Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Self introduction

[Ray Keefer <Ray.Keefer@Sun.COM>]

Hi Gail,

Ok, we are a bunch of amature want-to-be submarine builders. What is your solution? Complaining is easy. As they say "talk is cheap". What is your skill set you are offering the community? What is your suggestions for building a better community? Stating the obvious that we need more experienced people does NOT get those people participating.

Please understand that this loose knit group of individuals struggle with serveral fundamentals:

1. No one is forced to join the group. And no one if forced to stay here.  Most amatures who do build drop off once they get their subs built. Right when their experience would be the most helpful to the others they find PSUBS no longer a value to themselves and drop off. And the professionals laugh at our baby steps and never bother to help.

2. Professionals with their millions of dollars, great scientific institutions or industries do not need PSUBS. They can afford to buy the best in designers, engineers and materials. They play in the world of multi-million dollar submarines. That leaves us amatures to scratch around and figure things out as best we can.

3. Liability. Many are scared to death of someone getting hurt on their idea. In the medium of internet it is very hard to make sure someone is implementing your idea correctly. In our litigious society one can bring a suite for no reason let alone what they read on PSUBS.

4. Distance. PSUBS is a handful of individuals scattered across the world. The biggest number of PSUBSers we ever managed to get into one place was 27 in Manchester, Hew Hampshire for the 2003 Convention. On an on going basis we simply can not help each other out with direct involvement.

5. Personalities. From time-to-time personalities clash. Some get angry and leave. 

6. Egos. Some feel they can serve the amature submarine builder better then PSUBS and leave. Most do squat. Some are content to build their own subs in silence. Some do try. By all means seek them out. 

7. Lurkers. We have many, many lurkers here. I would say over 95% of the persons on the personal_submersibles@psubs.org alias are in the lurker category. As long as they glean some value from what they read toward their own projects, I welcome them.

Finally back to PSUBS. If we only encourage one person to build their own personal submarine by the dent of our socializing, even if they have left the group or never contributed, I consider PSUBS a success!

Regards,
Ray