[Lnc-business] LPedia

Wed Jan 4 03:02:11 EST 2017

	I hope so too, Caryn Ann. New hosting that saves money could be an improvement even if there's no resolution of the basic issue I mention below, but I haven't heard what we're paying now, only that this new hosting would be less than $500 a year. Depending what our current costs are, and what else this would change, that could be great, or it could be terrible, I just don't know. Certainly reducing spam is good if it's not done at the expense of access, and of course you as well as Ken vouching for the change is encouraging (I do appreciate you pushing to make something happen with LPedia), but I'd still like to hear more details. 

	Here are some specific questions regarding LPedia.org in general:

• Would the tech support mentioned be unlimited, or is there a cap on the number of hours or other limitations?
• Who would be able to call the tech support number mentioned in order to get help using the site?
• How much are we paying for LPedia right now, and what all is that money getting us?
• Exactly how much would we be paying for LPedia under this proposal, and what would that money get us?
• Would we be looking at any further additional costs down the road associated with the proposal?
• Will this in any way lock us into a long-term commitment with the company that has made this offer?
• Has the IT Committee (or any other committee) had any discussions about this as a committee, or have some committee members been out of the loop?
• If there have been committee discussions, are there any minutes of those discussions?
• Who will have top-level administrative access, and what will that person or those persons be empowered to do with regard to the site that others will not?
• Have there been any announcements that we were seeking hosting or other services for LPedia.org?
• Has there been any competitive bidding process to find contractors to provide needed services for LPedia.org?
• Will transitioning to a new hosting service for LPedia.org result in any loss of data or other changes to the actual content or appearance of the website?
• If the answer to the above question is represented as being "no", but in the end turns out to be "yes", what plans are in place to ensure accountability?
• In plain English, for the lay folks reading this (or those unfamiliar with the details of the proposal), what does a "corporate plan with a Virtual Private Server with DDOS protection" include, and how does it differ from what's in place now?
• Is there a proposed contract, and if so, can it be posted here?
• Will there be an opportunity for other potential hosting providers to beat this offer that we have received?
• Does this idea include, or is it related to, any plan to add the information lost from LP.org during the overhaul of that website, to LPedia.org, and if so, what are the details of that plan?
• Are there any deadlines associated with any of this, and if so what are they?

	And perhaps most importantly of all:

• Will this solution allow any LP member to easily establish an account to edit LPedia (or do so without establishing an account) at least as readily as anyone can edit Wikipedia?

	This checklist is an effort at due diligence as an LNC member. If I can be of additional assistance with any of this, please let me know. I want to see LPedia.org become more useful and functional, promoted in communications with LP members, and more used by those members, as much as anyone, and my observation is that the institutional inertia that has prevented this for the better part of the past decade has come from a lack of discussion and attention being paid to the site.

Love & Liberty,
                                   ((( starchild )))
At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
                                  (415) 625-FREE
                                    @StarchildSF

On Jan 3, 2017, at 10:53 PM, Caryn Ann Harlos wrote:

> Let me re-phrase.  In this current composition of the LNC, I have been the one zealously pursing LPedia.  I have probably spent well over forty hours speaking with people off list and researching on it.  It has been a top priority for me on this LNC.  I am glad it was brought up before and wish it was resolved then, but here we are, and here it is.
> 
> I would hope we don't bog down a potential solution with the institutional inertia that has been its downfall. 
> 
> - Caryn Ann
> 
> On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 11:45 PM, Starchild <sfdreamer at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> 	Nearly 2 years ago (Feb. 15, 2014), I posted to the LNC list (in part):
> 
>> 	There is the makings of an excellent Libertarian Party historical archive in the form of a wiki specifically devoted to the party, at LPedia.org. The site is apparently owned by the LNC (see http://www.whois.com/whois/lpedia.org ). Since LPedia.org remains online, we presumably continue to pay for web hosting, but the site has not been updated since 2008 -- the most recent entries generally appear to be spam (see http://www.lpedia.org/Special:Recentchanges ) -- and I have been unable to log in or create a new account. An email I sent a couple weeks ago towebmaster at lpedia.org has gone unanswered. 
>> 
>> 	This resource has received a significant amount of web traffic (see http://www.lpedia.org/Special:Statistics), but it appears that it is being totally wasted. Does anyone know anything about this? Robert Kraus's name is listed as Admin.
> 
> 	At that time, I had not heard anyone else in the party leadership talking about it; I discovered the site and raised the issue on my own. I haven't heard what we are paying for what definitely has been a "neglected asset" – can someone supply that information, and where the expense appears in our budget? If we can keep the site while saving money that's a good thing, all else being equal, but hosting is not to my mind the only hurdle to overcome in terms of making it a functional asset. 
> 
> 	From what I can see, the basic issue is that staff doesn't have time to tightly administer the site, but there has been a reluctance to release our grip on information enough to make it fully functional (allow everyone, or at the very least LP members, to edit it as readily as one can edit Wikipedia) without a big investment of staff time.
> 
> 	Ken, does the approach you are talking about here address this problem? If so, how? Please be specific.
> 
> Love & Liberty,
>                                     ((( starchild )))
> At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
>                                   (415) 625-FREE
>                                     @StarchildSF
> 
> 
> On Jan 3, 2017, at 10:10 PM, Caryn Ann Harlos wrote:
> 
>> As you all know, I have been the one really pushing for the LPedia issue and I spoke with Ken at length about this, and I am satisfied with this and in fact more than satisfied.  And from what I understand it is a cost savings from what we were paying for this neglected asset, and it becomes a functional assert.
>> 
>> I thank Ken for his hard work and diligence on this.
>> 
>> On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 10:46 PM, Ken Moellman <ken.moellman at lpky.org> wrote:
>> All -
>> 
>> After discussion with Sean and staff, we believe we have found a good, long-term solution for LPedia.  We have found a hosting company who has offered to host LPedia for less than $500/yr.  This solution is a corporate plan with a Virtual Private Server with DDOS protection. They offer advice on best practices as well as services to help block the spam that has plagued LPedia. Best of all, the solution includes support. So, if LPedia has a problem, there's a number to call to get it fixed.
>> 
>> This fixes the technical problems with LPedia and moves us towards our goal of saving the party money.  
>> 
>> I wanted to give the LNC the opportunity to object to this move prior to pulling the trigger.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  
>> 
>> -- 
>> Ken C. Moellman, Jr.
>> LNC Region 3 Alternate Representative
>> LPKY Judicial Committee
>> 
>> 
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>> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
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