"Chip Ahoy" Discussion List - Celebrating the Third Anniversary

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

December 1, 2007

Today we celebrate the THIRD ANNIVERSARY of the launching of this discussion group on December 1, 2004.

It was a tough decision back then, but one that was necessary -- and I had some very good advisors: Dick King, Skip Meisch, and Hobie Davidson. We worked over the phone and by e-mail for hours, for weeks, until we got it right and everyone was satisfied, then I put it online. Who knew then that it could grow to what it has become? We weren't sure I wasn't making a mistake; wasting my time and money to get it up and running. But we all agreed that it was needed and worth a try.

You can read more about its genesis at the links below if you want, so I don't need to belabor its history and bore you to death.

First Anniversary Celebration
Second Anniversary Celebration

As I stated back then and continue to in the introductory page for signing up:

"This list is intended for and dedicated to that Catalina 22 sailing community across the country and around the world. It’s a place to meet and discuss mutual interests in our boats and exchange ideas concerning their restoration, maintenance, improvement and seamanship. Here we freely discuss all aspects of owning and sailing our boats, and continue our camaraderie."

Going forward into its fourth year, I think we've kept that spirit alive.

What would this celebration be without the statistics? So they follow. (Yes Dick King up There, I'm still obsessive/compulsive, buddy, and always will be!)

Welcome to Year Four of this discussion group, and may many more follow.

LIST STATISTICS -- ENTERING YEAR FOUR

List Service Providers over three years (going into 4):
Channel1.com; Meganet.net; currently, Mystery.com

First List Sponsor: January 1, 2005

Individual List Sponsors to-date: 114
Number of individual contributions (from the above 114): 156

Contributions 2005: 62 - (from 58 individuals Sponsors)
Contributions 2006: 54 - (from 47 individual Sponsors)
Contributions 2007: 40 - (from 35 individual Sponsors)
Amt. increase/decrease (2006->2007): [-14]
# individual Sponsors increase/decrease (2006->2007): [-12]

NOTE: Some Sponsors contributed more than once.

List Sponsors vs. current member-subscribers -- 2006: 19%
List Sponsors vs. current member-subscribers -- 2007: 13%

Total applicants qualified, processed, and subscribed --

First year: 315
Second year: 177
Third year: 122
# applicants vetted, processed, and subscribed (3 years): 614

# of active member-subscribers, end of Year-1: 221
# of active member-subscribers, end of Year-2: 251
# of active member-subscribers, end of Year-3: 268

Current countries represented --

Australia: 4
Canada: 10
Chile: 1
Denmark: 1
France: 1
Great Britain: 1
South Africa: 2
Switzerland: 1
USA: 253

Countries once represented, since unsubscribed --

Australia: [3]
Canada: [6]
Germany: [1]
Great Britain: [2]
Netherlands: [1]
Scotland: [1]
Sweden: [1]
USA: [331]

I can account for 31,481 messages that have passed through this list since it was launched: I've archived them all 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.

Last year on this anniversary date, in my celebration announcement I detoured from the previous year's report which listed the first ten member-subscribers following Dick, Skip, Hobie and me, and instead listed the latest ten. This year, I've detoured again and instead list the ten most recent List Sponsors. Through their generosity, Sponsors help me keep this discussion group going with their voluntary contributions. The most recent ten this year are:

#15021 - Thomas "Jay" Holz ("CjAndeai") - 9/24/07

#14444 - Steven Morgan (none yet) - 10/2/07

#15582 - Rich Fox ("SeDepecher") - 10/10/07

#858 - Robert Borelli ("Thar Be Little Dragons") - 10/15/07

#15691 - Bill Allen ("Chapter Two") - 10/18/07

#880 - Tom Gwilym ("Delphinus") - 10/21/07

#12712 - Jon Golliher ("Happy Daze") - 10/24/07

#11540 - Frank (Chip) Parker, Jr. (none yet) - 10/26/07

#14834 - Jim Kuertz ("Almost Heaven") - 10/31/07

#1359 - Thomas Brownson ("TomCat22") - 11/5/07

My thanks to the 35 member-subscribers who sent at least one contribution during the past year to help carry the burden of keeping this list alive, and to the others who've contributed in past years to carry all of us this far.

The nagging question in my mind is: Do only 13 percent of the 268 current subscribers feel this discussion group offers any value to them whatsoever -- down from 19 percent last year -- or is free all it's really worth to the other 233?

In its third year, this discussion group has grown from 251 in 2006 to 268 in 2007, an increase of 17 member-subscribers. During that same period, and despite the growth, voluntary contributions dropped from 54 (from 47 individuals) down to 40 (from 35 individuals). The trend is disheartening, discouraging.

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, commitment, and funds. That's up to the remaining 233 who currently make up the "87-percenters" I suppose, so far along for the free ride.

But today let's celebrate -- the C22 Discussion Group is still here and working; it's made it through three uninterrupted years of providing its service to the Catalina 22 sailing community, and without a single security breach!

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

CHIP FORD
List owner/administrator

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