[Lnc-business] LPedia

Wed Jan 4 09:25:20 EST 2017

Ken and I are speaking on the Motion.

-Caryn Ann

On Wed, Jan 4, 2017 at 7:11 AM Ken Moellman <ken.moellman at lpky.org> wrote:

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> The current LPedia site is hosted on the same hosting account as our old
> (2008-2016) LP.org website.  Co-hosting with the primary LP.org has
> presented issues of control.  There has been a (valid) reluctance to let
> non-staff manage LPedia because it may create security issues for sites
> co-hosted on the same account.  By splitting LPedia into its own hosting
> account, that problem is resolved.  (Also, the final destination for LP.org
> will make co-hosting impossible anyway.)
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> Additionally, the new hosting company will update the software for us, and
> will help us fight the spam.  This is a huge benefit. The hosting company
> is suggesting two different approaches: either lock down LPedia to to which
> we grant access, or use spam-fighting tools to help stop the spam.  There's
> a balance to be struck here, but I don't want to make the decision on which
> way to go.  The point is that we have options.
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> From a budget perspective, we're going to save money overall.  Today we
> have 3 line items related to various versions of LP.org.
> (1) The "Softlayer" line item is for LP.org as it existed from 2002-2008
> and still hosts our email today.  We pay about $800/mo for this.  We can
> replace this service for far less; it will likely be between $40 and $250
> per month, depending on the solution.
> (2) The "Rackspace" line item is for LP.org from 2008-2016, and also holds
> LPedia.  This is about $1000/mo.
> (3) The current web hosting is also about $1200/mo as it stands.  I'm not
> sure where this will end up once it gets re-implemented, but I assume it
> will be about the same.
>
> So we're looking, overall, at reducing budget from about $3000/mo down to
> approximately $1500/mo.  Don't hold me to these figures just yet; there are
> still decisions to be made.  The goal here is to provide better service at
> a lower price.  I think that goal is attainable.
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> In response to Mr. Katz's question about required LNC action, the Policy
> Manual outlines the following: "Nothing in this policy should be construed
> as requiring staff to consult with this Committee for routine changes or
> any changes that are not expected to have an effect on the way HQ deals
> with any affiliate."  I believe that this change falls under this category,
> but because we're changing how things are sliced up, I wanted to make sure
> that the LNC was okay with this move before just doing it. I am not one to
> operate in an "ask for forgiveness" mode.  I'd rather make sure that
> everyone understands what's happening, and we agree to take action.
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> I'm also currently working on a motion to bring forth to create a
> committee responsible for maintaining LPedia and all historical documents
> of the party.  I haven't made this motion yet, because I want to be sure
> that this motion is crafted properly; providing control for these
> invaluable assets but with checks-and-balances to prevent unwarranted
> destruction of them.
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> ---
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> Ken C. Moellman, Jr.
> LNC Region 3 Alternate Representative
> LPKY Judicial Committee
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> On 2017-01-04 01:45, Starchild wrote:
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> Nearly 2 years ago (Feb. 15, 2014), I posted to the LNC list (in part):
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> Ken, does the approach you are talking about here address this problem? If
> so, how? Please be specific.
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> Love & Liberty,
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>                                     ((( starchild )))
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> At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
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>                                   (415) 625-FREE
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>                                     @StarchildSF
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> On Jan 3, 2017, at 10:10 PM, Caryn Ann Harlos wrote:
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> 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.
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> I thank Ken for his hard work and diligence on this.
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> On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 10:46 PM, Ken Moellman <ken.moellman at lpky.org>
> wrote:
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> All -
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> 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.
>
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> 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.
>
>
> --
>
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> Ken C. Moellman, Jr.
> LNC Region 3 Alternate Representative
> LPKY Judicial Committee
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> _______________________________________________
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> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
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> --
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> *In Liberty,*
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> *Caryn Ann Harlos*
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>
> Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona,
> Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann.
> Harlos at LP.org <Caryn.Ann.Harlos at LP.org>
>
>
> Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
> <http://www.lpcolorado.org/>
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> Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
> <http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/>
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