An Invitation To Join A Mailing List!

Some of you may have recently received an invitation to join a mailing list set up by our fellow La Sallian Ong Boon An from Australia. For the benefit of the less tech-savvy members, a mailing list is basically a database of email addresses of from which the members of the list regular receive information and updates. The moderator or administrator of the mailing list regular broadcasts messages to its members through emails. This is almost identiical to the way that we have been communicating through emails to each other, except that the members' email addresses are centrally stored (so there is no fear of anyone not receiving messages due to the senders not updating their email listing). The basic difference between a mailing list and a website is - one is using "PUSH" (where messages are delivered to members through emails) and the other using "PULL" (where messages are stored in cyberspace from which members need to go to the website to read them).

Personally I see no harm in subscribing to the mailing list (and will be doing so, too). However, I would leave it to the individuals to do the same. Published below is the full mail I had received from Ong Boon An regarding the invitation. Thanks Boon An for setting up a mailing list for the benefit of the members. There is certainly no shortfall of medium of which we all can stay in touch now!

A Letter from Australia

Hi Meng Chai,

Congrats and thanks for the wonderful job you have done with the LSB76 website. I have personally checked it at least once everyday since I learnt of that site. The old pictures were great and brought back very pleasant memories of days gone by. The new ones were just as interesting, trying to recognise who were in the pictures. Some of the posting comments on the photos were a gutful of laughs.

Last week (actually less than 5 days ago), you would have received a email inviting you to join a new mailing list which I created for LSB76. To date, there are 10 subscribers already, namely Basil, Ragu, Ban Keat, Paul Dasen, Wilson, Andrew, Hee Keong, Muniandy, Vijayan and I. That's only a quarter of Basil's list (which is a quarter of the Class of '76). I would hope you will join us soon.

I was also wondering if you could post a message to encourage those who have not sign up for the mail list to do so. The advantages are clearly the fact that it needs less maintainance from each list member (i.e. all they need to do is register themselves) and any message/posting will be sent almost immediately to every subscriber of the list. Most importantly, in my opinion, is that this list is not to replace your Blog for LSB76. In fact, it can be used to bring immediate attention when new postings (announcements and pictures) are made. It does not require any LSB to check the website to be informed. If one has check a website regularly and find no new updates, one will eventual have less incentive to visit that site. This mail list can assist as it is a very efficient and prompt service (provided free of charge by Topica.com) for communications and discussions, especially now while you guys are trying to organise a dinner gathering/reunion.

Please give my above request serious consideration. I would have posted the message myself, but like Hee Keong mention, I am not Blog-savvy and struggled to post a message and register with Blog.

Finally, here's wishing you and your family members a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year.

Best regards,
Boon An
Sydney, Australia