Hi,
As a lurker, may I just break in with a bright spot? The BYU Annual Christmas Booktalk will take place on Monday, 5 November 2007 from 4-5 p.m. in the Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium (Level 1). The presenter is Janice Card (Orson Scott Card's sister and the BYU Bookstore Children's Book Buyer). Janice will present her pick of wonderful titles for children and YA appropriate for gift-giving. In addition, Janice always has a zillion things to give away at this annual gathering. The event is free and parking is available in the BYU Museum of Art (MOA) parking lot. You are all welcome to come!
Heads up: many LDS writers for children have done so well. Just last week, Rick Walton was honored as winner of the Utah Book Award (awarded by the Utah Center for the Book) for Children/YA writers for the title: Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse. Carla Morris' book, The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians, has received wonderful national reviews and so it goes. I have learned about Utah writers for children and YA from this list.
I hope the AML list will be around for years to come as it has been an invaluable tool in my work. I'll put my money where my mouth is and will send in my $25.00 (?)on Halloween (payday)
Have a great weekend!
Gabi
Gabi Kupitz
Children's Literature and Special Collections Cataloger
Brigham Young University
Harold B. Lee Library Room 6735
Provo, UT 84602
(801) 422-6735
gabriele_kupitz@???
-----Original Message-----
From: aml-list-bounces@??? [mailto:aml-list-bounces@???] On Behalf Of Kent S. Larsen II
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 1:25 PM
To: AML Discussion List
Subject: Re: [AML] AML Discussion Board
As quiet as I've been on AML-List over the past few years, I have to agree that this change is quite dangerous, and could well mean the end of the list.
D. Michael is right when he says:
>AML-List will die. That's my prediction. I've seen other groups die
>when they made this same transition--and they didn't even charge for
>the privilege to continue participating.
I have a few points to make about this switch:
1. I think the premise that email is somehow obsolete or antiquated is short-sighted. Email will probably never go away, not even in its straight text-based form. It is unfortunate that vendors of email software (esp.
Microsoft, whose software is used by default by so many people) haven't been able to provide the functionality needed to follow the standards and give users what they want.
2. There is a very real possibility that those excluded because they can't or won't pay the bill will start their own version of this list -- one that still uses email -- and drain away both potential members and activity from this list. I hope that doesn't happen, but it is one of the common responses when part of a group doesn't like a change.
3. D. Michael is also right that the new format isn't anything special.
Bulletin Boards like this one actually pre-date email, as I understand it.
This one doesn't use the most sophisticated Bulletin Board software, and features that would be most useful in making the transition, like the ability to be notified by email when a post is made, are absent as far as I can see.
4. My biggest problem with bulletin board systems like this one is that its too easy for me to forget that they are there and that a discussion is going on. Unlike email, I have to go to the board and remember that I haven't caught up on the messages there. Yes I know and use (and love) rss.
But even rss doesn't quite fit my way of reading. I prefer email. And even with rss, I think I will be less likely to visit and participate on the board than with email.
5. Strategically speaking, this change seems to actually be two changes at once -- one from an email-based format to a bbs-based format, and the second a shift to only allowing dues-paying members to participate.
It seems to me that making both these changes at the same time is asking for trouble. If nothing else it multiplies the possibility that something will go wrong or that a large portion of the audience will not make the transition.
In addition there are significant logistical and policy aspects to limiting membership to only those that pay dues. Who will keep track of dues and allow and disallow participation. What kind of turnaround can we expect? If I pay dues today, will I be able to read messages today? The current paypal-based system of getting dues requires that a human being handle each transaction, so I'm sure there will be some kind of delay.
On the policy side, will there be a grace period when a membership has expired? Or will my access to the board suddenly be cut off when the membership expires? Will there be reminder emails sent out letting me know that the membership is about to expire? What if I send a check and it bounces? Am I cut off immediately? Is there software in place to take care of all this?
Unlike those who feel that they can't pay the membership fee, I don't have a problem with it. $25 is so little, in my New York City-based life. I can't even get a parking ticket that is only $25 (lowest fine is $65). If I don't have a membership at the moment (I guess I don't because I'm not getting Irreantum, even thought I paid for a 3-year subscription at some point that I don't think was completed), its because I haven't been hounded enough about it. No one seems to be following up and asking me for my membership.
This makes me think that there are bigger problems that AML should be worrying about than whether or not everyone on the board has paid a membership fee. I'm certain that if joining the board simply meant that you were fair game for organized membership recruitment efforts, AML would get more members in the long run than by restricting membership to those who have paid.
I guess what I'm saying is that AML-List or the AML Discussion Board should be viewed as a promotional tool, not as a membership benefit. The cost of providing the list or the discussion board is essentially $0 (in fact, if AML is paying for hosting for this, I'm sure there are a few of us who could host it for free. I'm certainly able to do so). So why is something that actually takes my time -- and whose very existence is dependent on the participation of its subscribers -- considered a benefit that I should pay for?
The bottom line is that while I will continue to read the list/board, I have serious doubts that this change will be successful. And I certainly find it very inconvenient to switch from a format that I know to one that I don't use much and find easy to forget.
Kent
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