Kerry and all,
Yes indeed. Execelent idea.
Kerry Miller wrote:
> If ICANN really wants to manage "so many serious, substantive, on-
> topic comments," I'm sure ZNet would be happy to help them set
> up a similar system. Indeed, given their respective (and
> prospective) budgets, perhaps ICANN should be asked to show
> cause why its failure to take this step in the past six months
> should not be considered as deliberate disenfranchisement of the
> great majority of its 'membership' from the setting-up process.
>
> kerry
>
> ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
> Date sent: Thu, 27 May 1999 22:10:30 -0500 (CDT)
> From: "Michael Albert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: ZNet on new content & systems + recent Howard Zinn Kosovo
>commentary
>
> Hi,
>
> This is another in our series of ZNet Free Updates (ZNet is at
> www.zmag.org) [...]
>
> The second big addition to ZNet this week is a new forum system.
> You may remember from a prior ZNet Update that the old forum
> system (with over 12000 messages in it) crumped out just a couple
> of weeks back. Well, we now have new software from Webboard to
> replace the old defunct software from IChat, and it is much
> improved, we believe. But there are other changes in the system
> too.
>
> Mainly, the ZNet Public Forum System which will soon be open to
> all users of ZNet just by signing in from a link on the ZNet top
> page, is no longer moderated. All posts will appear automatically
> and immediately, and none will be removed or moved, for that
> matter, for any reason. Also, there will only be a few broad areas of
> focus, not the forty or so that existed in the past. We hope that
> folks will be civil and constructive, but we aren't overseeing the
> system and there is no reason to think that only folks with Z/ZNet
> sensibilities will be using it. Also, a number of notable participants
> in the old public system including myself, chomsky, zinn, and
> ehrenreich will no longer host their own forums or likely participate
> much at all.
>
> What the hell is happening--you might reasonably wonder? Why this devolution
> in scope and participation of the public forum system?
>
> The answer is that:
>
> (a) a public system, even impersonal and anonymous, was too much to keep up
> with especially for the noted forum hosts, and...
> (b) it was too much to provide (the maintanence, software, and bandwidth)
> without any required supporting resources or sustained comittment to it by
> all its participants.
>
> In other words, for a really rich and diverse discussion system with
> responsible participation by lots of different kinds of folks plus oversight
> and moderation, we need a higher level of comittment from everyone who is
> involved. Thus, we have added to our operations a SECOND forum system,
> distinct from the public one, which is accessible only to recipients of
> ZNet's Daily Commentaries -- that is, only to regular donors to ZNet/Z.
>
> This second forum system, which is for for ZNet Commentary
> recipients and writers only, is moderated -- uncivil messages (of
> which there unlikely to be any in the first place) will be removed --
> and also has many diverse forums. More, a substantial selection of
> the writers participating in the ZNet Commentary Program are
> hosting their own forums in this system to answer queries and
> respond to critical comments about their commentaries and views
> more generally. And, as well, all past commentaries are in the
> system, searchable, etc., with future ones to be added as
> available.
>
> The writer participants of the Commentary Forum System so far
> include noam chomsky, howard zinn, michael albert, tim wise,
> elaine bernard, robin hahnel, barbara ehrenreich, leslie cagan,
> stephen shalom, cynthia peters, mokhiber/weissman, peter
> bohmer, brian dominick, and sandy carter, with more joining daily.
> Each of these commentary writers hosts a forum where
> commentary recipients can ask about the host's commentaries or
> other matters, as well. The new system has an improved browser
> interface that includes an easy to use live chat facility, user paging,
> searching of messages by author, key words, etc., plus email
> access (which means that you can have any conference function
> for you as a listserv so that you can participate entirely from your
> email program receiving all messages to it, replying via email to
> any message you wish to and having your reply show up in the
> system, etc.), plus (still being prepared) news reader access as
> well. Supporting all this functionality, participation, and community
> is a good part of what the ZNet Commentary Program
> (http://www.zmag.org/commentaries/donorform.htm ) which is now
> serving 950 users, is all about. We hope you will consider joining
> the program and to make it easy, the next message you get, likely
> within a few hours of this one, will be about a special promotion
> offer for joining between now and June 1 at a temporarily reduced
> donation level.
>
> ----
Regards,
--
Jeffrey A. Williams
CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng.
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Contact Number: 972-447-1894
Address: 5 East Kirkwood Blvd. Grapevine Texas 75208
