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Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Change?

To: tom@n1mm.com, "Tower and HF antenna construction topics." <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Change?
From: Larry McDavid <lmcdavid@lmceng.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 15:09:00 -0800
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I wonder if the folks resisting change to use groups.io understand the options that groups.io Groups offer. I own and manage numerous groups.io Groups and find them really convenient. But, I personally don't like any form of WebMail and I don't use HTML typically in any emails.

You are using some form of client email now for TowerTalk and you are configured to use plain text format (TowerTalk on contesting.com *requires* it). You can surely do so in groups.io. If you really wish, you can compose in HTML but it is not required and I discourage it in my own Groups.

Your client email determines whether received email text is quoted in your reply; I always leave at least most of the received email text so folks understand my reply. That is what most folks here want also. No problem...

Some complain of excessive quoted text and it can be too much in some few cases; it is up to the person replying to decide how much message text to leave. But, understand that plain text occupies so little storage (and groups.io does not count email text for storage size) and needs so little bandwidth that trimming text consistently is just not warranted today.

What you gain by using groups.io is the (optional as decided by Group owner/moderator) ability to easily *attach* a photo or a file to a message. Not having this ability with the current TowerTalk, you may not appreciate how advantageous it is to easily add a photo to your message. Believe me, it makes some explanations you send ever so much better!

Groups.io provides a Group website that also allows organized storage of photos and files in a location that easily accessed and is not lost over time. This storage is private to only your Group members. This Group website storage and message attachment capability is far easier to use than uploading something to Dropbox or a personal server (which few of us have).

Messages are organized into Topics automatically and, if you are not interested in a Topic, you can suppress its messages; that is entirely up to a single user.

Someone said he did not want multimedia filling his pocket. Most messages would not include a photo attached so there is little risk of filling anything up. If you don't want to see the attachment or that topic, the Delete key is your friend. You likely use it a lot now...

Additionally, there are other more esoteric features available such as databases, Wiki and polls, among others. None of this is--and especially those handy attached photos--available in the current TowerTalk.

Message boards such as contesting.com were great when they became available early in Internet days. But, today there is far greater capability those early creators never dreamed of and it is within your reach at groups.io.

I am licensed 64 years and a long-time TowerTalk user but times have changed and I am willing to try new things when they offer advantages. Regarding group size, one of my groups.io Groups has nearly 4000 members and it runs smoothly; most members post in plain text and there are relatively few attached photos, but when there are, the clarity improves substantially. Many members have established their own photo albums on the Group website and keep photos (and, files) there where any member can access them (but the public cannot).

For most TowerTalk members, the only change would be a new SendTo email address. Whatever email client you are using now would work with groups.io. And, you could do so much more...

Larry W6FUB


On 12/22/2021 1:28 PM, Tom wrote:
Groups.io has better search, has ability to send pictures, and a place to store files.  You can also mute topics you have no interest in.

For moderators, you can easily moderate problem users and topics.  I subscribe to 20 groups.io <http://groups.io> groups, but get emails from 3 or 4.  I also subscribe to two old school mailing lists.  This one and cq contest.

Move TT to groups.io <http://groups.io>. It's time.

Tom - N1MM
...
--
Best wishes,

Larry McDavid W6FUB
Anaheim, California (SE of Los Angeles, near Disneyland)
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