AW: how would you like to improve the SignWriting List?

Mon Jan 3 01:54:52 UTC 2011

I agree Shane; I probably wouldn't go to a web forum very often but I read my emails almost every day.  Even if I just scan them, it's nice to keep up with what's going on.  Of course, it's possible a web forum would reach people who don't want to subscribe to the SW-L... maybe Lucy or someone could set up & moderate a web forum (since it sounds to me like Val already has more than enough on her plate! :-) ) and see what kind of readership it gets.  Just a thought . . .

KJ
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Shane K. Gilchrist 
  To: SW-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU 
  Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2011 7:30 AM
  Subject: Re: AW: how would you like to improve the SignWriting List?

  if we move it to web forum, then many people wont get to read it unless youre dedicated to the issue itself.

  Discussion groups by email is still more effective (even thought its not always the best way) - yes I agree that web forums are easy to deal with it won't get the same readership you have with SW-L :-(

  Shane

  On 2 January 2011 12:22, Lucy <lists at onet.eu> wrote:

    Thank you, Valerie, for your wishes and all your nice words.
    Yes, I know the List Archive could be accessed via the web. But there are many free web forum services, we could just choose one and create a new forum divided into thematic sections, with the sections divided into individual topics... Each of the section could have also different moderators... You can have a FAQ section there and also national sections... I think it would be a more friendly interface and environment for us the users and the new users. When you are logged in you can see where (in which sections) there are new postings, who is online, which topic is the most popular, which issues are the most interesting to the users etc.. And the users can more easily find the issue they are interested in.
    Of course, I don't deny that this List works well, too, and that Valerie and others do a great work here to help the others scattered throughout the world. But I just think that a regular web forum would be just a bit better.
    For some time we could have two SW forums: the List and a web forum to see which is better. Some of you would need some time to get used to the new forum, mind that.

    Lucy

    ----- Original Message ----- From: "Valerie Sutton" <sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG>
    To: <SW-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU>

    Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2011 4:44 AM
    Subject: Re: AW: how would you like to improve the SignWriting List?

      SignWriting List
      January 1, 2011

      Hello Stefan and Lucy!
      Thank you for your kind remarks. I do appreciate your good suggestions.

      I also want to thank other members who have written to me privately today - Your friendship and support gives the feeling of family. We all need that...

      I enjoy sharing with all of you and am open to suggestions, so continue to feel free to post suggestions and to start new topics of discussion related to writing sign languages.

      There are around 180 members of the SignWriting List, but only around 20 members post regularly...maybe even fewer...so those who are reading in the background...I want you to know that we welcome comments from you too...smile...or just keep reading...that is fine too...we are glad to have you all on board.

      So Stefan - yes I know you want more messages written in SignMail, and I do agree. Steve has been working on a new version of our software that will fix the link-problem with the current SignMail, but it will be another month perhaps, before SignPuddle 1.6 will be ready (we are using 1.5 right now), so until 1.6, we will have to continue to ignore that link - if you can ignore that problem then I am happy to post more SignMails - it just means that you cannot respond to the message but start a fresh new SignMail message each time -

      The only other thing about SignMail that concerns me is that most of the time we are doing the mail in ASL, and some people on the List know other sign languages, like LIBRAS from Brazil, or German Sign Language or British Sign Language for example...so it would be good to balance out the SignMails so they come in different sign languages from time to time - so maybe I can work with Suzanne from the UK to help us create some SignMails in BSL? and perhaps someone who knows LIBRAS, like Charles or Eda or others on this List who are from Brazil, can help us create some SignMails in LIBRAS? And Lucy in Poland, I will teach you how to create a SignMail too...I haven't forgotten your request to learn how to create a SignMail...I will also create the Polish User Interface for you for the Polish SignPuddle ...thank you for the Polish translation...

      So SignMail and video transcriptions and more SignSpelling discussions are all good - I want more of those too ;-)

      I hope that more people ask questions on the List as to how to write a sign here and there to get those discussions going - and more teachers jump in to help if you can - and I hope that more people will post information about their current SignWriting projects...

      Lucy - your idea of a web-based SignWriting List has not gone unnoticed - at the moment we are setup at Valencia Community College, on their server, connected with other Lists related to sign languages, such as the Sign Language Linguists List (SLLING) and the TeachASL List and the Interpreters List (TERPS) so it is nice for us to be in that group of Lists with others interested in similar professions - and in some ways it is web based in that you can access the messages through the Archives on the web and respond right there on the web..did you know that you could do that? Would other members of the list be interested to learn how to do this?

      And Lucy - Happy Birthday! I know January 2nd is your birthday, and we are so happy to know you and to work with you - Your work with SignWriting in Poland is a pioneering effort...Thank you for all you are doing...and enjoy your birthday tomorrow.... ;-)

      Val ;-)

      -----------

      On Jan 1, 2011, at 3:26 PM, Stefan Wöhrmann wrote:

        Hi Valerie -

        your Website is fantastic and the way you moderate this sw-list could not be
        better. Again and again you show so much respect for newcomers. And even if
        somebody shows up with some kind of "rude" or "unfriendly" critics you find
        a way to handle this in an amazing way.

        I just would love to see more signmails - which would become easier once
        Steve has fixed this SignPuddle mail option problem "Load to SignBank" which
        is not working right now. I am looking forward to the day that the Signmail
        - reload option will function again.

        I would love to see more spelling discussions. Studying your unique style of
        writing signs is a never ending enrichment.

        There are so many online SL video clips that we will find plenty of examples
        ....

        Remember these days when we started to discusse video transcriptions with
        Marc Penner and other sw-list members?

        I do not think that a different platform like a web-forum would be an
        advantage. ... May be that I do not understand - ...

        Stefan ;-)

        -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
        Von: SignWriting List: Read and Write Sign Languages
        [mailto:SW-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU] Im Auftrag von Lucy
        Gesendet: Sonntag, 2. Januar 2011 00:00
        An: SW-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU
        Betreff: Re: how would you like to improve the SignWriting List?

        I know I repeat this like a parrot: Make it just modern - move to a web
        forum :-)
        Happy New Year!
        Lucy

        ----- Original Message ----- From: "Valerie Sutton" <sutton at SIGNWRITING.ORG>
        To: <SW-L at LISTSERV.VALENCIACC.EDU>
        Sent: Saturday, January 01, 2011 9:38 PM
        Subject: how would you like to improve the SignWriting List?

          SignWriting List
          January 1, 2011

          Dear SW List Members -

          How would you like to improve the SignWriting List?

          Please post your suggestions...

          What are you interested in, related to writing sign languages?

          Name some topics -

          We can make the list interesting and relevant...but we need your input...

          Val ;-)

          Valerie Sutton
          Sutton at SignWriting.org

          Post Messages to SignWriting List:
          sw-l at listserv.valenciacc.edu

          SignWriting List Archives & Home Page
          http://www.signwriting.org/forums/swlist

          Join, Leave or Change How You Receive SW List Messages
          http://listserv.valenciacc.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=SW-L&A=1

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/sw-l/attachments/20110102/9e251b10/attachment.htm>