What Thor Powell says is very good. Before moving away from Google, members need to be clear about what they want, what they are prepared to pay and who can move the discussion to a new platform. The benefit of the Google chat is that it works. Any system has drawbacks. Email is at least 40-year-old software but a great number of people and business continue to use it because, despite its faults, it works and many understand and are comfortable with it. If any move is contemplated, the board needs to strike a committee that votes funds to employ a software engineer.
I for one, don’t see the move and cost that beneficial Of course, I’m pretty close to being a Luddite. What we have works!! It has garnered a lot of Nonsuch owners to post on it due to it’s simplicity.
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
At 86, I’m not moving self to anything that requires new work. Very happy with Google and my providers. I’ve had no problems in 12 years moving from 8 months in San Antonio to 4 months in Cape Cod. Same email with different providers. Regards, Bob Horne 1989 N26C #249, ENCORE, Pocasset, MA.
Yes. I whatever is “decided” here can only really just be a suggestion or request to the INA board.
I sent my first email in 1982 and it is still relevant today. (The medium, not that email!) How many boards and sharing apps and social media companies have come and gone since then?
Email is good not only because it is understood by most of us, but also because of how it actually functions. We can send an email at our convenience. The recipient does not need to go to some website (which may function differently on one browser than on the next), it is delivered directly to them. They can then read it at their convenience and can reply or not, also at their convenience. Etc. We are living in a world where “social” media is a big deal. That’s fine, but an awful lot of the postings in this group are from people requesting or offering help. It’s not about the social, it’s about the information. Chatting does sort of happen, which I don’t mind, but the medium of email keeps that under control - which I appreciate. The ability to more easily access information from older posts would be great and if people want to chat, then it’s fine with me. But I would hate to lose the email posting and receipt that we currently have just to jump on yet another in the endless procession of social media sites/apps. I think the information sharing that attracted most of us would fizzle and die.
I should clarify that I’m not opposed to the efforts to improve our information systems. I just really do think we need to continue to have email interaction as we have now. I don’t know if Discourse or any other similar apps have that functionality, but I hope so. If we can even afford moving. I find that unlikely at the current 1980s-level membership dues. Who would support an annual increase of $5 each year for the next ten years? I would. I’ve saved many times that much money from the answers I’ve received here. I bet I’m not the only one.
I also value the information shared here and admire the skill our leaders demonstrate by delivering quality in a understated kinda way… sort of like our boats.
[Nonsuch Community Test Site] [PM] Akismet has temporarily hidden your post
I don’t know what this is about. If you have implemented some sort of a test of Discourse, I think this is a poor first contact introduction.
Clicking on a link within the email takes me to a web page, but nowhere can I register. And it has a login page but I don’t how to login when I’ve never registered in the first place?
Perhaps a little better thought on the implementation, or you’ll just alienate people before you even get started. Perhaps an introductory email telling us of your plans would have been helpful.
I have been trying to set up a feed so that postings on our Google group will automatically appear in Discourse. This should not have involved sending out any emails, just receiving some. It finally “worked” to the extent that a posting was sent over from Google, but I don’t know how or why it ended up seeing your address and generating that message to you.
It has been a bit of trial and error to get that connection to work, even though I believed that I was following the correct steps. I will send out a heads up to the Google discussion group.
We have been sailing 40+ year old vessels that we know really well. I don’t have a problem with an old, outdated message server that I know really well.
John Gialanella
Nonsuch 22 #8
Tourmaline
Bolles Harbor, MI (W. Lake Erie)