I have recently created a Yahoo! Group for anyone interested
in the San Juan 23. I enjoy
participating in the SJ23 Internet Fleet and appreciate the efforts of those
that maintain the web site. I do not wish to re-create the wheel or ruffle any
feathers but Yahoo! Groups offer some features that do not seem to be currently
available through the Internet Fleet web site or majordomo e-mail list unless I
am just missing something (it has happened before!). I see the new Group as an
enhancement to the communications capabilities available to SJ 23 enthusiasts,
not as a replacement.
The San Juan 23 Yahoo! Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sanjuan23
allows members to interact on several levels. The only potentially
objectionable issue, for some people, is that you must register with Yahoo! and
the group pages contain a few advertisements (typical of all free web forums,
my internet security software blocks them so it’s not an issue for me at
all). Registering with Yahoo! is free and easy and I have never found that I
receive any unsolicited mail, etc. as a result of my participation in several
such groups.
Members have access to the following features:
Message Board. E-mail
messaging is a capability that already exists with the SJ 23 majordomo list and
thus is somewhat redundant but you may find that you prefer one format or the
other. One feature that I particularly like about the Group mail setup is that
members can elect to receive either individual e-mails each time a new message
is posted or only a single daily digest, containing all messages for that day. Alternatively,
you can elect not to receive e-mails at all and just view the messages on the
Group site any time that you log in. I haven’t found a way to elect a
digest with the majordomo list and I really don’t like getting numerous
daily e-mails.
Polls.
Members can create polls to solicit “voting type” responses from
other members. I have used this feature to poll members about interest in
sailing get-togethers, opinions on the best way to do a project, preferences
for materials, etc. It differs from posting a message on the message
board in that you do not receive individual e-mail responses, just a tally of “votes”.
This is cleaner and easier if you don’t need detailed responses.
Chat. Members can schedule
times to log in and “chat” in real time in the Group chat room.
Upload Files. Members can
upload digital files directly to the Group. Files can include scanned
copies of brochures, word processing documents, or any other files that might
be of interest to other members.
Photo Albums. Members can
create their own photo albums and upload photos of their boat, cruise pictures,
etc. directly.
Links. Members can
add their favorite SJ 23 or other sailing links directly to the Group.
Calendar. Members can
add dates for events of interest to other members to the Group calendar.
Databases. Members can
create databases for the Group. I have started a Skippers List where
members can add their name, boat name, sail/hull # and home port.
If you would like to see how a Yahoo! Group can work, I have
an existing Group that I started for trailer sailors at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scbtrailersailors
(the San Juan 23 Group is brand new and does not have much on it yet, although I’m
expecting that to change soon!).
Please check out the new Group if you are interested: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sanjuan23
.
Raleigh Martin
“Liberty Call”
#437
