Mar 15-21 1999

From merope@Radix.Net Mon Mar 15 18:23:52 1999

Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 18:23:37 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Beware the Ides of March...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content. You kno what happened to Caeser.

Read at your own risk!

Friday 12 March 1999:

There is no Board-L traffic on this date.

Saturday 13 March 1999:

There is no Board-L traffic on this date.

A quiet weekend folks!

"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster. And if you gaze long

into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes into you."

--- Nietzsche

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Tue Mar 16 20:44:08 1999

Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 20:44:07 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Be all that you can be...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk!

Sunday 14 March 1999:

Kay Mason, Census Project representative, posts some interesting

statistics for the census project, briefly extracted here:

"We started in February 1997, and there were 26 of us.. and I was

the first transcriber and now we have over 1400 transcribers... This

is how we have grown since then!

Number Counties Assigned Each Year

1997 226

1998 1710

1999 606 (as of 3/10/99)

Total number of Counties assigned = 2525"

There is more information available at:

http://www.usgenweb.org/census/info/censusvol.html

Tombstone Rep and Archives coordinator Linda Lewis posts supplementary

information regarding the census project:

"After we started the census project in Feb. 1997, and the word spread,

volunteers were quick to want to help.

Joy Fisher completed the first transcription - all five people in that

county. <g> Indiana counties were the next ones to go online, I believe.

Kevin Fraley had some volunteers to complete transcriptions early on,

too.

Kay volunteered to transcribe the "beta county", 1850 Coos County NH.

The project started out concentrating on 1850, with the goal of

completing that year first, but Ken Hollingsworth was asked by many

volunteers if they could work on other years, so we said, "go for it!""

Control Issues Corner: Just some snippits from the ongoing discussion of

"who own RW lists", prompted in part by the recent publication of RW list

"owner" guidelines and an ugly problem between two listowners. Along

with the notification that "really unpleasant things might happen" if a RW

listowner talks about their list problems publicly there are some

interesting insights into RW management theory:

"I can recall Brian once saying a listowner *owned* his lists unless he

interfered with the workings of RootsWeb or did something "really awful" I

believe were his words. I think the guidelines are far more clear than

the very vague "really awful." [RW listowner, 3/15/99]

"Off the record, I doubt that we'll be able to sort out who did what to

whom, since this dispute goes back so far. If we can't untangle the

mess, RootsWeb is likely to just reassert control of *all* the lists and

assign volunteers to become new listowners, so you might want to keep

that in mind before filing a complaint." [Tim Pierce, Rootsweb

"Listmaster", 3/15/99; here's a suggestion to help you sort this one out:

side with whoever gave RW the most money ;-) ]

"I am resisting a really, really, really strong temptation to take their

lists, make myself listowner and tell them all to screw themselves. [I

can already hear Andrew in the background urging me not to resist..." [Tim

Pierce, 3/15/99; showing off his management skills.]

"We all realize how busy you are and since I've been waiting over a month

for one answer and about 10 days for another to two relatively small

piddly problems, I can only imagine how frustrated this listowner must

have gotten with no response to such a big ugly problem." [RW listowner,

3/15/99]

"This is the perfect example of a problem that should be addressed

privately to Tim as the listmaster. Enlisting the aid of the other

listowners accomplishes nothing.." [RW listwoner, 3/15/99. Listmaster!]

There you have it. Don't do anything "really awful" or RW will take your

lists. Allow RW to solicit funds on your list or RW will take your list.

Don't talk publicly about problems with your list or RW will take your

list. Don't complain to RW about problems with your list or RW will take

your list. Be quiet and give money and and let the for-profit RW

advertise itself on your list and, maybe, RW will let you keep your list.

"Oh! it is excellent to have a giant's strength;

But it is tyrannous to use it like a giant."

---William Shakespeare

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Wed Mar 17 18:55:01 1999

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 18:55:00 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Kissin' the blarney stone...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* editorial content ahead. Read at your own risk!

Monday 15 March 1999:

There is no Board-L traffic on this date.

Tomorrow's News Today: the National Coordinator asks for a motion to

accept the resignation of Jan Craven, Archives representative

Rumor and Innuendo Corner: We've heard tell of mysterious attachments

that have appeared on the bottom of email messages to some RW mailing

lists, without the listowner's knowledge. These messages solicit funds

for RW and in one case helpfully pointed out that RW takes credit cards.

The messages just as mysteriously disappeared. Can this be the "mandatory

RW advertisements" discussed some months ago by RW staff and supporters?

"You can't hold a man down without staying down with him."

---Booker T. Washington

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Fri Mar 19 09:10:11 1999

Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 09:10:10 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Your eye to the keyhole...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk!

Tuesday 16 March 1999:

The NC asks for a motion to accept Jan Craven's resignation

A Board member posts: "I regretfully move to accept Jan Craven's

resignation from the board."

Wednesday 17 March 1999:

There is no Board-L traffic on this date.

News You Can Use, Sort Of Corner: A correspondent tells me that Rootsweb

is nearing the end of its test of its new long-promised and

long-awaited, threaded mailing list archives system. If you are interested

you can go here:

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/archives/

where will you will need to sign up to have access and listowners can

register their lists. Once you've signed up, you can search the archives

here:

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/archives/search.html

The site apparently insists on setting a cookie before it will let you see

anything. [Hmmm...wonder if RW is finally implementing the idea of mining

the lists for information in order to attract advertisers?] The threaded

archives are getting some rave reviews, from what I hear, so Enjoy! And

spread the word!

"Please don't lie to me, unless you're absolutely sure I'll never find out

the truth."

---Ashleigh Brilliant

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Sat Mar 20 11:47:27 1999

Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 11:47:26 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Livin' large...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk!

Thursday 18 March 1999:

The NC points out that he has a motion to accept Jan Craven's resignation

and asks for a second.

A Board members seconds the motion, saying she was hoping Jan would

reconsider.

The NC gives the motion the number 99-6 and asks for discussion.

Now Why Would They Want to Do That? Corner: Rumor is afoot that the Board

is seeking to remove Linda Lewis from her position as Tombstone

Representative and appoint new reps for both that position and the now

vacant Archives rep position. Linda was, of course, not "appointed" to

the Board, per the bylaws, and no vote was apparently held by the

Tombstone file managers to select her. However, the Board did accept

her into its hallowed shrine and at this point, its probably better just

to vote to accept her and let it go at that. Unless, of course, the

movement to remove her is coming from the Tombstone file managers who were

deprived of the opportunity to vote for their replacement rep.

Interestingly enough, with the Archives rep position vacant and the

potential for Tombstone to be vacant as well, that's fewer votes Ginger

would need to pass the now withdrawn Motion 99-5. By my count, based on

public comments, that motion would currently have four "ayes" and four

"nays", with five Board members not speaking publicly on this issue (and

not counting Jan and Linda). With 13 Board members voting, Ginger would

only need 9 "ayes" to pass the resolution. I wonder if we'll be seeing a

spiffed up version of Motion 99-5 resubmitted to the Board. I also wonder

whose idea it was to remove Linda from the Board.

Now You Know Corner: I have it on unimpeachable authority that if you

want to know what goes on in those secret USGW Board meetings, you should

go here: http://www.hamsterdance.com/ The Board members are a lot cuter

than you'd expect.

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real

tragedy is when men are afraid of the light."

---Plato

-This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Sun Mar 21 20:11:44 1999

Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1999 20:11:43 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Spring has sprung...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content, you know the drill. Read at your

own risk!

Friday 19 March 1999:

A Board member moves to amend Motion 99-6 (to accept Jan Craven's

resignation) by adding the words: "According to the Bylaws Article VI,

Section 8, the advisory board will appoint a replacement to serve until

the next scheduled election." [This kinda seems unnecessary. Since the

bylaws already say that's how its to be done why amend the motion to state

that's how they are going to do it? Y'know?]

The amended motion is seconded.

The amended motion is seconded a second time.

Tomorrow's News Today: Things heat up between Kay and Linda when Linda

posts to the Board a message from Kay to one of her Census II project

lists; the group votes on the amendment to 99-6 [the general consensus is

"aye"]; the NC "remembers" that Linda was never properly appointed to the

Board per the bylaws and suggests the Board legitamize her appointment and

offers to unsub Linda while they do so.

What's It Like On Your Planet? Corner: What about the message from Kay to

her census list? A correspondent forwarded me a copy and basically, you

know, it's really bizarre. A snippet for your enjoyment:

"But, it's true, Linda Lewis is thumbing her nose at the Board,

threatening to take the Archives and leave USGW... although I don't know

where she would go, I'm sure that Rootsweb, for instance, would not

touch them with a 10 foot pole. Maybe Rootsquest or even Ancestry or

Broderbund."

Charming, no? Of course, I also have copies of correspondence from Linda

accusing Kay of exactly the same thing. It goes on like this for some

length, with Kay telling her Census II volunteers that Linda is telling

people that Kay refuses to meet with her, that Linda is accusing her of

leaving the USGW Project and taking the Census with her, and setting up

other pages that show "Linda's disrespect for the most important people in

USGW...". Yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm sure that in whatever reality these

ladies inhabit their causes are true and just, but in the reality that

most of us inhabit this is just shameful and it reflects badly on the

Project to have two of its Board members carry on this way. Just out of

curiosity, do either of you have any hard evidence that the other has EVER

threatened to leave USGW and "take the Census/Archives [whichever] with

her"?

On the Lighter Side Corner: Tired of putting in endless hours hunting for

that elusive link in your family tree? Here's a site that might be able

to help you: http://wavecom.net/~fulker/special.html

"Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side."

---Francois de La Rochefoucauld

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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