"Chip Ahoy" Discussion List - Celebrating the Second Anniversary

Celebrating the Second Anniversary of the
Discussion Group List’s Launching

December 1, 2006

Happy Second Birthday, Discussion Group !!!

It was two years ago today that this discussion group was launched.

And amazingly, even despite the recent hassles of migrating to yet a third list service provider since the beginning, it's still here, alive and kicking.

The entire history of this list's start-up is included in last year's first celebration announcement so there's no need to repeat its genesis.

I regret that three of us original founders no longer are subscribers: Bob "Hobie" Davidson with medical problems, Skip Meisch with personal problems, and Dick King . . . he's no doubt up there sailing in those clouds grinning and giving us a big thumbs-up!

Each year at this time I look back, calculate the statistics, see in what direction we're going. Then I reflect on whether it's worth taking on another year of providing this service, free but for contributions.

Migrating this list to a third list service provider on short notice over the past two weeks has been a most trying period for me. It's taken a lot more of my time and energy than I'd anticipated, and time and patience, and time and frustration. But that should be all behind us now.

While my list tasks have increased, List Sponsors strangely have decreased, proving the axiom "The faster I go, the behinder I get." This is a factor I'm considering while heading into my third year as list owner and administrator.

If this discussion group has so little value to so many [81%], I ask myself, then why I'm putting so much of me into providing it. In the beginning it was fun; it has lately become more like work.

LIST STATISTICS -- ENTERING YEAR THREE

List Service Providers over two years (3):
Channel1.com; Meganet.net; currently, Mystery.com

First List Sponsor: January 1, 2005

Total individual List Sponsors (2 years): 85
First year's # of List Sponsors: 56
Second year's # of List Sponsors: 47
Duplicate/Multiple List Sponsors: 18
Amt. increase/decrease (2005->2006): -9
Total # of current active member-subscribers: 251
List Sponsors vs. current member-subscribers; past year: 19%

Total applicants qualified, processed, and subscribed --

First year: 315
Second year: 177
Total applicants subscribed (2 years): 492

# of active member-subscribers, end of Year-1: 221
# of active member-subscribers, end of Year-2: 251

Current countries represented --

Australia: 3
Canada: 9
Chile: 1
Denmark: 1
France: 1
Netherlands: 1
South Africa: 2
Switzerland: 1
USA: 232

Past countries once represented, since unsubscribed --

Australia: [3]
Canada: [5]
Great Britain: [1]
Scotland: [1]
Sweden: [1]

I can account for 21,276 messages that have passed through this list since it was launched: I've archived them all on my computer since the trial-runs in 2004. Regrettably, I lost all messages between Aug. 10 - Sep. 12, 2006 when my hard drive crashed and I had to restore onto the new one from my latest backup tape. Most regrettably, it wiped out the period during which Dick King passed away and we collectively mourned.

Dick was always intrigued over what a "details man" I am; he puzzled openly over why I keep such things as every expense I put into my boat [See: "The Cost for My Hole in the Ocean"], and such detailed list information. I tried to explain that -- besides security and contact with subscribers as its administrator -- I simply want to know, I want to have a history on which to evaluate someday: "Someday" could come at any time, any moment. Besides, I can't help myself!

Last year on this anniversary date, the list's first birthday, in my celebration announcement I included the first ten member-subscribers following Dick, Skip, Hobie and me. This year, I think it's more appropriate to list the most recent ten:

#483 --
Tuesday, October 31, 2006; 3:16 PM
Jim McGee - "Krazy Kate"

#484 --
Stephen Nemeroff - (no name yet)

#485 --
Frank (Chip) Parker, Jr. - (no name yet)

#486 --
Kenneth Sovie - ("Maddiesfault")

#487 --
George Estey - ("Papa-G's")

#488 --
Graham Jones - ("Bullwinkle")

#489 --
Chris Whaley - (no name yet)

#490 --
Carlos Prieto - (no name yet)

#491 --
Scott Harding - ("Adgio")

#492 --
Thursday, November 30, 2006; 6:27 pm
Jay Gresham - (no name yet)

I'm satisfied that I proved it can be done. There was a lot of doubt among some in the beginning. Back then, a new discussion group was only a "drawing board" proposition among four friends who recognized the problems with all the other discussion groups, and the need for a secure discussion group list. I decided to take it on, give it a shot. I've since dedicated myself to it for two years non-stop.

The nagging question in my mind now is: Do only 19 percent feel it actually offers any value to them whatsoever, or is free all it's really worth?

What a ride it's been. Let's hope we can keep it going for another year, then another after that perhaps -- or if not, that someone else will step forward who's willing to take it over, put in the necessary time, labor, and commitment. That's up to the remaining 204 who currently make up the "81-percenters" I suppose, so far along for the free ride.

Anyway, today let's celebrate -- the C22 Discussion Group is still here and working; it's made it through two uninterrupted years of providing its service to the Catalina 22 sailing community!

We've now crossed into Year Three . . . let's see what it brings!

CHIP FORD
List owner/administrator