Hi All,
I wanted to post this here as many people may not be aware of the current situation with the VIPhone mailing list.
first though, considering that it is a bit off-topic, I’d just like to sincerely thank the AppleVis Editorial Team for allowing me to share this information here.
For those who may not already know, as of Friday, Google has prevented access to the VIPhone mailing list because it says that the list contains spam or questionable content. However, they did not alert either Mark Taylor (VIPhone's co-moderator) or myself about this, nor have they told us what the supposed content may be. So at present, the list is completely unavailable.
Mark and I have sent feedback to Google and requested a manual review of the list in hopes that it can be restored as soon as possible. These are the only options we seem to have available to us aside from just getting the word out in hopes that someone at Google might at least learn about the importance of the VIPhone group for the blind and visually impaired community and perhaps review the list more quickly.
So I just wanted to let you all know the current status of the group and why it is not available at present.
If anyone does happen to have any contacts at Google or works there themselves and has any way of getting the review process to happen a bit faster, then it would sure be helping a lot of people.
Like AppleVis, VIPhone also has a large following and provides a valuable resource for many blind and visually impaired folks. So anything anyone can do to either help get the word out or at least update people on the status of the list, it would sure be appreciated. :)
Thanks so much to you all and apologies for the OT posting. I thought you all should know what is going on.
Thanks very much and please let me wish you and yours my very best!
Cheers!
Cara
Comments
switch to groups.io, I left…
switch to groups.io, I left my google groups in favor of that platform, and the owner cares about accessibility. In fact that is the only platform I use now for all of my groups.
Groups.IO Fees
Hey there, thanks very much for the comment.
We've actually been looking into this.
For a list like VIPhone, the amount of membership draws a pretty high fee for a Groups.IO list that can accommodate us. So we're just weighing the list features against the cost just at the minute.
How did you address this with your lists?
Are there plans that I'm missing? Do you ask for donations or just pay out of pocket for your lists?
Thanks so much for any tips or suggestions you might have!
Cheers!
Cara
switch to groups.io
I agree about going to Groups.io Your group is a valuable resource.
what about free lists?
I don't think that has a charge.
You can ask for donations,…
You can ask for donations, pay out of pocket or what ever, if the list members think it's worth it they will move there, otherwise they will leave. This is the most accessible forum/list interface I've ever seen. I'm on their group help forum/list as well and they have helped me solve a lot of simple issues. the owner, mark, fixes accessibility issues in minutes, sometimes hours if he can, so that's a big plus. I have about 300-500 memgers and another I'm on has over maybe a few thousand, and the list servers keep ticking even with the growth of lists and people moving there from yahoo, google, etc.
as for freelists, don't do it. the topics you can join are limited, it's relat4ed to tech only and other categories. I tried to create a guide edog list on there one day a million years ago and got denied. Plus the interface is less than steller.
VIPhone, The Next Generation!
First off, thanks to you all for your comments / suggestions. They're much appreciated! :)
For now, I'd like to announce VIPhone, The Next Generation!
This is also a Google Group and will be the new home for VIPhone discussion. When / if Google decides to review us and open the original group, or we decide to switch providers, then we'll figure out a next move then.
For now though, this will be our new home for all things VIPhone. I'd love for us all to make it as awesome as VIPhone has always been!
Mark and I will be adding folks and sending out invitations to all of the original list members over the next few days so those interested in joining need only watch their inbox.
For anyone who would like to request to join the list on their own, the link is:
https://groups.google.com/g/viphone2
Thanks so very much to you all for your interest and support. It means more to us than we can express! :)
Please enjoy the new list and have a wonderful day!
Cheers!
Cara
Re: VIPhone, The Next Generation!.
Hello,
Firstly I would like to express my intention and interest in joining VIPhone, The Next Generation!
I would never have become as proficient an iPhone or Apple Watch were it not for its predecessor group.
I hope that I have in some way contributed to other list members’ enjoyment and proficiency of using their own devices.
The list has always been in my opinion moderated perfectly reasonably and has been a pleasure to be a member of.
I thank you for setting up a new list and I look forward to its success.