Park Slope Parents charging for a list serve? Give me a brea

Just to make sure that Park Slope further brands itself as the upper middle class white people neighborhood: Park Slope Parents now wants to charge a $25 user fee for using its Yahoo list serve. It is great people volunteer on the boards: although isn't that the great thing about the internet? People volunteering time to bring people together? So much for Obama's call to service? If the board weren't so controlling with rules, they wouldn't need to spend so much time scolding people!

Better pay up or you'll miss all the hot dope.

The key word in that last post being "dope".

I heard this listserv is actually a source of a lot of eeevil B.S. busybodying that goes on in the Slope.

Glad I'm still single and childless :twisted:

I've gotten some choice kid-related stuff from folks on the PSP listserv. I don't know that it's worth $25/year to me, though. I think $10 is fair, but $25 seems too steep.

Do they plan to use the money towards some goal? Or just as compensation for allowing people to use the site? I mean, if they were going to donate proceeds to a park or some kind of civic service, it might justify the cost a bit.

But generally, I agree with Bezierboy. Thank you Jesus for making me barren. Or at least smart enough to use BC.

Don't even get me started on this one! I understand the actual website cost money to run, but the two yahoo Groups are absolutely free, so, why do they need so much money? Even throwing in the events they sponsor, it still seems like a lot of money to me.

Anastasia Beaverhausen wrote: Do they plan to use the money towards some goal? Or just as compensation for allowing people to use the site? I mean, if they were going to donate proceeds to a park or some kind of civic service, it might justify the cost a bit.

But generally, I agree with Bezierboy. Thank you Jesus for making me barren. Or at least smart enough to use BC.

Smart enough to use BC?

BC = Birth Control

yeah, I knew you meant birth control, I was just taking offense at the statement in general

LongTimeSloper wrote: yeah, I knew you meant birth control, I was just taking offense at the statement in general

Oh. Okay then. Offense intended. :P

But does anyone know what they're planning to do with the funds? I mean, I don't read that board for obvious reasons but could they sell ad space instead of charging the members?

It just really shows how clueless the founders and moderators of the list are. They will lose a ton of people. All someone has to do is create a new free listserv on Yahoo or Google. I've been on 2 listserv's in the past that when there was change of policy that the majority of people didn't like, someone just created another one and everyone left the original one.

These people are fools. Someone replied to their posting and calculated that it would give them over $300,000 in money-- where would this go?

UGH! they are driving me crazy over there! I need to just back away from the computer!

they have tried selling ad space for a while now and they are claiming it is not enough. they keep saying the money is to fund the website and the various functions they put on (clothing swaps, easter egg hunts, etc.), but there has to be more to it than that. A moderator just posted about some of the money going to salaries, but, it seems that they want that part buried. Driving me nuts

PuckBrooklyn wrote: These people are fools.

PuckBrooklyn wrote: ...it would give them over $300,000...

Doesn't sound like they're such fools. Even if 75% of the members left over this, that's still a nice chunk of change for whoever is collecting it.

Who wants to start a competing website? How about www.parkslopeparentsfree.com ?

BezierBoy wrote: ...I heard this listserv is actually a source of a lot of eeevil B.S. busybodying that goes on in the Slope....

Actually for the most part it is just a bunch of parents exchanging ideas about parenting. Every once in a while a stupid controversy pops up, but for the most it is pretty mundane. I'm taking a quick look now and the posts deal with the following:
- good places to vacation with kids
- where to buy toddler shoes
- art classes for 9 year olds
- early intervention for a 2 year old not speaking
- several local businesses marketing their services
- lots of random off-topic things like sound proofing windows, how to deal with a speeding ticket, etc

For those looking for a whiff of controversy, there is a woman posting about whether to bring a six year old to the circus. She is concerned that the animals are mistreated. A little wacky in my opinion, but far from "eevil B.S. busybodying."

It is funny when things get wacky over silly stuff and like any group with thousands of members, there are a few whack jobs. For the most part, it is just another resource for parents. Sure you can survive without it, but that goes for anything on the internets.

For what it is worth, the group also provides a web site with member reviews of camps, schools, places for birthday parties, etc and they run a concert series, a fall festival, and they have put out at least one CD to raise money. I don't know if it is worth $25 a year, but maybe it is for some parents.

So if I post advice on how to deal with reflux in a baby.....since i spent the time writing the information out.....do I get a cut? When did we decide we should charge for everything?

There's nothing that I see on their website about this, nor is there anything on the listserv. Sounds more like someones April Fool's joke to me.

You are kidding right? The list serve is ONLY about the fee this past two days. It gets implemented on May 1.

If people really find the listserve valuable, $25 per year doesn't seem like such a burden. Even if you accept it as profit for the one(s) running it, it seems fairly reasonable.

sooo, why exactly does this need to be rehashed here?

It is WAY more than a list serv. They have compiled answers and reviews from 100s of people-from pediatricians to strollers. Granted, it is not for me, but I think Park Slope parents ought to get off their $1,299.99 strollers and put their money where their big p.c. mouths are.

"Just to make sure that Park Slope further brands itself as the upper middle class white people neighborhood."

i.e. for reasons of snarkiness, obviously.

Hey, does the Brooklynian make any money. It is not my business and I don't want to know the answer.

Why doesn't PSP change its format to an ad in the margin message board?

Or

This would be a good time for the Brooklynian to set up a Park Slope Parenting Category.

Whatever, I prefer this type of format to the Yahoo group style.

ringrunner wrote: Hey, does the Brooklynian make any money. It is not my business and I don't want to know the answer.

Why doesn't PSP change its format to an ad in the margin message board?

Or

This would be a good time for the Brooklynian to set up a Park Slope Parenting Category.

Whatever, I prefer this type of format to the Yahoo group style.

Brooklynian just barely breaks even, between ads and occasional contributions from longtime members.

daniel wrote: There's nothing that I see on their website about this, nor is there anything on the listserv. Sounds more like someones April Fool's joke to me.

you must be kidding me! Every other post on there since yesterday has been about this, and, no, it is not a joke, they are very serious about it. The fee starts may 1st.

The Chipster wrote: It is WAY more than a list serv. They have compiled answers and reviews from 100s of people-from pediatricians to strollers. Granted, it is not for me, but I think Park Slope parents ought to get off their $1,299.99 strollers and put their money where their big p.c. mouths are.

Umm, again, not all of us Park Slope parents have 1299.99 strollers and are doctors and CEOs and I am sick of everyone thinking that.

LongTimeSloper wrote: [quote=The Chipster]It is WAY more than a list serv. They have compiled answers and reviews from 100s of people-from pediatricians to strollers. Granted, it is not for me, but I think Park Slope parents ought to get off their $1,299.99 strollers and put their money where their big p.c. mouths are.

Umm, again, not all of us Park Slope parents have 1299.99 strollers and are doctors and CEOs and I am sick of everyone thinking that.
Undoubtedly true, but less than 7 cents a day isn't going to break anyone who can afford Park Slope rent, even if it's rent stabilized.

Carnivore wrote: [quote=LongTimeSloper][quote=The Chipster]It is WAY more than a list serv. They have compiled answers and reviews from 100s of people-from pediatricians to strollers. Granted, it is not for me, but I think Park Slope parents ought to get off their $1,299.99 strollers and put their money where their big p.c. mouths are.

Umm, again, not all of us Park Slope parents have 1299.99 strollers and are doctors and CEOs and I am sick of everyone thinking that.
Undoubtedly true, but less than 7 cents a day isn't going to break anyone who can afford Park Slope rent, even if it's rent stabilized.

I didn't say it was going to 'break anyone", i am just sick and tired of the snarky fucking generalizations made about anyone in this neighborhood who has a kid by people in this neighborhood who don't have kids.

Carnivore wrote: Undoubtedly true, but less than 7 cents a day isn't going to break anyone who can afford Park Slope rent, even if it's rent stabilized.

It is the only neighborhood list serve that I have heard of that wants to charge for community information. So it appears that many Slope-folks likes to pay for things that have been historically free.

MOD NOTE: tags fixed
-C

WTGirl wrote: [quote=Carnivore]Undoubtedly true, but less than 7 cents a day isn't going to break anyone who can afford Park Slope rent, even if it's rent stabilized.

It is the only neighborhood list serve that I have heard of that wants to charge for community information. So it appears that many Slope-folks likes to pay for things that have been historically free.

MOD NOTE: tags fixed
-C

If it were a site for community information, anyone could be on it. It's a club for parents.

EDIT: Not trying to sound snarky, but that is the way it seems to an outsider. For example, (correct me if I'm wrong about this) I believe they will let a parent join the listserve even if they don't live in Park Slope, but they won't let someone who actually lives in Park Slope but doesn't have kids join.

At what point do other people's stereotypes (envy?) of a neighborhood make a resident claim to be from elsewhere?

so, are we moving away from capitalism in this country?

Can't suckers choose to spend their money anyway they want to?

Can't I envy the person who thought to charge them for it?

P.S. I can't imagine that the list will do much more than pay one salary. It's really hard to charge for information that is generally free and available. ...if it turns out to be hugely profitable, I've gotta think people will introduce competing services.