[Coral-List] Regarding a Coral-List Metamorphosis

[Eric Borneman]

Charles and list:

These are all aspects easily avoided with a text-only based board  
absent of the slow connection limitations of graphics unless in a  
separate graphic intensive area, requirements where not "screenames"  
or aliases aren't allowed is so do-able as to be a non-issue, and  
advertising is not needed if there is server space available and  
volunteers. Membership can be based like coral-list and does not have  
to be a public forum, even if the public could view but not  
contribute. Then, you also have greater public access to some of the  
discussions like the recent resiliency "thread" that, in turn, alerts  
the public concomitantly addressing the "thread" about reality TV/ 
getting more awareness, etc. Maybe someone would actually contact  
admins with ideas and offers to do just some of those ideas proposed.

The fee comment - well, some sites charge them, most don't. Bringing  
up what other sites do or do not do has no bearing on the potential  
of any new creation.  Using the delete key on a mailing list is a no- 
brainer, but you never know if you want to delete a post until you've  
read it.  Also, some servers have limited space, and when a mailing- 
list gets active, and especially when one belongs to numerous mailing- 
lists, some far more busy than coral-list, all of a sudden people's  
emails start getting bounced from lack of server space or there are  
several hundred emails to wade through (and hit the delete key) every  
day which is not always the most convenient thing to do.

Again, it was a suggestion and within literally minutes, David Tapley  
has shown how simple it can be to create such a site. I recall days  
of bulletin boards and usenet and sometimes moving along with  
technology is a good thing.  As for using other forums suggested,  
again, that's a no-brainer. Of course people use other sites, but I  
think the main point suggested here was to streamline and improve an  
existing valuable resource and perhaps be able to expand the content  
in a more user-friendly manner.  If it is a matter of the points Jim  
suggested, then case closed. Its his baby and policy may prevent any  
such action. But, most moderation and administration of sites I have  
been involved in are volunteer-based and the number of people willing  
to donate a modicum of time, myself included, might just be surprising.
_______________________________
Eric Borneman
Department of Biology and Biochemistry
University of Houston
Science and Research Bldg. II
4800 Calhoun Rd.
Houston, TX 77204-5001

ph: 713-743-2667


On Mar 21, 2006, at 1:24 PM, Charles Delbeek wrote:

> I echo Jim's concerns on the type of discourse that can take place on
> a forum ... I also have a strong aversion to the common Internet
> forum practice of using aliases, which only seems to fuel the type of
> negative behaviour Jim points out below. In addition, the cost of
> running and moderating such a forum in man hours alone may be
> prohibitive, not to mention the costs to host such a forum on a
> server. Many of these forums rely on advertising to keep themselves
> going, and some have taken to charging a monthly fee to access
> certain forum functions such as searches, or even the forum itself.
>
> The recent debate on the Bahamas development would be better served
> on a forum, and those involved want to use such a venue, then why not
> start it on one of the forums Jim mentions are already out there? The
> CoralList served its purpose, it alerted those who might be
> interested in the issue.
>
> For those not interested in a topic ... the delete key is quite a
> handy one. :-)
>
>
>>     * This is a U.S. Government resource, so we would have to  
>> moderate
>>       the content; as you know, there are certain things we can't  
>> allow,
>>       which might creep into a Web-based free comment forum:
>>       commercialism, lobbying Congress, profanity, flaming, anti- 
>> racist
>>       or sexist remarks, etc.  This actually helps to maintain  
>> decorum
>>       in an age where email seems to have encouraged a new kind of
>>       discourse, namely, the occasional tendency to be nasty to  
>> someone
>>       you wouldn't be nasty to in their presence.
>
> Aloha!
>
>
> J. Charles Delbeek M.Sc.
>
> Aquarium Biologist III
> Waikiki Aquarium,
> University of Hawaii
> 2777 Kalakaua Ave.
> Honolulu, HI, USA 96815
> www.waquarium.org
>
> 808-923-9741 ext. 0 VOICE
> 808-923-1771 FAX
>