[C320-list] Mailing List or Forum

[Dingo Is Talent]

AGREED
DINGO 1150 
Down Under 

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Sean Kaldor
Sent: Monday, 23 July 2012 3:53 AM
To: c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Mailing List or Forum

I've been following all the discussions about using a forum versus using a
discussion list to keep C320 International Association members in contact.

I'll start of by sincerely thanking everyone for bringing the idea forward,
and weighing in with their various ideas and concerns. This entire
organization is simply an association of our members, and together we can
evolved and grow the C320IA in any direction desired. Your Association
officers all welcome members to come forward with such suggestions. 

I've come to understand that our members greatly appreciate the value of
being able to communicate with each other. Some are active posters, but many
passively read the discussions or search past posts. Whether people are
discussing current events, maintenance issues, upgrades, or any variety of
issues, this is a huge value for all of us.

In the past, we have tried various other formats, and have met with
problematic results, as our webmaster Jeff Hare documented. Losing all prior
posts and your domain name has a huge impact on the Association. Given the
stability of our current system, it is fitting that we set a high hurdle
when considering any change.

The concern about the discussion list's large volume of messages is valid -
this group shouldn't flood your inbox. Eliminating that would be the key
benefit of moving to a forum format. Another benefit is that discussions
could be organized into topics, and it would be easier to review prior
discussions to look for answers to questions that have been asked in the
past.

The other comments are also all valid. There is also an 'ebb' and 'flow' to
the volume of messages. (I recall someone posting in winter (Northern
Hemisphere) to ask if the list was still working because there had been no
posts for almost a week!) The need to log in and out of a separate forum is
yet another Internet hassle for many of our members. There is an
administrative workload associated with moderating a forum, and your
association is already operating without a Vice Commodore (any
volunteers!!!!????) and your webmaster has a long list of association
projects. The ability to search past posts provides some of the benefits of
a forum, namely an ability to get answers to questions that have been asked
in the past. And selecting the "digest" format should limit emails to one,
or possibly two per day during the peak of the sailing season (and one every
other day during the rest of the year).

Based upon the pros and cons, the feedback voiced by Association members on
this topic, the evaluation of our Webmaster, and upon consultation with your
Association officers, at this time we will retain the current email
discussion list format.

With great appreciation,

Sean
Commodore C320IA