ZDUTTON: Recommendations on group expansion, mail list, & web page

Hi Cousins,

      Betty and I were discussing the issue of expanding the Group beyond
Zachariah, and of a Rootsweb mailing list.  She said to write it up.  Here
goes.
    There is already a Dutton Rootsweb group, and in that group there are so
many it is though being lost in a crowd.  It lacks focus, and seems
unproductive.  The ZDUTTON group has focus, "feels" productive, is productive,
and seems more like we have "found" our long lost cousins.  We're family. It
brings back the old saying of our youth, "Haven't had this much fun since
grandma's funeral".
       What we recommend is that the group retain its charter Zachariah focus.
It should be open to the descendants of Zachariah, potential descendants of
Zachariah, Zachariah's direct ancester line, researchers seeking to prove or
disprove a relationship to Zachariah, and to those with a genealogical
interest in Zachariah.   Failure to retain this focus will turn us into just
another mass Dutton group.   And we have invaluable information pouring in
now.  It's like a big puzzle, and while a puzzle may be fun to put together by
oneself, time doesn't permit that in genealogy.  And we have to obtain the
puzzle pieces before we put the puzzle together.  We need all the help we can
get.
     On the topic of using Rootsweb as a mail server, the Woodworth group has
one, and it spares the group host a lot of headaches.  Advantages are that 
     1.  the messages are all stored and retrievable by anybody for years.    
     2.  one can go back and do a "word search".  Enter "Dutch" and it brings
up every message that had "Dutch" (and therefore Black Dutch) in it.
     3.  members don't have to maintain and update their own "TO" list.  There
is just one e-mail name for the group.
     4.  Anyone can subscribe. 
     5. List owner can remove rowdies.
     6. Listowner just sits back and the mail list takes care of itself.  
Disadvantages:
    1.  Doesn't send attachments.
    2.  E-mails stay on the web forever whether we like it or not.
    3.  Don't know who is in the group unless the list owner sends out e-mail
showing who the members are.

Pet peeve:  My group's list owner has never told anyone in the group who is in
the group. Members don't know who other members are unless they send an e-
mail. 

Here is a good guidance web page for a Rootsweb e-mail group.

 <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/huntlist/faq.htm">
http://members.aol.com/huntlist/faq.htm</A>

On the topic of a Dutton Web page:  A semiprivate web page would be good.
Archival material, documents and photos may be posted on the site, and
downloaded by members as needed.    The home page to the above is a sample of
a well run genealogy web page.   Note that it uses free web site hosting,
using geocities, aol, and others. 

   Here's an informative site on how to build web sites.
 <A HREF="http://www.cyndislist.com/construc.htm">
Cyndi's Genealogy Home Page Construction Kit</A>
 
Betty and Woody