RADIO FREE USGENWEB....broadcasting live from pirate satellite! The following information represents summarized information from the minutes of the Advisory Board of the USGenWeb Project, obtained from the publicly available archives at Rootsweb. The original messages are no longer available at that site, and I have been placed under a threat of lawsuit if I post them. Thus they are here summarized for your information; all quotations from the original material are clearly marked and fall under the fair use' provision of U.S. Copyright law. If you want to see the originals, petition the Board for them. Message ID numbers have been provided to make this easier for you. Material in brackets constitutes editorial comments. All the following material represents the personal opinion of this author, based on my understanding of events and on the original material. As always, there are two sides to every coin, and if anyone wishes to clarify or rebut anything below, I will be happy to post it. 5 DECEMBER 1998 Highlights: How to kill a mailing list; a Daily Board Report; bylaws amendments; member votes and the webpage; getting Rootsweb to add a link ++++++++++ Kay Mason tells the group she's set the list to "reply to list" and tells them it takes a little time to go into effect. Then she posts her thoughts on some recent issues: 1) Someone on the Board needs to find the time to do a Daily Board Report, to "steal merope's thunder". She thinks it will take only a few minutes, as "there is usually nothing to report." [au contraire, Kay, you guys are fascinating. Ed.] 2) She doesn't think project members should be allowed to subscribe to Board-L, even in read-only mode [previous discussion had focused on how to keep members informed without using the USGENWEB-ALL list; this was one solution. Ed.] 3) Any new list formed should be moderated, as that is "the only way to keep it civil." (Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 06:34:48 -0800; From: "Kay Mason" ; Message-Id: <199812051437.GAA27856@mail.networkone.net>; Subject: [Board-Exec-L] Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Kathy Heidel posts to say she agrees with Bridgett that there should not be a new list, as it " will not accomplish a thing except trouble." She also promises to help with the Board as long as she is on it. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 12:31:29 -0600; From: Kathy Welch Heidel ; Message-ID: <36697C00.52961DBB@tri.net>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Ginger suggests keeping the USGENWEB-ALL list named as it is, but making an announcement that as of December 8 the list would change, and "From that point forward, ONLY By-Laws amendments will be posted there. All other posts will be deleted..." [She then posts standing for Evil Grin, presumably. Such plotters they were! Ed.] Ginger thinks there is no need for a national list and thinks those who complain most loudly should be complaining to their SCs and Board reps directly instead of "relying on us to wade through the trash every day." [But we DID raise the issues with our Board reps; we got divorced for it, remember? Ed.] She reminds the group that the original concept was for bottom up leadership and that national lists and pages should be for information purposes only. Using them as political tools implies that the source of authority is top down. [But making an "announcement" on December 8 effectively taking away the CC's list somehow is not "top-down" management. Ed.] (Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 18:30:02 EST; From: ; Message-ID: ; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] UPDATE: Possible solution to the ALL list) Bridgett posts the following: "This does not prevent us from quietly removing the recommendation off the USGW pages for folks to subcribe to it does it?" [Yet another sterling example of the Board's committment to "bottoms-up" management. Ed.] (Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 16:56:28 -0800; From: "Bridgett Smith" ; Message-Id: <199812060101.RAA08975@jubjub.wizard.com>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] UPDATE: Possible solution to the ALL list) Bridgett also posts that she has not seen anything about who is sending the request to Rootsweb for a link from their main page directly to the USGenWeb Project main page. (Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 17:07:48 -0800; From: "Bridgett Smith" ; Message-Id: <199812060113.RAA09174@jubjub.wizard.com>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] Request for link to RootsWeb) Bob Bamford sends the group his take on the current events: 1) All mention of USGENWEB-ALL will be quietly removed from the national webpages effective December 8, 1998. He doesn't want to do it December 7 because of the historical implications [so he chose the anniversary of John Lennon's death instead. Ed.] 2) Regardig the establishment of a new list, with the suggested name of USGenWeb-Members-L, which will be administered by a person of the Board's choosing. To get this to happen would require a motion by the Board to establish the list and appoint a listowner. 3) He suggests renaming the -ALL list to something like GW-OPEN and letting its subscribers "do what they want." It is his feeling that if the Board is going to force a name change the new name should have no USGenWeb connotation. 4) He votes for going with a read-only Daily Board Report. [Why? So no one can comment on what they are doing? The Board spends an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to get rid of the -ALL list and any sign of free thinking. Ed.] (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 06:04:50 -0500; From: Bob Bamford ; Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981205060450.007c4b10@citrus.infi.net>; Subject: Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Bob posts a note that he received from a "potential CC" that he says he is going to post to the USGENWEB-ALL list later in the day. He hopes that his attached note that the -ALL list is only read by less than 10% of the project membership and and that only about 10% of those post "offensive" material will help them overcome their concern about joining the project. [The attached note was indeed later posted to the -ALL list. It states basically that the person was interested in joining the project but was having second thoughts after reading the -ALL list for a few days. They wondered if all this fighting was common to the project. Pity Bob didn't tell person the truth; this level of fighting is indeed the common mode of operation of this project and has been ongoing in some form or another ever since this author joined in August 1996, shortly after those currently in power ousted the project's founder. Ed.] (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 06:18:50 -0500; From: Bob Bamford ; Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981205061850.007c4740@citrus.infi.net>; Subject: You Should Be Proud!) Jan posts and asks Kay to set the list to reply to the list by default. She does not support the idea of using the -ALL list to do bylaws revisions. In her opinion the list has gotten too bad a reputation to use it for anything except for what it is being used for now. She recommends creating a new list for the bylaws. She says, " I don't want merope & the gang running the bylaws list like they are the all list." [Yes, I admit it. I am the Devil. Ed.] She does support the idea of allowing project members to subscribe to Board-L in read-only mode as she does not have time to help write a Daily Board Report. Otherwise she supports previous comments made by Bob and Betsey. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 07:04:12 -0700; From: Jan Craven ; Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981205070412.0081db10@mail.usunwired.net>; Subject: Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Bob posts a brief note that Kay is not feeling well and directing the members to his others comments regarding the -ALL list. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 08:15:56 -0500l; From: Bob Bamford ; Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981205081556.007b6d40@citrus.infi.net>; Subject: Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Jan posts that she is sorry Kay is feeling poorly and notes that her mama taught her right, so she adds a big "PLEEEZE!" to her earlier request regarding the list reply mode. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 07:35:31 -0700; From: Jan Craven ; Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981205073531.0083c9e0@mail.usunwired.net>; Subject: Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Bob posts a brief note assuring Kathy that she has his vote. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 13:47:19 -0500; From: Bob Bamford ; Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981205134719.007bd210@citrus.infi.net>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Kathy posts a note back to Bob saying that the group "kinda grew on me. I have really enjoyed all of you." [Ain't that sweet. Ed.] (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 13:04:22 -0600; From: Kathy Welch Heidel ; Message-ID: <366983B5.9CF09B5@tri.net>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Teresa posts to say that she agrees with Jan on the issue of the -ALL list, and that it shouldn't be used by the Board members at all, or by any of the USGenWeb Projects [whatever that means. Ed.] She says, "I for one would like to see that any list we get going be controlable [sic], at least as regards merope, and that bunch." [Interesting how the management of this project seems to revolve entirely around how to control its members. More "bottoms-up" management, apparently. Ed.] She claims to have no problem with opposing thoughts and ideas but only with "how they are voiced" and observes that "Merope seems to be bent for 'destruction', and not 'construction'." She states that she is not going to resub to the -ALL list, whether the Board disassociates itself from it or not. She thinks it might be a good idea for the Board-L traffic to go out to the members in digest form. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 13:20:20 -0600; From: Teresa Davis ; Message-Id: <199812051919.OAA07219@mail.msy.bellsouth.net>; Subject: [Board-Exec-L] Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Bob posts: "A TRAP!!!" He points out to the Board that if they rename the -ALL list it would require a note from the Board to Rootsweb stating that the -ALL list has no connection to the USGenWeb project and requesting they rename it. But then he quotes the bylaws [Egads, he finally decided to read them! Ed.], in which the -ALL list is mentioned by name as the place that suggested bylaws amendments are to be posted. [Bummer. Ed.] As he says, "Guess we're stuck with it unless we can change the character of the list to for posting of By-Laws ammedments [sic].'" (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 14:30:45 -0500; From: Bob Bamford ; Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981205143045.007acc40@citrus.infi.net>; Subject: [Board-Exec-L] UPDATE: Possible solution to the ALL list) Betsy posts a clarification to an earlier post, that apparently some other Board members misinterpreted. What she meant is the as long as the "gang on the ALL list" is discussing how to properly implement changes to the bylaws, she has no problem with that. She is not talking about the Board implementing changes, nor is she talking about a Board committee that will handle bylaws requests using that list. She apologizes for any misunderstanding. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 18:30:13 -0600; From: Betsy Mills ; Message-Id: <199812060028.QAA25836@bl-3.rootsweb.com>; Subject: [Board-Exec-L] Re: Possible solution to the ALL list) Kathy posts that in her opinion the Board should leave well enough alone; "At least we know how the wind is blowing". She mentions the Learning Tree acquisition [The Learning Tree purchased Palladium, Rootsweb's sugar-daddy. Earlier they had bought Broderbund, makers of Family Treemaker, which later resulted in the most amusing circumstance of FamilyTreemaker's public representative telling Brian Leverich of Rootsweb that "the check is in the mail." ] Kathy suggests not taking the -ALL list personally and notes that any attempt to change the list will be viewed as another attempt at control, which she notes truthfully it is. She suggests waiting until the summer elections and seeing what the CCs want and acting accordingly. [What!? This project has CCs?! They get so rarely considered that they barely seem to exist. Good for Kathy. Ed.] (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 18:46:23 -0600; From: Kathy Welch Heidel ; Message-ID: <3669D3D9.99B51C7C@tri.net>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] UPDATE: Possible solution to the ALL list) Betsey posts wanting to know who is sending the request to Rootsweb for the page link. [Note to Board: Rootsweb reads both Board-L and USGW-ALL. They know. Ed.] (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 18:56:06 -0600; From: Betsy Mills ; Message-Id: <199812060053.QAA27695@bl-3.rootsweb.com>; Subject: [Board-Exec-L] Request for link to RootsWeb) Karen [told you] posts to tell them to "Just couch it in some official sounding language and send the request off to leverich@rootsweb.com, but cc karen@rootsweb.com and marceline@rootsweb.com". Apparently, Brian needs to get it just because he's Brian, Karen gets it because she will actually do the update, and Marceline gets it because she is building a new RW home page. Karen then notes that she is being daft and talking about herself in the third person. (Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 17:15:24 -0800 (PST); From: ; Message-Id: <199812060115.RAA23197@bw-10.rootsweb.com>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] Request for link to RootsWeb) Betsy posts to correct Marceline's email address in Karen's post. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 20:04:30 -0600; From: Betsy Mills ; Message-Id: <199812060202.SAA02185@bl-3.rootsweb.com>; Subject: Re: [Board-Exec-L] Request for link to RootsWeb) Kathy posts to ask a question: " If I am on the Board even as a Temp. does my vote "not" count?" Apparently, she had checked the web page and found that she is not listed there as voting even though she had voted on the last two issues. (Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 20:13:10 -0600; From: Kathy Welch Heidel ; Message-ID: <3669E834.F5415614@tri.net>; Subject: [Board-Exec-L] Question) ------------------------------ Radio Free USGENWEB, 1998, Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved.