Before becoming Vice Director, I engaged a couple of these folks online - probably unsuccessfully, since I was just one more voice among many. As Vice Director, of course, I must refrain from such forays unless officially sanctioned, though I have wanted to answer a couple of these [ahem] folks! Anything "official" posted to any of these blogs would, naturally, have to be carefully written and thought out, and that may be part of the reason it just doesn't happen often - because of the possible ramifications. However, Andy is absolutely correct. Unless some of these folks are answered, their word becomes the only thing "out there", and thus is lent more credence that it deserves (to put it mildly). Joel's pretty good at this stuff, but how much can we pile on one man? IMHO, setting the record straight, sometimes on these very blogs, and by whom, needs to be part of any "marketing plan" the League chooses to come up with. 73, Karl, WA5TMC -------------------------------------- "Of, By, and For..." - Not just words! Karl Bullock, WA5TMC ARRL Vice Director - Delta Division 321 CR 458 Ripley, MS 38663 662 512-8053 Andy Oppel wrote:
I agree completely on the matter of engaging in the online community, and I have said that to Director Vallio and President Harrison more than once. I recall that Jim Haynie did some of this when he was ARRL President, and I think his responses had some positive effect. When the forum threads go unanswered with counter-opinions, or in many cases, the FACTS, people end of believing what they read. Easy proof of that are all the urban legends passed around by e-mail -- people believe what they read online unless they have reason not to.
-- Andy Oppel, N6AJO
At 06:04 AM 4/18/2007, Tom Frenaye wrote:
At 12:47 AM 4/18/2007, W9GIG wrote:
We must make sure we are all in total agreement on a revised proposal, a plan of action to sell it, and our enthusiastic individual willingness to then sell it. If we fail in any of these three steps, we are wasting our time and the ARRL's credibility.
What time period are we generally thinking of when we talk of re filing the petition? Six months? A year?
I think one key to fixing our FCC situation (in general) is going to have to be to more fully engage the ham community on the Internet, in places like eHam and QRZ.com where we sometimes hate the waste of time and the jerks, but that's where a lot of opinions are being influenced these days.
-- Tom
PS: There is no RM15416, as has been in recent message headers, that was once ODV:15416...
===== e-mail: k1ki@arrl.org ARRL New England Division Director http://www.arrl.org/ Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444
Andy Oppel andy@andyoppel.com andy_oppel@alamedanet.net