[Coral-List] a new home for Coral-List

[Melbourne Briscoe]

Kudos and thank you.
Having been a NOAA employee trying to do some unofficial things that were
not funded nor recognized, I applaud your efforts that have gone on so long
and so well and have served so many.
Good job, all.
- Mel

On Tue, Feb 13, 2024 at 11:44 AM Mike Jankulak - NOAA Affiliate via
Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:

> Greetings Coral-Listers!
>
> On behalf of AOML's Coral Program, and in coordination with the
> International Coral Reef Society, I'd like to announce a big change for our
> much-beloved mailing list. ICRS has agreed to take over management of
> Coral-List!
>
> You have questions, I know. Here's a quick FAQ:
>
> Q: Why is the list leaving NOAA?
>
> We've worried for a while that the future of Coral-List at NOAA was deeply
> uncertain. Part of the problem is that we're not funded to keep the list
> running – for the last 6 years we've basically been volunteering our
> sysadmin and moderation efforts in our spare time, which is rewarding but
> increasingly unsustainable. Part of the problem is technical, since the
> list dates back to 1995 and has needed to undergo several significant
> reinventions as NOAA IT developed newer and better security practices for
> email servers. Really we've reached the point where we can't keep holding
> this thing together with paperclips and chewing gum and we need to take
> decisive action to ensure Coral-List will have a long and happy future.
>
> Q: Why ICRS?
>
> ICRS is the ideal partner, and we're so grateful to them for finding a way
> to make this happen. They have been part of the Coral-List community for
> decades and they really understand what makes us tick, the subjects we're
> most passionate about, the reasons people turn to the list for information
> about science, jobs, conferences, and everything else that's so important
> to us.
>
> Q: What effect will this have on the list?
>
> The main thing is that the mailing address and website url will change.
> Details to follow, but we expect to use an ICRS domain, probably something
> like lists.coralreefs.org. Apart from that, we think the change will be
> largely transparent to our subscribers, and it will open the door to
> technical improvements that we think are long-overdue.
>
> Q: Technical improvements? What?
>
> I'm glad you asked! One important factor is that the list will run on
> professionally-maintained servers with actual teams of IT support personnel
> worldwide rather than one random guy tinkering with his linux server in
> Miami. This will improve list robustness and security. ICRS will be the
> face of the list, and they will moderate and answer your questions, but
> they will be backed up by paid professionals. This means things that have
> long been out of the question for Coral-List (upgrade to the much nicer v3
> release of the Mailman software, ability to send and receive formatted
> emails, maybe even attaching photos and documents to your messages) will
> receive fresh consideration.
>
> Q: When is this expected to happen?
>
> Watch! this! space! for more announcements but right now we are targeting
> the end of February for completing this transition. Technically speaking,
> it's really not all that complicated a task. The tricky thing will be
> timing everything right.
>
> Q: I have feelings! What if I don't like this?
>
> The first thing I'll say, which I think is important, is that anyone can
> opt out of the whole situation at any time simply by unsubscribing from the
> list. If you want help with that, send email directly to me or to
> coral-list-owner at coral.aoml.noaa.gov before the end of February. If you
> have questions not covered here I'll do my best to answer them. If you want
> to have a metadiscussion about Coral-List by posting to Coral-List then I
> for one think that is completely on-topic.
>
> Q: Do you have any words of wisdom to share?
>
> It's been quite the journey so far. Coral-List started in 1995, the vision
> of Jim Hendee, NOAA research oceanographer and, at the time of his
> retirement in 2020, Director of AOML's Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems
> Division. With help throughout the years from a motley crew of workerbees,
> most notably Clarke Jeffris, Louis Florit, Lew Gramer and Ruben van
> Hooidonk, Coral-List developed into today's community of ten thousand
> members. Three decades is a lot of history but really, I'm more excited to
> see what its next three decades will look like!
>
> Mike J+
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