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September 14, 2010
Dear fellow members of Ecunet:
Ecunet is moving! Here are a few high points:
+ By October 1 Ecunet will be moving to Google Groups, continuing to operate under the historic Ecunet.org domain
+ Members may keep their @ecunet.org e-mail address
+ When possible, paid accounts have been imported into the new Ecunet (some were not able to be imported)
+ If your account was not imported, simply sign up for it to be created on the new service
+ If you’re a meeting organizer and you’d like to continue your group, you can establish it on the new service
+ The new Ecunet will not require a member fee, but contributions will be accepted
+ Go to http://sites.google.com/a/ecunet.org/ecunet for more information, to claim your account and to join or create groups
+ Help is available on the new site for members and meeting organizers
And here are additional details:
Ecunet is facing fiscal and technical challenges that require a move from the current platform by the end of September, 2010. Ecunet has always relied on denominational subsidies for operating funding, all of which ceased at the end of 2009. For some time Ecunet has been plagued by hardware and software reliability problems, made worse by spammers and spam blacklists. Member fees and contributions are needed to eliminate debts related to the current platform. Donations will be needed to help with administration and promotional costs into the future. To donate, visit http://sites.google.com/a/ecunet.org/ecunet and click the "Donate now" button. The new Ecunet board intends for this online community to be member-run and member-supported.
The new Ecunet home, using Google Groups, promises to be more reliable and allows this community to operate without owning and running hardware or software. Many businesses, schools and non-profit organizations use Google Groups successfully for collaboration and information-sharing, and operating Google groups under the Ecunet domain makes a community directory of groups and members possible. This platform also allows our members to keep their @ecunet.org e-mail address. Membership in the new Ecunet is required in order to create groups. Each group owner can decide whether to require that group participants have an Ecunet.org address, or to allow anyone to participate in their group.
Many accounts for paying members have already been imported into the new service. To claim your account, go to http://sites.google.com/a/ecunet.org/ecunet and follow the directions there. If your existing login does not work, click on "Sign up for Ecunet" and fill out the online form.
You are encouraged to explore the new Ecunet before October 1, using the Web interface for the new service. E-mail service won't be active on the new system until October 1, since e-mail and meeting notes are still be handled by the old service.
Meeting organizers on the current Ecunet should create their group(s) on the new service as soon as possible. Each meeting organizer is responsible for copying any meeting notes they want to retain into a file to make available to the new group. Tips for meeting organizers who wish to move their groups can be found at http://sites.google.com/a/ecunet.org/ecunet/moving-your-group
If you have any problems, click the "Get Help" button on the lower left side of the new Ecunet home page. Please also join the "Welcome" group so we can welcome you to the New Ecunet and so you can receive friendly support as we transition into this new system. You will also find answers to frequently asked questions available on the new site.
The address for the new site is: http://sites.google.com/a/ecunet.org/ecunet This is a temporary address to use until www.ecunet.org begins to point to the new service.
Hoping to see you on the new Ecunet,
Elsa Clark, Interim President
On behalf of the Ecunet Board
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