SCN: SCN's web front page

[Steve Guest]

Dear Lee (and others),
I have sent your email as an example of a concerned user of SCN.  It is
great when users bring issues to our attention.

I too have been concerned about the lack of content on our web front page
and after being asked, I did put a few things up to show we are still alive
and active.  Yet it did not come close to the wonderful content we used to
have in the past.

SCN is essentially an all volunteer run organization.  When Rod told us he
was leaving the role of WebMaster, over a year ago, we started to seek a
replacement.  He had done such great things in that position it proved
impossible to fill the post.  We have now broken the role up and made it
more achievable by volunteers.  Yet still, we have not found all the parts
to the puzzle.  We do have a webeditor, and a front page editor signed up
and they are trying to find their feet.  I hope that very soon things will
change, but as with all volunteer effort it is a hope and not a promise.

We are always short of volunteers, even the web editing role - so if would
love to volunteer time with SCN to get our web site back to something we can
all again be proud of that would be wonderful.  Contact the volunteer
coordinator at vpc at scn.org.

I would like to address a few other issues that have been raised in a reply
to your posting:
1) to learn enough about the intricacies of Unix
SCN is a Unix based service and you do need to know something about Unix to
use it.  We try to buffer the main users away from this, but we who provide
the service have to deal with Unix and all its quirks.  Luckily our SysOps
can be a very helpful source in the learning process if you ask and do not
demand that assistance.  They are volunteers also.
2) the Operations Committee's criteria for posting information
Well in an effort to ensure people's privacy, we have to put some criteria
on who can do what.  I expect everyone would be unhappy if any volunteer was
randomly given the power to edit any file including yours.  So we have a few
hurdles which we place there to protect user's files.  You would be upset if
we did not.
3) since regular text editing and FTP are no longer allowed by Ops
Well this is news to all of us.  If we have stopped you doing regular
editing then that would pretty well make SCN useless.  Let me assure all
that you can still edit your files and send emails as you always have.  SCN
is there for its regular business of supporting you.  It is true that we are
forced to limit ftp access.  It would make life easier for all if we could
and have been trying to address this issue.  Due to the needs of security of
all users' files, we have not found a successful way of doing this as yet.

I hope this helps and gives you a better insight into SCN.  We would love to
see you as a new volunteer and our new WebMaster has many roles to fill, as
do coordinators in other areas.

Thanks for your concern
Steve
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Steve Guest                                            (425) 653 7353
Vice-President & ED of Seattle Community Network   http://www.scn.org
   "Supporting People and Communities with Free Internet Services"

Lee (lee at scn.org) wrote:
> I was wondering the same thing as Irene.
>
> If a volunteer is needed to update and maintain the SCN home
> page I'm willing to help.
>
> I have put an idea example page for a some changes to the SCN
> home page at http://www.scn.org/test/sept.html

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Steve Guest                                            (425) 653 7353
Vice-President & ED of Seattle Community Network   http://www.scn.org
   "Supporting People and Communities with Free Internet Services"

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