Like David McNeely,

I too am overly satisfied with the list in its current state but would
prefer an easier or more direct way to send photos.  I have also noticed
the drop in chatter - perhaps we now know everything there is to know or
have saved all of Dennis' posts and don't require as much feed-back - or
our vans are all purring like kittens and conducting themselves like the
new vehicles they once were...Nah, I don't think so.

 It is inevitable that we will need to make some forward movement toward
change at some point - the question is how much.

Bruce

On Sun, Sep 27, 2020 at 6:08 AM Edward Maglott <emaglott3@gmail.com> wrote:

> Feeling a bit sad at the decline in the vanagon mailing list.  last time I
> tried I could not query the server about how many subscribers there are.  I
> remember when it was about 1500 and there was so much traffic I only read
> threads I was directly interested in.
>
> I go way back in online communities to before the internet was available to
> the public.  I have no problem with using a listserv and prefer it to
> anything like a msg board or social network group.  I can see why new
> people would find it daunting to use this list though.  The email only
> configuration interface is very different for people who are only familiar
> with pointing and clicking.  "I need to do what to
> subscribe/unsubscribe/change my settings???"  I want to read old messages
> about replacing my poptop seals.  uhhhh, "Searching the entire collection
> will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!"  Here's a pic
> of my instrument cluster repair.  What? I can't attach a photo?
>
> I recommend migrating the Vanagon list to a modern platform such as a
> google group.  I did this recently for an email list that I have admin'd
> for about 20 years and it was pretty painless.  It has all the controls and
> features I had on the previous platform, and more.  This could revitalize
> the list by attracting new members who now look at the instructions for
> subscribing, scratch their heads and click away.  I think the Vanagon list
> is an asset to the community worth saving.  It seems to be on a course to
> dwindle away to nothing like other lists I've been on over the years.
>
> Edward
>