Steve Eberhart wrote: > All of the Matronics lists just continue to work. Everything is > archived and there is a good fast search engine. There is a KR list > already set up ready for use. Just add up the amount of time and hand > wringing that has gone into the last two times the free lists have > screwed up.
My first reaction to this was to peck out a message saying "you just let everybody know how to subscribe and I'll shut this one down". That would solve the immediate traffic problem, and let me off the hook to get more done on my airplane! But I've had a little longer to think about it, and get some other opinions. One opinion put it more succinctly than even I could verbalize it, and made me realize why I put so much effort into this list (I'll post it at the bottom of this message). Y'all can call me a control freak, but I just don't think there's another soul on the planet that cares as much as I do that this list provides timely, accurate KR information with a minimum of extra BS and advertising. And that includes somebody that runs 45 other lists, no matter how good they are. We've had this discussion before, but I sincerely doubt that Matt is going to read every message that's posted to this list, and respond to our concerns in anything like the manner that I do. If somebody needs a photo posted, they can post a message asking for somebody to post it, and somebody will step up and post it. I've quit volunteering because I'm pretty strapped for time, but there are plenty of guys who don't mind spending a few minutes to post something. When you think about it, this is not necessarily a bad thing. There are people who would post pictures of their new puppies for everybody to see, and who knows what else. The way it is now, if it's important, it'll get posted, and at least TWO people have to decide it's important. Personally, I think I do enough around here. I still think there's hope for this incarnation of the list, and I believe that EVERY time I've "replied-to" a message that somebody else successfully sent through KRnet, my message gets through. Just change the subject, delete the text, or whatever, but capture the "return-to" header that comes from the list and I think it'll find it's way back home. That's a bit of a hassle, but an excellent clue for whoever is troubleshooting this problem, and it should be an easy fix. Let's give this list a little more time to get straightened out, and try the workaround described above (and let me know if it doesn't work for you). NEWSFLASH (inserted just as I finished the above paragraph).....we may have the problem fixed now! Dan can even post by sending a message direct to kr...@mylist.net , and just to prove it, I'll do the same with this one and see if it makes it. If it does, I'm going to call it fixed, and hope I'm right. If not, try the "reply-to" trick. If we still have problems, the old KRnet is still there, and I can turn it on in about one minute, populated with the current subscriber list from mylist.net. I'll not be caught with my pants down again! Below is the best message that I've received on this matter (and more importantly, he AGREES with me on just about every point). -------------------------- "My take -and I'll try to keep it right to the point- is that this (KRNet) is not a democracy. If it were, we'd have "caring moment hour" and "thoughtful post of the day", as well as animated .GIFs of waving U.S. flags embedded in posts and all the rest of it. Call it a benevolent dictatorship. The truth is that everyone does real well under a benevolent dictatorship except for despots who want the reins, and you've seen a couple of those from time to time. They will use the "it's a free country and you're stifling free and open exchange of ideas" line, as the most recent jerk did, but usually the worst part of it is that these people are exactly the type of idiots nobody wants on the list anyway, and if too much discussion is allowed it clutters the list and makes people drop off just to get away from it. I think you've been patient at the right times and put things to a popular vote (or at least given the call for opinions) at strategic times without making every little operational policy open to discussion. Really and truly, you could call for voting or opinions but not follow them anyway, since only you (the SysAdmin) know what the votes are and you could fudge 'em anyway. Doesn't matter. The point is that 99% of the KRNet members agree with your standards and direction completely. The other 1% are the ones who will sound off, but they aren't the ones of value anyway. And under a dictatorship you can decide who is of value and who isn't! If someone doesn't like it, they can leave... and in fact they have left before. They can start their own lists, too, but they haven't worked out very well in the past. No, the KRNet is one of the most informative, busiest, and best-run lists I've been on. Believe me, I've signed onto some lists for only a few days, then gotten the heck off because of the endless drivel, bad manners, and outright idiocy on them." "So let me go back to basics. Why did I join KRNet initially? (1)to find other KR builders and pilots, preferably in my geographic region (mission accomplished). (2)to get questions answered, where the available literature and information didn't seem to answer them (mission accomplished). (3)to learn innovations and techniques from a wider yet KR- specific body of builders than EAA offered (mission accomplished). (4)to investigate improvements and new developments that improve the breed design-wise (mission accomplished). The Net has been a bright spot in my life, no doubt about it. The unwanted side effects are (1)enduring the fluff and off-topic posts (OK, the jokes are alright but not in excess); (2)enduring the arguments between somebody who knows what they're talking about and someone who doesn't (and wishing somebody would unplug their computer). (3)alarm at seeing misinformation get out onto the list (unavoidable, quickly corrected, but out there in the archives anyway). (4)enduring the "don't-take-it-out-of-first-gear" people who don't want new ideas or changes considered or even discussed (makes you wonder why they are on the list anyway)." "My conclusion is that the list is a big success the way it is and has been run and the drawbacks are relatively minor, but the questions about the list today all have to do with the actual mechanics of operating it. I do like your stripped-down, no-frills, approach to hosting the list. The temptation is very, very strong to go to one of the flashy hosts because they do so many things with so much power... however, I hate the fact that you put yourself under their control when you give them your list. I hope you fight to the death on this point, and I'll gladly go down in flames with you on this. " -------------------- Thanks, Mark Langford, Huntsville, AL N56ML "at" hiwaay.net see KR2S project at http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford
