I can't guarantee anything, but then neither can the Boyles.

I have at different times been signed up on several of the SailJazz lists, but
as my available free time shrinks, I'm reluctantly willing to sacrifice those,
as I'm sure that they'll become less valuable if everyone has to 
shell out cash.
If  they were really valuable to me, then I'd probably pay to retain 
access to them.

Be clear that I'm certainly not going to try to discourage *anyone* from
paying for and participating in their service.  It's just that I don't believe
the 320 association members should have to pay to talk with each other.
That's part of why we pay our dues and join the association.

Even if they reconsider and don't charge us,  the fact that SailJazz clearly
states that all content on their website, including the discussion list content
we provide belongs exclusively to SailJazz, and not us.  So if they decide to
hide our archives, we're powerless to do anything about it.

Bottom line,  I'm hoping that Cheryl and Sam's new company is successful.
I was a sailperks member, and bought all the stuff I could from Sailnet.
However, SailJazz is no longer an appropriate place for the C320 IA to
use as it's official discussion forum.  It's simply not the right model for us.

Cheers!
-JeffH

PS:  I DO NOT Approve of Blain's posts and approach to this situation.
         I find it personally offensive, juvenile, and not at all 
in-keeping with how
         this forum has always operated.


At 08:12 AM 10/29/2005, you wrote:
>I will be the first one to thank and applaud Jeff. The
>site is a real asset our community and a really is a
>very decent one for a volunteer site.
>
>But, hopefully, we are all adults here. As websites
>go, it is what it is. The mail server will be what it
>will be as well. I will not be going to the mailserver
>(some will likely find that alone reason enough to go
>there), I am still dealing with the spam that results
>from other amateur groups that I have improvidently
>joined.
>
>Most of it is filtered by my security systems, but is
>still annoying to go through a folder of 200-300
>messages daily just to make sure an important one
>didn't get filtered. I do not intend to add to that
>load by giving the spiders a new feeding node. I
>seriously doubt that anyone has invested in the robust
>software required to effectively prevent hacking or
>spiders.
>
>Consider too, that as I am signed up on more than one
>group on sailjazz, the fee doesn't look as bad to me
>as to those who only signed up for this one.
>
>I hate seeing where the fallout from this fee is leading.
>
>Chris Burti
>"Commitment"
>Catalina 320, #867,
>Farmville, NC