Hi Teri, I'm sending my response directly to BOARD-L. If it doesn't make it there, will you forward this for me? (If it does make it there, my apologies for your receiving 2 copies) --Pam >----- Original Message ----- >From: Teri Pettit <pettit@Adobe.COM> >To: <BOARD-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Sunday, October 31, 1999 10:42 PM >Subject: Re: [BOARD-L] NE-NC Advisory Board Rep & other concerns > >I think we should get a clear written answer from GenConnect and >Rootsweb what the policy is on this kind of reformatting. <<snip>> Neither GenConnect nor RootsWeb have any objection whatsoever with a CC reformatting copies of the queries from a GenConnect board which that CC admins, and putting the reformatted queries on their website ... no matter where that website is (for the purposes of clarity, "website" is *not* defined as another web-based bulletin board system). Reformatting and placing copies on your website was the sole purpose in designing the 'Full' option [formerly known as the 'CCHelper Format' option] for receiving admin notices ... so that you *could* reformat the queries and place them on your website. This was our original position, and has not changed. We're pleased to help you get formatted copies for your websites. What is *not* permitted is removing them from the board once the copies are placed on your website. If you were to photocopy pages from a book in the library, I think we'd all agree that we wouldn't then tear the pages out of the book after we finished making our copies. And if asked why we wouldn't do this, the answer would be easy ... "because it isn't fair to others who might want to read the book, and because I don't own the book". These original queries are not to be destroyed on the GenConnect board where they were originally posted. Removing posts from GenConnect would be equally unfair to those who posted them there anticipating future responses (and to those who may want to read them in the future), and additionally - the CC doesn't own the queries. The visitors who posted them do. If a CC prefers a system that merely collects and formats the queries for them, but desires to have the queries on their website and nowhere else, Query Express would be a better choice for them. GenConnect is designed for long-term storage and searchability. Only under clearly defined situations may individual queries be deleted without the poster's permission. And under no circumstances may a board be "wiped out" without the permission of all the posters. In a nutshell, copying/reformatting/uploading elsewhere is perfectly fine, deleting them after copying is not permitted. Pam Carey Durstock GenConnect Developer pam@rootsweb.com