Members with prior status; "Newbie" who signed up over 6 months ago BUT who have never made an open post will be reassigned the status: "Unapproved; Write to MissJ521@aol.com for approval"

In some cases where an account was made well over a year ago but has 0 activity to it. (O activity means one never even signed on to view the board after they signed up), the account can be removed from my system. The only exception to that would be IF the person had an established screen name in prior use on another board (but never posted here), in which case I would elect to keep their account in the system so another does not sign on with their screen name.

I've got some "member" sign ups here who have NEVER posted in over a year.

Membership here needs to be an active one where you actually post and participate. Those not utilizing the memberships they DID HAVE and had those memberships for a LONG TIME but NEVER posted; (memberships with 0 posts) will be de-ranked to "unapproved; write to MissJ..for approval"

The approval process will involve a $15 PAYPAL admin fee if you wish the same access to board resources that members have.

I will be needing to change the status of "member" (prior sign ups with 0 posts) to "unapproved" (meaning "non-member") BECAUSE I'm closing off some boards from public viewing so that only members can see them.

I am defining "member" as someone who PARTICIPATES in the public venue or somehow contributes to the board.
I am defining people who signed up here but have 0 posts and who have contributed nothing to the board as "unapproved; Write to MissJ521@aol.com for approval"

Board viewing privileges on SOME board(s) will be restricted to "members only"
Board viewing privileges on some board(s) will be REMOVED from the public venue
"unapproved" status will not make it possible to view a board I remove from the public venue

This is being done because I'm finding I have too many 'dead' memberships (totally inactive) OR the memberships are ONLY being used to use the PM system or to 'lurk'.

I ask those with "unapproved" status NOT to use the PM system to pm active members. PM system is only to be used by active members who have established a PRIOR OPEN relationship with each other. Otherwise, there is little benefit to the active member to exchange information with an anon party he/she has no familiarity with.



Thank you.

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I've been having problems with computer since May. I'm on a loaner now and still waiting for a new one. If I don't get back to you or am not on board, it would be most likely due to another computer problem.

"Dear Miss J,

I think I can speak on behalf of a probably sizable silent segment of the “lurker” reading audience of your wonderful and extraordinary website. I am a retired ...... instructor who has greatly enjoyed and appreciated having had the opportunity to read these educational and fascinating forums, and have been doing so since you so carefully established them.

I’m writing now to explain something you may not be aware of: I and probably many others would actually LOVE to contribute and participate and be part of these group discussions, but feel woefully inadequate to do so. The level of wit, sophistication, knowledge and cleverness in the writing of most of your “regulars” (and yours, of course) seems far beyond what we could possibly produce – so, for myself at least, there is that feeling that no one would really be interested in what I might have to add, and that probably I would just be diluting the discussion without contributing anything of real significance (much as I wish I could).

I believe you are doing a great good deed by allowing readers such as myself to learn so much through these forums, and I would feel a real loss if you decide to restrict all of them to only contributing members. In addition, I would be more than willing to contribute ten dollars if you decide to work out a system whereby people could possibly do that in lieu of contributing in other ways.

Again, I do want to thank you most sincerely for providing what I have considered to be a master course in this fascinating field. (I wonder if you might actually think about developing and offering some sort of online course, perhaps though a venue such as University of Phoenix.) You have many grateful readers out there, I can assure you – thank you again."

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Wow. Thanks for your kind words. There are 2 segments of the 'lurker' population; Those who would gladly contribute to the site a PAYPAL of $15 (even if it was just to read) and those whom IF I asked would start harassing me.

Subsequent to suggesting a new sign up contribute $15 (which is not much at all), I was met by ... indignation .... The sign up actually accused me of making money 'illegally', put up posts on other sites [intimating such]. So as not to have the 'risk' anymore of even asking new sign ups for a contribute, I just TURNED OFF the option for people to sign up to my board.

Since people do want to sign up 'free' and I actually PAY for my site with no ads or corporate finances, growth of the site is of no benefit to me and just financially drains me. So, what I had to do was to close some boards off from the public venue ......

Also, with a lot of people in the public venue reading the board and doing searches, it takes up bandwidth and makes it slow for the members. ... I'm not going to finance more bandwidth just because the public venue (not contributing in any way) results in that via ability to view all boards.

It's sort of like public television (educational TV like channel 2) where one wishes to avoid corporate commercialism to subsidize it. Only problem is that I'M THE ONE who has to pay for it and it's very rare that someone from the public venue would offer to give a financial contribution/donation to it. So, I need to close parts of it to the public venue because no one in the public venue is giving contributions for it.

Allowing people to sign up and then telling them, a $15 PAYPAL contribute is needed has been 'twisted' and 'spun' ... to say I'm 'charging'. I'm not. I'm just not able to foot the costs to me of giving them access and am asking they help defray that. In fact, I lose LESS by not asking for a $15 contribute and by removing some boards from public venue instead. So, I'm trying to cut my losses which are extra work and $$ to accommodate free sign ups or to keep boards open to the public venue.

It's fine with me IF you want to be a contributor in the sense of a donation. I would give you an account that was not being used by another (as presently the new sign up process is turned off).

So, if you want to do the PAYPAL donate thing, on it list the e-mail addy you want me to use to give you an account.
Only thing is that you can't pick the screen name because the account would be a 'vacant real estate' one that the person who opened it is no longer using and would have a 'generic' type screen name. In that way, you can 'contribute' to the site but use it to read.

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I've been having problems with computer since May. I'm on a loaner now and still waiting for a new one. If I don't get back to you or am not on board, it would be most likely due to another computer problem.