An unseemly email

The offending email:

Thanks Tom -- you are a good, sound voice for reason.  I agree that the logic of the three-tier system is good and would support asking our membership to select which list, perhaps among several, they'd like to be on.  However, that's not how it is done now.  Unfortunately the devil is in the details:

1) Fred's latest email stated that he is no longer adding new members to HartfordAudubon since Maggie sent out emails that were not just the CREST.  Fred disagrees with anything but the CREST being emailed and so won't add more people to that list. This is a new change.  I strongly believe that there are times when we want to contact all the members.  I strongly believe that when someone joins an organization it is not just to get two newsletters a year.  For example, info on the Annual Meeting, on Bylaws changes/votes, on program cancelations due to weather are all appropriate emails to send to every member.  I think communicating with ALL our members is an essential job of the Board, and also think that more people than Maggie should be able to post.  Most of all, I do not think this is Fred's job to make this decision.

2) Fred invites new members to join HASNotes only once, and it is a Google generated message that looks like SPAM.  The vast majority of our members have absolutely no idea that there are two lists and that this is their one and only chance to get on the list.  They don't know we even have a listserve, since they don't get information from it.  Unless they later learn about HASNotes and send Fred a personal email, they will never be asked to join it except for that first email.  Further, Fred won't add them any other way, including when I gave him the address for a new member who asked to be added and I told them I'd take care of it.  Fred said they had to send him an email and he'd not accept it from me.

Last winter, the Board agreed to describe this tiered system in the last year's spring renewal letter, giving members the opportunity  to sign up for lists, it was too late for the printing and did not happen.  I would very much like this year's renewal letter to include info about how we do email correspondence to respect the preferences of the members.  I'm hoping that letting members select what list they are on may satisfy Fred's concern about SPAM emails.  This makes determining the changes to membership even more urgent, since the letter needs to be set by mid-February.

3) I now think I understand Fred's purpose in combining the lists: I think his goal is to eliminate the master list, going only to the smaller list of emails from people who have asked for email correspondence.  In this way he can stop any correspondence to all members.  And what happens with the CREST?  My guess is that since Fred controls the database, he can still do an all-member email without a specific listserve.

I know this sounds a little like conspiracy theory, for which I apologize.  Fred is a controlling personality and is seeing his domain threatened.  I do value his work and dedication, but do not like his rogue behaviors and refusal to work with the Board.  

Sarah



My retort:

All,

Let's start with number 3. My offer was a transition plan to get me out of the Google Group business. I want to do that to minimize confrontation in my life. One way to do this is by not seeing emails like Sarah's.


Number 1. Hartford Audubon owns the HartfordAudubon Google Group. I have my preferences as to how the group should operate, but the Board makes all of the rules. I am only involved because I am the head of the membership function. While I would like to do everything the Board wants, I will not be a spammer. Putting people on email lists without their permission is considered to be in extremely bad form today. If the Board tells me I need to do that I will resign from the membership function.

Number 2. I created and own HASnotes. Therefore, I make the rules. I have tried twice this year to give Hartford Audubon ownership of HASnotes and have been rejected each time.  The Hartford Audubon website, The Crest, the Program Handbook, and member meetings have all carried announcements publicizing HASnotes and how to join.

As to the conspiracy theory, it is all in Sarah's mind.


Fred

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