Is this a good idea? I need your opinion.
I have received suggestions from a number of newsletter readers to add a discussion board (some people call it a "forum") to the Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter's web site. I am not sure if this is a good idea or not and would like to obtain your opinion. If enough people think it is a good idea, I'll do it.
While the present web site has the capability for newsletter readers to add comments, questions or corrections to the articles that I write, there is no present capability for readers to ask NEW questions about new topics or to post their own articles of interest. The proposed discussion board would allow readers to post messages about ANY topic of interest, constrained only by the guidelines of good taste, no spam, no profanity, etc. I would expect the discussion board to generate discussions about a much wider range of topics than what the present newsletter provides.
So what is a discussion board? Think of it as a big global meeting place where everyone is welcome to come in, sit down and enjoy the conversation. People ask about genealogy, software, DNA, and any of a myriad of other topics. If you've got a question about anything related to genealogy, that's the place to go. You never know what you might learn.
The proposed discussion board will be divided up into groups where like-minded individuals get together to discuss certain themes. You can join as many groups as you wish.
Is this a good idea or not? I need your opinions and insights. I have created a simple online survey that you can take right now to provide your feedback. I will keep the survey open for a week or more, then collect the responses on October 6. If enough people want it, I'll create the discussion board. If not, I'll chalk it up as "another idea that didn't interest enough people."
I'll ask you to take the survey even if you don't plan on participating in a discussion board. In fact, negative answers are at least as valuable as positive ones!
Thank you,
- Dick Eastman
