SfSchools. Is it a list? Is it a blog?

Since there is a good chance that we'll be seeing a fresh influx of viewers here real soon I figure I had better pen an update on the State of SfSchools–the–Blog and SfSchools–the–List.

SfSchools, the list, has been around for over six years now. It started life on egroups.com, which was then bought by Yahoo where we've been ever since. The list has been very successful, if I may say so, by getting a good mix of influential and interested parties talking together in a safe, civil community. Well, usually civil. We keep the list private to create a safer environment for our members—you have to join to read or post to the list. It has worked. The group has grown steadily over the years. By Yahoo's count we have 617 members, which undoubtedly on the high side. New voices keep arriving and filling in nicely for others members that move on.

The list is a great place for many school stakeholders to get up and speak freely. We've been blessed with many informed and colorful voices speaking out on just about any school issue you can imagine. I'm proud to say that I have almost never needed to moderate anything. If you have the time and interest, and you can respect the list's culture, I encourage you to join the list.

At the same time I hear from many people that the list is not for everyone. It can take a lot of energy just to keep up with the list traffic when the discussion heats up. Some people have specific interests and just don't want to sift through all the posts to find the information they want, or to follow their favorite issue.

Enter the blog.

As I explained in my first post, I want this to be a group blog featuring some of the voices from the list. In some cases I may copy posts from the list to the blog. In other cases list members will contribute posts to the blog. I'll be the owner and chief techie on the list. Its a new role for me. Moderating the list usually consisted of doing absolutely nothing. Here I have to take a more active role.

The goal is for this to be a more focused and edited source of information. Hopefully it will augment the list and allow some of the information found and developed there to reach the public web. It should be a better vehicle for reaching some of the San Francisco schooling communities too.

If you have any ideas for what you would like to see on this blog, please speak up. Add you comments here or send me email.

We're making it up as we go.

KC

Tags: San Francisco, Schools