Hello everybody.

   In browsing the current Echolist I happened to notice a continuing trend
that has me concerned. I acknowledge his freedom to do so. But it looks like
Allen is continuing to grab pretty much any echo that becomes available. Will
he continue his policy of gating filtered newsgroups into these newly aquired
echos? Is it good for us as memebrs of this hobby of ours to have the
majority of echos controled by a handfull of individuals? The current
Echlist shows that Allen has grabbed the following echos this time around.

12_STEPS            ABORTION            AD&D
AIDS/ARC            ANIME               ANXIETY
ANYTHING_GOES       APPLE               ASIAN_LINK
ASTRONOMY           AUTOMOTIVE          BATTLESTAR_GALACTICA
BBS_PROMOTION       BEATLES             BIBLE
BLUEWAVE            CHAOS_LANDING       CRAFT-QUILTING
CRAFTS              EQUESTRIAN          FIBROM
GENEALOGY           GREYS-ANATOMY       HERBS-N-SUCH
LOST                LS_ARRL             MORMON
OPEN_BIBLE          PCBOARD             RECIPES
SF                  SIMPSONS            SOAPS
SPACE               STARGATE-ATLANTIS   STARGATE-SG1
STTNG               TREK                TREKTECH
TREK_CREATIVE       TREK_VOYAGER        UFO
WHO                 WILDCAT             WINDOWS
X-FILES             YOUNG_ADULT

   I acknowledge Allen's interest in reviving dead echos by injecting them
with activity from the internet. And compliment him for his efforts to filter
the incoming messages from the newsgroups. But a lingering question in my
mind is "Is this the best answer?". In fairness to Allen let me say that I
also see the following from the current Echolist:

Moderator       Echos

Mark Lewis         16
Bob Hoffman         6
Walter Bowen        1
Vince Coen          1
Tony Summerfelt     1
Tim Cornett         1
Thom LaCosta       66
T.J. McMillen       1
Steven Horn         1
Steve Quarrella     1
Steve Asher         2
Sharon Stevens      1
Sean Dennis         1
Scott Little        3
Ross Cassell       17
Roger Nelsen        8
Robert E Starr JR   1
Richard Webb        1
Renato Zambon       6
RC13                1
RC17                2
Phil Heberer        3
Patrick Vittori     1
Pat Pridgen         1
Nab Robot           2
NC140               1
Mike Powell         1
Michael_Luko        3
Michael Grant       3
Matt Bedynek        7
Lynn Nash           1
Kurt Wismer         3
Joe Davis           2
Jim White           1
Jeff Smith          8
Janis Kracht       14
Jame Clay           3
Harvey Parisien     1
Gord Hannah         4
Gino Lucrezi        3
Gaelyne Gasson      1
FSTC Administrator  2
Everett Hertenstein 1
Earl Truss          1
David Noon          2
Dan Ceppa           1
Dallas Hinton       1
Dale Shipp          1
Charles Pratt       1
Carol Shenkenberger 1
Bob Swift           1
Bob Seaborn        17
Bob Klahn           3
Bob Hoffman         3
Bo Simonsen         4
Ben Ritchey        15
Andrew Leary        1
Allen Prunty       46

    From the Echolist I see that 191 echos are controled by 8 people
and 112 echos are controled by just 2 people. This grabbing of echos
has been done by others in the past. We all can remember their names
and the effect that it had on our hobby. One of the things that I have
liked about this network is it's diversity. With ideas, opinions, and
thoughts coming in from many differant directions. A hobby where control
is not at the direction of a smaller and smaller group of people.



Jeff

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