Nan:2007-03-20-b8mb-update

Subject: [B8MB] State of Affairs, 20 Mar 2007
From: The Big-8 Management Board <board@big-8.org>
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:33:38 +0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <nan.20070320203338$1b6b@killfile.org>

This is an official announcement from the Big-8 Management Board.

Recent Actions
--------------

Since the last announcement (in February), the following proposals
have been completed:

       - Two new newsgroups were created: rec.radio.amateur.moderated
         and rec.ponds.moderated,
       - Twelve existing newsgroups were removed: comp.org.team-os2,
         comp.org.eff.news, comp.os.ms-windows.announce,
         comp.org.cpsr.announce, rec.arts.movies.announce,
         comp.std.lisp, rec.arts.disney.announce, rec.aviation.announce,
         rec.aviation.answers, rec.aviation.questions,
         soc.religion.vaishnava, and rec.games.trading-cards.announce
       - New moderators were appointed for one moderated newsgroup:
         rec.radio.info .

In addition, one proposal has been withdrawn (create the newsgroup
news.service-providers).

There is currently one open proposal to change the moderation policy
of news.groups.proposals, two to create new groups, and six to remove
existing groups.


Big 8 Management Board
----------------------

Four members' terms were due to expire in mid-April.  Three members (Dave
Sill, Martin Moleski, and Thomas Lee) wished to remain on the Board and
their retention was confirmed by a Board vote.  Joe Bernstein's term is
also due to expire on April 1st, but he does not intend to seek another
term.


news.groups.proposals
---------------------

As a reminder, the moderated newsgroup news.groups.proposals was created
on 14 Nov 2006.  All "official" discussion of active proposals now takes
place in this group; this has proven to be remarkably successful.  There is an
open proposal to modify the moderation policy for news.groups.proposals.

For more information on the group, please see its homepage at:

  http://www.big-8.org/~ngp/


Call For Proposals
------------------

The Board would like to once again officially encourage users to propose
new, interesting groups throughout the Big-8 hierarchies.  The Board and
the newly-reformed Group Mentors would be happy to help you refine your
ideas into an RFD; and if your proposal appears to have a good shot at
creating a well-named, well-used group, we are probably willing to give
your idea a chance.  Be creative!  Extra points go to proposals that
promise to bring entirely new users to Usenet.


Volunteer Committees
--------------------

Our monthly reminder - the B8MB is attempting to put together several
volunteer organizations to handle individual aspects of the new group
creation system.  These groups are not currently fully populated, but they
have fairly clear (if general) goals.  And most importantly, they have
mailing lists, so it's possible to start getting them organized.

Please, if you are interested in helping out the Big-8, or Usenet as a
whole, please volunteer for one (or more) of these groups!  And if you
would like to help shape the future of the groups, and have the time to
help coordinate them, please contact the listed Coordinator.


  Usenet Volunteer Pollsters
  ==========================

  Coordinator    Tim Skirvin
  Mailing List   http://lists.big-8.org/mailman/listinfo/uvp/
  Description    http://www.big-8.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=workgroups:polltakers


  Usenet Volunteer Moderators
  ===========================

  Coordinator    Tim Skirvin
  Mailing List   http://lists.big-8.org/mailman/listinfo/uvm/
  Description    http://www.big-8.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=workgroups:moderators


  Group Mentors
  =============

  Coordinator    Tim Skirvin
  Mailing List   http://lists.big-8.org/mailman/listinfo/group-mentors/
  Description    http://www.big-8.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=workgroups:mentors


  Deadwood Groups Task Force
  ==========================

  Coordinator    Dave Sill
  Mailing List   (see description)
  Description    http://www.big-8.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=workgroups:deadgroups


  News Service Providers Committee
  ============================

  Coordinator    Marty Moleski (pro tem)
  Mailing List   http://lists.big-8.org/mailman/listinfo/nspc
  Description    http://www.big-8.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=workgroups:nspc


		                    - The Big-8 Management Board
-- http://www.big-8.org/ Big-8 Management Board