[Premium-Rx] The Future of the Premium-Rx List - Please READ!!!

[Jan Skirrow]

Hi All ...

After overseeing the Premium-Rx List for approximately seven years, Greg
and I thought it would be a good time to pass ownership over to another
team, that would bring with it ideas and the motivation to improve and
move the List forward. We communicated our intentions in January of 2006
and soon after turned over the List to two of our more active members.

Unfortunately, health and other problems made it impossible for the new
team to continue, so we took it back on a strictly interim basis, but
our determination to have “new management” hasn’t changed!

There are two parts to the task ahead: the List Server that handles the
email distribution, and the website. Both must be resolved.

First, the Premium-Rx List:

The first thing we did after taking the list back was to move it from
Jan Skirrow’s “skirrow.org” list server to the QTH.net server. This is
now complete, and the old server will cease to function in a month or
so. The move progressed smoothly, and our new home with QTH.net has
reduced the day-to-day workload considerably. Thus, we feel it is an
excellent time to again seek new owners for the Premium-Rx List.

We believe that two people working as a team is optimal. Even if one
person does most of the work, it is important to have a backup, as life
has a way of intruding on our good intentions. Vacations, work and
family issues all make it difficult for just one person. However, this
is a luxury, not a necessity. One person could easily manage the actual
work involved.

We see three options:

Option 1. One or two list members would take the list over. At least one
of them should be comfortable with the computer aspects. This would
happen fairly quickly, and we would withdraw once again, equally
quickly. We will pass on the procedures we’ve been using and remain
available to answer questions for a few weeks only. Anyone interested
can contact either of us.

We’re looking for “expressions of interest” right now and don’t expect a
firm commitment until you get answers to any questions you have! We can
provide a rundown on the procedures, and the QTH website provides links
to the list software in use.

If you put together a team of two, we’d be delighted! If not, and if
more than one person expresses an interest, we’ll suggest you talk to
each other and see if something workable can be created. Based on our
experience, it would be good if the two people already knew each other,
and should be within a few time zones of each other.

Option 2. If no one comes forward, we could close the list to new
members. It would remain fully functional, without moderators, as long
as subscriber interest continued. This is not the best option, but we
will consider it if no one steps forward. Even if this option is chosen,
should someone wish to take it on subsequently, this could be easily
arranged. While ownership would remain with us (as QTH.net insists
someone “own” it) we would take no active role in running the list.

Option 3. We could simply shut the list down. It’s always worth
considering this option, as out of the ashes something new and more
useful might emerge.

Second, the Premium-Rx website:

The website is maintained at San Diego State University, where one of us
worked until blessed retirement a few years ago. Presently, this
material is safe and continues to be accessible through a personal
account. However, it is our opinion that it should be moved to a safer
environment where access to the site files can be under broader control.
For example, should a change occur in SDSU policy, this information
could disappear overnight.

The site has not been added to, or edited, in over a year. The content
of value is mostly the manuals and related information – which amounts
to about 250 megabytes (mostly as PDF files). Some of this material may
still be hard to find on other websites, so it may be worth placing
elsewhere even if the current website disappears.

We see 4 options:

Option 1. Do nothing. The site will remain as it is now, until such time
as SDSU removes it.

Option 2. Notify the membership of a termination date and shut down the
website. If it duplicates other sites, this is a good choice to consider.

Option 3. Move all or part of the website to someone else’s server. This
could be a lot of work for anyone not familiar with the software used to
create the site. However, if someone has the server space and expertise,
and wants to take it on, we’ll facilitate access to all the site files.

Option 4. We could shut down the site and make the manuals and other
such information items available on a CD. We can create a master CD
containing either the entire site, or just the manual files. The new
moderator(s) could undertake to make copies available to those
interested for a minimal charge to cover materials and shipping.

So that’s the issue and decisions we will need to make in the weeks
ahead. We’d like your reaction and, hopefully, offers of a willingness
to take this on. If no one does, then perhaps the list has served its
purpose and should fade away.

If you desire to contact us off line, please use these addresses:

Jan Skirrow jan at skirrow.org

Greg Bailey Gbailey at mail.SDSU.edu