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I spent the last couple of days in Washington, D.C. at a conference. The Virginia Tech massacre was a local story, and weighed heavily on people in the area. Today's newspapers (Washington Post, NY Times) offer all sorts of second-guessing and proposed magical answers. I was especially distressed at one letter in today's NY Times suggesting that if his cell phone provider could text message him about his late payment, then Virginia Tech could've text messaged potential victims. To the NYT cell phone advocate: do you understand that universities only know cell phone numbers of students if they've supplied them to the U, and that most do not do so? People are human, including early responders and even <gasp> administrators. To those who propose technological solutions to a tragic human problem: consider broadcast solutions instead of narrowcast. Sirens, not podcasts. /rich On 4/18/07, Kwiatkowski, Nicholas <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > MSU Telecom Systems is in the process of setting up a new SIP server > that will allow for real-time communications, Instant Messaging, and > Presence Notifications. We hope to have the system available to beta > outside out group within the next month or so. > > MSU also has the Breeze server that can be utilized for a real-time > chat-room application as well. > > Remember, too that MSUnet has full access to the efnet IRC servers > located at UM. However, I doubt that many people know what IRC is, let > alone how to use it. > > -Nick Kwiatkowski > MSU Telecom Systems > > -----Original Message----- > From: MSU Network Administrators Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On > Behalf Of Brian Martinez > Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 2:23 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [MSUNAG] Emergency e-mail lists (or other electronic > communications) > > What do you guys think about using some sort of realtime electronic > communications in a situation like this? > > For example, an accessible IRC Server, or better still a Jabber server > that > makes use of your NetID (and probably auths against some system on > campus)? > There could be a global message that goes out to anyone signed in, or > people > could connect to a central "chatroom" to receive up-to-date > information. > > This sort of thing has been discussed around here before, for handling > emergency electronic communications. It assumes it would be a viable > service in "off" times as well (i.e. people would make use of it day to > day, > and not just in times of emergencies). But no real thoughts one way or > another have come from such discussions. > > Opinions? Tell me what you folks think! Off-list or not. > > Thanks! > ./brm >