[bksvol-discuss] Re: From List-serve to Discussion Board?

  • From: "Sarah Van Oosterwijck" <curiousentity@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 12:03:17 -0600

I am disturbed by the bad impression this list would give anyone joining it
at this point, but I don't think a message board would be a good
alternative.  Although navigating a message board is perfectly possible with
a screen reader, it is not very convenient.  I have gotten annoyed with
digging through them for information.  With a monitor and a mouse you can
use a message board in the same way as E-mail.  That is by seeing
immediately what subjects are there, where the message text starts, and the
link you need to use to get to the next message, but with a screen reader
you have to read it all or arrow and tab arround looking for all that stuff,
unless there is a hotkey to take you to the next message as there is in all
E-mail programs.  The text of the message would also have to be almost the
first or only block of non-link text.  Of course a message board could be
made that would allow efficient screen reader use, but who has the time to
create it?  Everyone also has to go to the site to get the messages instead
of having it arrive automatically.  Toppic problems are likely to plague the
message board as much as they do this list.  It would also be more trouble
for people to save messages that contain useful information for later use,
because they would have to copy and paste it from the webpage.

I might suggest banning repeatedly rude people from the list, which would be
a type of monitoring that would be possible.  Maybe all that is needed are
some very direct and clear guidelines not only about what is acceptable in
book submissions, but also in comments on this list.  If necessary an E-mail
could be sent out once a month with these guidelines.

I don't think new years should be a special time to make new resolutions,
because if a resolution should be made, why wait until a new year, but it
would really be good if tact became a part of next year's posts.  More
important would be a little less repetition in theme.


Sarah Van Oosterwijck
http://home.earthlink.net/~netentity/

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marissa Mika" <Marissa.M@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 10:48 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] From List-serve to Discussion Board?


> Hi Folks,
>
> I suppose one option in all of this is that we move this discussion list
> to a more controlled setting: a discussion board where (the
> administrative) deleting of posts is an option. Such deletions would be
> minimal, as I like the organic and informal nature of these discussions.
> In extreme cases, however, I am not opposed to enforcing civility if it
> maintains a better tone and representation of Bookshare.org.
>
> A discussion board has many benefits. It's easier to follow the
> individual discussion threads if you're not interested in cats but have
> a passion for Epsons, for example. It would also decrease the number of
> messages in your inbox that you would have to wade through on a daily
> basis. Also, if volunteers are visiting a specific url, it would be
> possible to provide links to a variety of pages, including scanning tips
> and Rui's links to the lists.
>
> I'm inclined to see how easy it would be to implement a discussion board
> as opposed to this list-serve. Is there any feedback on this matter that
> I should take into account?
>
> Thanks,
> Marissa
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Louise
> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 4:10 PM
> To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: txt page breaks redux
>
> Now children, enough of this sparring.  Does any of this have anything
> to do
> with Bookshare?  Do we want Marissa to start cracking down on these type
> of
> discussions?
>
>
>
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Kenneth A. Cross
>   To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>   Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 2:36 PM
>   Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: txt page breaks redux
>
>
>   Just another example of your concern for the customer.
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     From: Guido Corona
>     To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>     Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 3:16 PM
>     Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: txt page breaks redux
>
>
>
>     Thank you Dr. Cross,  yours has been  a Thorough treatment of the
> matter
> at hand" or is it a "compact biography?" of me.  Thank goodness it is
> not a
> "Love Inspired Romance".
>
>     Guido Dante Corona
>     IBM Accessibility Center,  Austin Tx.
>     Research Division,
>     Phone:  512. 838. 9735.
>     Email: guidoc@xxxxxxxxxxx
>     Web:  http://www.ibm.com/able
>
>
>
>           "Kenneth A. Cross" <crossk@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>           Sent by: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>           12/29/2004 01:49 PM Please respond to
>                 bksvol-discuss
>
>
>          To <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>                 cc
>                 Subject [bksvol-discuss] Re: txt page breaks redux
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>     I want to support Mary's comments.  Not only is Guido vigorously
> trying
> to
>        impose his standards, but he has made this a very unpleasant list
> with
>     which to be associated.  He routinely downs other volunteers,
> forgetting
>     that we, too, are customers as well as volunteers, but he also
> wastes
> list
>     bime with humor which is very often off point.  That might even be
> okay,
> but
>     express a view with which he disagrees, and suddenly your entire
> personality
>     is suspect. You are discussing things which have already been
> resolved,
> even
>     though he might be the only one who thinks so.
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     From: "Mary Otten" <maryotten@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>     To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>     Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 1:33 PM
>     Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: txt page breaks redux
>
>
>     > Guido,
>     > Here's a thought. Since there are lots of books on the download
> page
> which
>     are not in the txt format, and since there are people willing to
> work on
>     those which you find unredeemable and others who would be
>     > interested in reading cleaned up versions of same, why don't you
>     concentrate on the better quality or at least the non txt items
> rather
> than
>     imposing your standards on the whole of BookShare, especially in the
>     > absence of word from the powers that be regarding this issue?
>     > In a note to Kelly, you wondered rhetorically what part of the
> words
> pride
>     of work people don't understand. In turn, I wonder what gives you
> the
> right
>     to grant  yourself the authority to set standards which BookShare
>     > itself simply has not set.  This whole problem can be avoided if
> you
> just
>     set the selection of books on step one to be viewed to something
> other
> than
>     all formats, e.g. kes or rtf.
>     > There is room for interpretation with respect to the "readability"
>     standard. But until BookShare comes out with a guideline regarding
> this
>     whole page break business that will supercede what Marissa said
> before
> the
>     > Christmas break, I'd say your position on the page break issue is
> more
>     like disregard of present  policy rather than pride of work.
>     > I sure hope the staff at BookShare reaches consensus soon on this
> issue
>     and then,  let us all live with that decision, whatever it may be.
>     > Mary
>     >
>     >
>     >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


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