[AMRadio] Possible changes

[w5jo at brightok.net]

Hi everyone,

Your comments are not falling on deaf ears, we appreciate your thoughts 
about what happens here.  Some things for you to consider.

It is not a burden to moderate this list, especially lately with the lack of 
traffic.  Also the cost to Brian, Todd and myself is nil other than time 
spent.  However, the cost of space for it is bourn by the owner of the 
equipment where this reflector resides.  I rarely see any request for 
donations from the owner, but if you can, please contribute to him.

Over the years, and my memory is not all that good, we have not had what I 
would call any real problems.  Again if memory serves, we have banned only 
one participant and I have had conversations with just a few.  That is a 
testament to the atmosphere all here create and maintain.

Another thing I see is the level of information is of very high quality.  It 
is a place that someone can come to ask any question and receive a kind 
answer.  That is the one thing we have tried to provide, an atmosphere where 
all questions are treated with the same level of respect.  I look at the 
reflector as a place where those of the AM community can come and carry on a 
QSO.  All discussions are not required to be about technical issues with 
equipment, however the discussions should be the kind of things that an AM 
QSO would contain.  Keep in mind I am talking about propagation, antennas, 
tuners, audio enhancements, methods of tuning and the like.  I do not want 
to see the reflector degenerate into personal discussions, mowing the lawn 
or such other than incidental, occasional comments contained in the post.

What has happened to the traffic here is not all that seasonal.  Yes in 
summertime activity falls off, but the lack of traffic in the past 12 months 
span the 4 seasons.  Also the use of Facebook has moved many to that venue 
along with other social sites.  That, I think, has been the biggest 
influence here.  I know of several people who have started pages on Facebook 
and would not consider coming over here now.  That has driven the traffic 
down considerably.

I would like to thank all of you for your kind words and thoughts.  I, or 
we, will keep you informed.  Like so many of you I read every post all the 
way through for obvious reasons.  The group here are professional and very 
knowledgeable.

Thanks to all for that kind of atmosphere.

73,

Jim
W5JO
Moderator