Re: Important announcement: Seriously considering closing The eBook Community group

"Jon Noring" wrote:

> Thus, I am contemplating closing this group in a fashion similar to
> how John Mark Ockerbloom did for the Book People list: simply pulling
> the plug and not supporting/endorsing any successor group.

Sad,sad news !!!

There is an enormous amount of work involved in managing a successful
group like this one, and Jon has done that work for many years. When I
was very active in this group, (too long ago) I remember admiring
Jon's continual contributions. His posts about ebooks were profound,
cutting-edge and worth saving; and he was always stepping in at the
right time, to keep the discussions on task, and to promote a
respectful dialogue between all the group members.

Now John has asked for a proposal. I think that he is seeking more
than some brave volunteers saying "I'll do it." ... He has asked for a
thoughtful proposal to advance the group, to renew it, and to help the
group fulfill its potential to best serve the 3300-odd members. 

What is written below is not the proposal Jon would like, I'm sure.
This is only a handful of ideas for possible inclusion in that proposal. 

1) Move the TEBC group to Google Groups. ... Less spam there; and the
discussion threads are all connected: they are not separate posts as
in Yahoo groups. (There are a number of other benefits of Google
Groups, too.) 

2) Begin an ebook blog, that highlights the most interesting posts
from TEBC -- and from other ebook blogs and other sources in general. 

3) Develop an ebook knowledge-base ... If the blog were created using
Wordpress.org, then the "pages" feature of the blog could hold the
knowledge base. ...Another option would be to use a Wikipedia-like
wiki system.

4) Create a 5-person steering committe, who would actively manage this
group, via regular video meetings using Skype, or other software. Some
of these meetings would be closed to the members, others would be open
to TEBC members.

5) Offer 6 "webinars" every year, sponsored by TEBC, on different
aspects of ebooks and epublishing. ... (A webinar is a live
presentation broadcasted over the Internet, using software that allows
thousands of persons to listen and watch simulaneously. It's like
attending a lecture without leaving your computer.)

6) Attract the "big players" in epublishing by offering them time and
space on the webinars. And space in the TEBC blog. ... Write to the
"big players" and ask them why they are not actively participating in
TEBC.

7) Send another survey to TEBC members, and ask what the group might 
offer to increase participation among the 3200 members who are listed
but do not actively participate.

8) Begin soliciting donations: of free web space for the blog, and of
cash -- to fund various TEBC projects. Perhaps someones will donate
ebooks, and TEBC members can get the ebooks free when the donate to TEBC.

9) Connect TEBC with TeleRead.

10) Most importantly: Find a way to keep Jon Noring actively involved
in TEBC. Jon's experience and vision is necessary to take TEBC to the
next level.

These are ambitious suggestions, but I think that "thinking bigger" is
what Jon had in mind. Not just to keep the group muddling along, but
to renew it and expand it to meet the needs of the brave new
epublishing future. 

Michael Pastore, Editorial Director
Epublishers Weekly


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