Attendees: Dale Caston, Bob Duggan (Chair), Roy Harris, Dan Jackson, Bill Ratcliff, Dick Riddle, & Charles Lord (e-conf help)

CharlesL (c.j.lord@146.raleigh-03-04rs16rt.nc.dial-access.att.net) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy CharlesL! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

Roy (rharris995@AC9FAF32.ipt.aol.com) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy Roy! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

Roy says:
Thanks.

CharlesL says:
Hi Roy - I think Bob is away

Roy says:
c

CharlesL says:
GA

Host BobD says:
Yep...I'm back now!

Roy says:
I'm having trouble getting on line with our newsgroup thru AOL.

CharlesL says:
Howdy, Mr Bob!

Roy says:
Hi Bob.

Host BobD says:
Hi, Charles. Tnx for joining us.

CharlesL says:
Roy, are you using the web interface or a news reader?

Roy says:
Web interface.

CharlesL says:
What kind of symptom are you getting?

Roy says:
I type in the address as given in Dick's message and ..

DanJ (d.jackson@ACA7F352.ipt.aol.com) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy DanJ! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

Roy says:
I get a message that the group is not valid.

DanJ says:
Welcome to all of you fine folks.

DaleC (d.caston@AC9A3B70.ipt.aol.com) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy DaleC! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

CharlesL says:
Hmmmm. Let me think on it.

DaleC says:
Hi all. It is good to be here or somewhere tonight!

Host BobD says:
Reed can't make it tonight, but I'm glad you're all here. Hopefully, others will come, too.

Roy says:
Have we put out any general info on how to access newsgroups?

Host BobD says:
I have in the past, and the e-conf folks have, too.

Host BobD says:
Charles L and BillR are our experts here. I assume BillR will be here shortly.

Roy says:
OK.

DaleC says:
q

CharlesL says:
Roy, try to click on http://r3-collab.eng.uab.edu/cgi-bin/dnewsweb?cmd=xover&group=ieee.r3econf&from=914

Host BobD says:
GA, Dale

DickR (rlriddle@host-216-76-183-94.int.bellsouth.net) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy DickR! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

DaleC says:
Anyone going to ProDevCon in Phoenix this weekend?

CharlesL says:
(raises hand)

DanJ says:
c

Host BobD says:
Probably Charles and Dick will go.

Host BobD says:
GA, Dan

DanJ says:
Sean Haynes is going.

DickR says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Dick

DickR says:
Dick is staying home with his wife on our 50 th wedding...

Host BobD says:
Well, congrats, Dick!

DickR says:
celebration. There is a life out side of IEEE.

Roy says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Roy

Roy says:
Wise choice, Dick.

DaleC says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Dale

DaleC says:
Dick, your wife should get a medal-50yrs. I second Bob motion!

DickR says:
10-4 thanks guys.

Host BobD says:
Men, it's 9:01, so let's get started....

Bill (~w.ratclif@12.77.18.112) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy Bill! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

Host BobD says:

I wanted tonight to review our SPC status report draft, which we'll be submitting soon, prior to the Newsletter deadline. I hope you've all had a chance to review it per my e-mail request. Any comments? It's at http://www.ewh.ieee.org/reg/3/spc/rpt_00-3.htm

Roy says:
c

Host BobD says:
We'll be submitting it soon. GA, Roy

Roy says:
The report looks accurate. It doesn/t show some of the progress that we are making behind the scenes.

Host BobD says:
Such as ...?

Roy says:
I mean, this is a statement of lwhat we are to do and I guess I don't have any specific progress to report.

Host BobD says:
We have several mentors who are shaking trees, of course. But their work will probably show up more in the committees they're advising. These status reports are supposed to show progress against G&Os.
I've had inputs from several mentors and from subcommittees (like History, ByLaws, & Ops Manual). I guess they're really ad hoc, not sub -. I'm hoping that having the newsletter with all the status reports included will be a help to Dick and ExCom, as well as to SPC. Hopefully, it's going to spur more activity prior to October.
Any other C or Q re the status report?

Host BobD says:
OK ...

DanJ (d.jackson@ACA7F352.ipt.aol.com) has left the conversation.

Host BobD says:
If you have other comments, pls feed them to me soon.

Host BobD says:
Now on our agenda was item 2. ...

DanJ (d.jackson@ACA7F352.ipt.aol.com) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy DanJ! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

Host BobD says:
Last year SPC pretty well was a leader in e-conferencing. ...

Roy (rharris995@AC9FAF32.ipt.aol.com) has left the conversation.

Host BobD says:
This year, however, we've really not had many participants - either in e-conf or in Newsgroup. ...

Roy (rharris995@AC9FAF32.ipt.aol.com) has joined the conversation.

Host BobD says:
Howdy Roy! Welcome to room #r3econf. Enjoy your stay.

Host BobD says:
I'm grateful for your joining tonight, but I am concerned at the continued absence of some of our loyal volunteers. I'm seeking any thoughts you may care to share as to how we can boost participation by those who are absent. ...

DanJ says:
c

Host BobD says:
I know we're all busy. Perhaps that can affect e-conf attendance. But newsgroup participation can be handled at one's convenience. ... Any thoughts? GA, Dan.

DanJ says:
Suggest a personal phone call to perennial absentees to ascertain reason and if possible offer help to them to become part of the group. It took a call to Dave Green and his help for me to get into the econf.

Host BobD says:
Thanks, Dan. I've called on Dave for help several times, too.

Host BobD says:
JimB, the Powers, Dave McLaren have all been in e-confs, but nothing lately. I've talked with Vern. He's very busy.

DanJ says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Dan

Roy says:
c

DanJ says:
One of the problems with NGs is that one has to go looking for it ...

Roy says:
I think the newsgroup may be the best way to keep up with the committee

DanJ says:
while email comes to you with out your making any effort.

Roy says:
I was going to add that I have to learn how to get to the newgroup first.

Host BobD says:
Several R3 newsgroups have been set up, but e-conf, concent. banking, and a little SPC are the only ones with much info.

DickR says:
c

Host BobD says:
I use Outlook Express which has both e-mail & newsgroups. I don't know how others do it. GA, Dick

DickR says:
I have had two e-mails today telling me that they can not get to our newsgroup because they are behind fire walls at their...

CharlesL says:
c

DickR says:
company. I feel that we must try to do a better job of letting folks know how to get on the news and IRC.

Host BobD says:
GA, Chas

CharlesL says:
I access the NG about 6 times during day from behind a nasty firewall. The web interface works great at this, and I have even gotten in the habit of using the web interface at home. I think our problem is not technical but habits not yet learned. We need a carrot or a stick to get people over the threshold.

DickR says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Dick

DickR says:
Charles you know the URL and I can find the URL...

CharlesL says:
http://r3-collab.eng.uab.edu/cgi-bin/dnewsweb?cmd=xover

DickR says:
for our web version but we do not advertize it to others.

Roy (rharris995@AC9FAF32.ipt.aol.com) has left the conversation.

CharlesL says:
oops, not that one...

CharlesL says:
http://r3-collab.eng.uab.edu/cgi-bin/dnewsweb?cmd=xover&group=ieee.r3spc&from=32

DickR says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Dick

DickR says:
Ok Charles but what is the one for enitiybanking (sp)

Host BobD says:
concentration acct?

DickR says:
10-4

CharlesL says:
http://r3-collab.eng.uab.edu/cgi-bin/dnewsweb?cmd=xover&group=ieee.entitybanking&from=39 ...

Host BobD says:
Yep

CharlesL says:
(sorry, just not as fast as DaveG)

DickR says:
c

Host BobD says:
That URL works fine here. Don't have a firewall, tho.

Host BobD says:
GA Dick

DickR says:
My point is that we should include that kind of info in our e-mail messages to our folks.

DanJ says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Dan

DanJ says:

I don't understand all that stuff after dnewsweb. If you put that into the web address you don't get what you want.

Host BobD says:
Dan, I clicked on it just now, and it popped right up.

DanJ says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Dan

DanJ says:
I click on an address which ends in dnewsweb and get a list of local newsgroups including entitybanking and econf. ...

CharlesL says:
c

DanJ says:
If I enter spc and search I bring up the spc newsgroup.

Host BobD says:
GA, Chas

CharlesL says:
From that first screen, click on login. Username = m.y.initials (your ieee id before the "@") password is same WITHOUT PERIOD(S). Then you can configure the group of NGs you want. Perhaps we can re-issue notes from Nashville. I am re-writing some of this for PDC (but not this detail).

Bill says:
c

Host BobD says:
Chas, let's put it in terse, easy to follow steps, and I'll add a link from the SPC web page. GA, Bill.

DanJ says:
q

Bill says:
There are a couple of forums for discussing these issues. One is the e-conference Committee Meetings which are generally held weekly or direct contact with any member of the committee or a visit to the e-conferencing web site or posting to the e-conf News Group which I would suggest that an agenda item be added for tomorrow's meeting if the technical issues are indeed a major stumbling block.

Host BobD says:
Thanks, Bill. GA, Dan

DanJ says:
What is all the crap in the URL which Charles gave beyond dnewsweb?..

Host BobD says:
It just takes you directly to the newsgroup

DanJ says:
Sometimes one does not understand enough to know what question to ask.

Host BobD says:
Bill or Chas, want to respond further to Dan's Q?

CharlesL says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Chas

CharlesL says:
(sigh) Suffice to say that the "crap" is a command in what is called a "scripting language" telling the web server to do something. As Bob says, it takes you to your newsgroup. If you take the long URL and make it a "favorite" or "bookmark", you click and you are home. End of lesson.

Host BobD says:
Thanks, Chas.

Host BobD says:
Men, we've covered most of what I wanted us to talk about tonight. ...

DaleC says:
q

Host BobD says:
I think it's been a useful discussion, and tomorrow night the e-conf mtg can address in more detail how to ease everyone more smoothly into using newsgroups.
GA, Dale.

DaleC says:
Has a deadline been set for the next Region Newsletter?

DanJ says:
c

Host BobD says:
Several have been mentioned. Chas or Dick: what's the latest?

CharlesL says:
c

Host BobD says:
GA, Chas. then Dan

CharlesL says:
I hate to say this, but check the newsgroup for the econf committee. We are still discussing first one is info only on econf (including the 20 questions asked tonight I guess). 2nd will need your reports.

DanJ says:
Thanks, Charles for the lesson. I'll try it and let you know the outcome.

Host BobD says:
OK, everyone. Thanks for joining and sharing. We'll get there one of these days!