Re: [GSAS-Member] In response to the forum subject...

[Scott Frayo <ronscottf@hotmail.com>]

Well, as I was the one to start this firestorm of activity, please allow me to 
be one of the lasts to comment on it (from my perspective anyway).  I'm not 
sure about everyone else, but I'm a pretty busy guy most of the time.  I like 
to spend my free/fun time (of which I included GSAS) on things that really 
matter to me.  So when I see a topic that interests me, I try to stay with it.  
This debate is a perfect example.  My initial topic of "GSAS Forum?" has since 
spawned I think a total of 4 (or more) emails that folks are debating and 
criss-crossing all at once as opposed to just with a forum, it would stay on 
one thread.  I really don't want to have to try to follow or respond to all of 
those emails, rather a single thread.  Much easier and it keeps the debate 
contained.    Someone else mentioned about wireless devices and forums.  This 
brings me to another point.  I'm not in front of my computer all day, but my 
Blackberry is glued to my hand!  Every email that comes in flashes on my 
Blackberry.  Lately, the vast majority of them have been GSAS emails about 
topics that I don't feel the need to respond to or follow.  So several dozen 
times a day, my phone is alerting me to information that I don't need.  This 
too is a time waster for me.  For the forum that I am a Moderator for (the herp 
one that I posted), I am only notified via email to topics that I have posted 
on or Moderator issues.  And yes, I can respond to them via my phone without 
any problems.  I just check the forum once a day, scan the new topics, and 
reply to what I want.  Easy.  Then notifications I get are about things I want 
to follow.      Lastly, I'd like to debate the point of forums and 
membership/participation.  I was lucky enough to be President of our society 
when we ultimately decided to switch from an email format to a forum.  There 
was a heated debate there too with some members threatening to leave and "the 
world will come to an end" type scenarios.  As a Board we debated this for a 
while and then with the membership as well.  Ultimately we went with the forum. 
 Why?  For many reasons, but ease of use was high on the list.  We were getting 
too active for an email list and many folks didn't want all the emails.  Yes, 
in the end we lost some members, but 5 years later now we have a MUCH more 
active membership and much larger membership because of the forum.  Far many 
more of our members actually participate on the forum than ever did via email.  
Do they all participate on every topic?  No (ok, some do, the hard core users) 
but rather members find their niche and are more active in the areas that they 
like.  Something else that we found is that our forum is one of the better herp 
forums out there.  We now have active users from various areas of the country 
who feel comfortable tapping our knowledge and sharing their own experiences.   
   Ultimately you all will do what you want, but for me the email system just 
isn't working anymore.  I've enjoyed my limited participation with GSAS over 
the years and I think that you have a fine organization.  I wish you the very 
best.

Please remove my name from the email list.  Thank you.


-----Scott Frayo                                          
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