RTPnet Annual Report:
January - December 2000

Judy Hallman, Executive Director, RTPnet

The purpose of RTPnet (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) is to promote the electronic communication of information of public interest to and among the general public and to educate the public by use of computer communications.

Conference

RTPnet sponsored its first conference on bridging the digital divide in the Research Triangle area, April 15, 2000, at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education in Chapel Hill. The 50 people who attended, represented a variety of nonprofit organizations, schools, universities, community colleges, and personal interests. The next conference is scheduled for March 24, 2001.

Triangle Area Centers for Technology (TACT) Project Initiated

The purpose of Triangle Area Centers for Technology (TACT) is to facilitate the introduction, use, and support of technology in community centers and schools in the Triangle area through partnerships that bring resources and needs together.

Specifically, TACT is organized to educate the public through the use of computers and information technology, by providing support services, built on collaboration and volunteerism, for community centers and school technology programs. TACT fills the gaps in technology-related educational projects. It provides "ground control" for the many individuals, organizations, and corporations that want to help people use technology to improve their lives. It provides central fundraising for resources, such as a Help Desk, and temporary funding to pay operational expenses for a technology center in emergency situations until permanent funding is obtained.

An anticipated by-product of TACT is the creation of technology support jobs in the community that provide a career path from entry-level jobs (such as opening and closing a technology center and helping people in the center use desktop applications) through various levels of support for technology center hardware and software to technical jobs in local corporations.

TACT was approved by the Board of Directors as an official RTPnet project in August. A news release was issued August 30.

Web pages, an e-mail list, and a web-based discussion forum have been set up for TACT and each of its committees:

  • Coordinators
  • Learning Specialists
  • Resource Gatherers
  • Technical Support

RTPnet Systems Staff

RTPnet is fortunate to continue to have talented, enthusiastic, responsive, volunteers to develop and enhance its services. The Systems group (with their specialties) includes:

  • Granville Errol Casey, Jr. <errol@rtpnet.org> or <errol@pobox.com>
    Lead System Administrator

  • Charles Hall <chall@rtpnet.org>
    Backup and Support

  • Amnon Nissan <amnon@deltaforce.net> and Deltaforce Technologies
    Internet and On-Site Services

  • Roger Austin <rda@rti.org>
    e-mail list (Majordomo) maintenance and support

RTPnet System Upgrades and Enhancements

  • New Server: RTPnet Systems Staff upgraded the server (September 30) from a 1996 pentium to a P-III, 550mhz, computer with 256 meg of RAM and two 20-gig IDE drives, on an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). The software upgrades include: Redhat Linux 6.1, Apache 1.3.12, Pine 4.21, php 3.0.16, mysql (latest version) and Perl DBI. Majordomo (list software) was also upgraded. A few minor problems occurred, but were quickly fixed, with the exception of the time reported by the Counter software, which now reports using GMT.

  • Script to check disk space: Hall and Casey provided a script so that members can see how much disk space they are using on RTPnet.

  • enote: Hall installed enote software for collaborative writing. It hasn't been used much yet.

  • Web statistics (produced by analog4.0) are now available for members in their directories at webstats.html, but the availability of this service has not been added to the Web pages yet.

  • Instructions were added for "Publicizing Your Web Site" and "Online Donations," with links from http://www.rtpnet/provider/provider.shtml.

Symantec Software for BLC and Hargraves

Symantec donated 20 copies of Norton AntiVirus and 2 copies of Norton Ghost to Public Information Network, Inc. for use in the Birchwood Learning Center and the Hargraves Technology Center -- one copy of Norton AntiVirus for each computer and one copy of Ghost for each major center.

General Meetings

  • February 3, 2000: Meeting on Software and Services
    The group discussed possible additional services that RTPnet might provide. The area of most interest is forum software.

  • February 28, 2000: Meeting on Forums
    The purpose of this meeting was to discuss ways that RTPnet's forum service could be improved and forums could be used more effectively. Casey and Hall are investigating replacement software for RTPnet's modified wwwboard.

  • April 15, 2000: Conference
    Bridging the Triangle's Digital/Human Divide: What's Working; What Must Be Done.

Membership

Membership continues to hover between 100 and 125. At the end of 2001 RTPnet had 121 paid members.

New members include:

  • advent, Advent Lutheran Church
  • chaos, Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society
  • dengrc, Durham Engineers Club
  • durhamtm, Durham Toastmasters Club
  • endolife, Funeral Consumers Alliance of the Triangle
  • friends, Raleigh Friends Meeting
  • lumbee02, Lumbee Regional Development Association
  • momsclub, Durham Mothers Club
  • ncherps, North Carolina Herpetological Society
  • ncsba, North Carolina State Beekeepers Association, Inc.
  • oclc, Orange County Literacy Council
  • pbt, Project Bog Turtle
  • psfchc, Public School Foundation Chapel Hill Carrboro
  • redeemer, Redeemer Presyterian Church of America, Raleigh
  • robroy, Robroy
  • rtpdmdg, RTP Drug Metabolism Discussion Group
  • rwofcary, Republican Women of Cary
  • sbp, Peruvian Baptist Seminary
  • stpaul, St. Paul A. M. E.
  • tbpg, Triangle Business and Professional Guild
  • tcoc, Triumph Club of the Carolinas
  • troop200, Boy Scouts of America, Troop 200
  • tsingles, Triangle Singles
  • ttnt, The Triangle Network of Theatres
  • whiteoak, White Oak Baptist Church

The following canceled membership:

  • avsa, Triangle African Violet Society
  • bethelb, Bethel Baptist Church, Cary
  • curtnup, Curtain Up!, Durham
  • democrat, Democratic Party, Wake Co.
  • dickens, Dickens Pen & Inc.
  • dogs, Durham-Orange Genealogical Society (D-OGS)
  • garner, Garner town information
  • garnerjc, Garner Jaycees
  • gcoc, Garner Church of Christ
  • ics, Immaculata Catholic School, Durham
  • jelly, Jelly Educational Theater
  • lrmspta, Lufkin Road Middle School PTA, Apex
  • ncequity, NC Equity
  • ncqlf, NC Quality Leadership Foundation
  • rdrc, Raleigh Durham Remote Control Club
  • salem, Salem Baptist Church, Apex
  • seeds, South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces
  • swiminnc, Local Masters Swim Committee for NC
  • wakepage, Parents for the Advancement of Gifted Education, PAGE of Wake County

Domain Name Services/Virtual Hosts on RTPnet

  • www.askerrol.org
  • www.whhna.org
  • www.ncmea.org
  • www.ncherps.org
  • www.penc-central.org
  • www.psfchc.org
  • www.triumphclub.org
  • www.tbpg.org
  • www.ncbeekeepers.org
  • www.durham-mothers-club.org
  • www.evchallenge.org
  • www.orangeliteracy.org
  • www.preservationdurham.org
  • www.projectbogturtle.org
  • www.ncfencing.org
  • www.adventch.org
  • www.durhamtoastmasters.org
  • www.carolinaspiritquest.org

Public Training

RTPnet conducted approximately 41 two-hour training sessions, as follows
  • Hargraves Technology Center, Chapel Hill (17):
    • Getting Started Using a Mouse: Feb. 8, Mar. 6, Mar. 7, Jul. 8
    • Getting Started Running Programs: Feb. 15, Mar. 14, Jul. 22
    • Navigating the World Wide Web: Feb. 9, Feb. 18, Mar. 27, Mar. 28, Jul 29
    • Electronic Mail Using Hotmail: Feb. 17, Feb. 22, Apr. 3, Apr. 4, Aug. 5
  • Orange County Public Library, Hillsborough (12):
    • Getting Started Using a Mouse: Feb. 10, Mar. 22, May 22, Jul. 31,
    • Getting Started Running Programs: Feb. 11, Mar. 23, May 23, Aug. 1
    • Navigating the World Wide Web: Feb. 12, Mar. 24, May 24, Aug. 2
  • Pine Knolls Community Center, Chapel Hill (9):
    • Getting Started Using a Mouse: Jun. 9
    • Getting Started Running Programs: Jun. 16
    • General: Jun. 26, Jul. 10, Jul. 17, Jul. 24, Aug. 7, Aug. 14, Sep. 11
  • St. Paul AME Church, Chapel Hill (7)
    • Web page development: Jul. 10, Jul. 17, Jul. 24, Aug. 7, Aug. 14, Sep. 18, Nov. 30
  • Community Outreach Partnership Center, Durham (3):
    • Getting Started Using a Mouse: Oct. 18
    • Getting Started Running Programs: Oct. 25
    • Navigating the World Wide Web: Nov. 1
  • Birchwood Learning Center, Durham (3): Nov. 17, Nov. 18, Nov. 19

The classes taught at Birchwood Learning Center were for a larger group and had more participation by volunteers than RTPnet's other classes. Ten people working with NC Hunger Network, located in different areas of North Carolina came to Durham and stayed November 17-19. Classes were held 9-12 each day at the Birchwood Learning Center:

  • November 17: Getting Started: Using a Mouse and Getting Started: Running Programs

  • November 18: Navigating the World Wide Web and Electronic Mail (E-Mail) Using Hotmail

  • November 19: File Management plus topics requested by the students (such as attachments for e-mail messages)
Each day there were 2-4 volunteer assistants (gathered from RTPnet's e-mail lists) to help the lead teacher.

Presentations and PR

  • Erroll Reese and Judy Hallman were interviewed by Tom Lawrence for a segment on the digital divide which aired on WRAL TV on February 8.

  • Judy Hallman and Bob Appleby provided a tour of Triangle area community technology centers for Mr. Shigeki Toyama, a doctoral student of the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, the University of Tokyo, Japan, on June 30.

National Participation

  • RTPnet is a member of the Association For Community Networks (AFCN) and the Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet). Judy Hallman participates in the e-mail lists for both organizations, and she is one of the Web-site maintainers for AFCN.

  • Erroll Reese, President/CEO and a Co-founder of EasyWeb Inc., a minority owned technology consulting firm, is Vice President of CTCNet.

  • Erroll Reese, Bob Sams, Jerry Winegarden and Judy Hallman attended the CTCnet Conference in Atlanta, June 23-25. Winegarden (Duke University OIT/Technical Support) gave a presentation on "Cost Effective Technology Solutions" and Reese moderated the same session. Hallman helped put conference presentations and materials online.

  • Hallman attended the TeleCommunity 2000 Conference in Austin, Texas, December 10-12. Her notes from the conference are online.

Board Activities

  • Board Meetings

    • May 2 (annual elections)
      Sarah Kogut and Jerry Winegarden were elected to the two vacant seat on the Board, and Kogut was elected Secretary. The TACT project was proposed to the Board.

  • Administrative

    • A Certificate of Assumed Name was filed June 20 with Orange County for Public Information Network, Incorporated to conduct business as RTPnet.

    • A Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent was filed with the Secretary of State June 21 changing the official address of Public Information Network, Inc. from 5605 Brisbane Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, Orange County, to 1078 Lystra Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514, Chatham County.

    • In August, the Board voted (6 in favor, 1 against, and 2 no response) to formally change the name of the organization from Public Information Network, inc. to RTPnet, Inc. The official paperwork has not been submitted.

    • The Board agreed not to host sites for political candidates.

    • Backup copies of Hallman's administrative files are now maintained at www.rtpnet.org/admin (password protected), as part of the disaster recovery plan.

    • Triangle Bank merged with Centura Bank, so Public Information Network Inc.'s account is now with Centura.

  • Assets 
    Assets entering 2000:                                $6,980.41

Income in 2000: 
       
    6,625.00  Membership fees
    1,800.00  Conference
      210.00  Class enrollment 
              (42 Hargraves students @ $5)

                                                     $8,635.00

Expenses in 2000:

    1,814.64  Birchwood Learning Center (through Oct.)
    2,902.43  Hargraves Technology Center
      212.00  Pine Knolls Community Center
      479.06  Triangle Area Employment Service
    1,561.00  Conference
    1,631.34  550 Mhz computer system 
              (new server; www.rtpnet.org)
      124.90  Miscellaneous (DNS registration, 
              stamps, checks, legal)

                                                     $8,725.37

Assets entering 2001:                                $6,890.04
  • Board Members

    • Granville Errol Casey, Jr. <errol@rtpnet.org> or <errol@pobox.com>
      Lead System Administrator, Term: March 2000 - February 2002

    • Dan Eddleman <eddleman@prodigy.net>
      Treasurer, Term: March 2000 - February 2002

    • Robert R. Gotwals Jr <gotwals@shodor.org>
      Term: March 2000 - February 2002

    • Judith H. Hallman <hallman@rtpnet.org>
      Executive Director and Vice President, Term: March 1999 - February 2001

    • William R. Hutchins <hutch@RTPnet.org>
      Term: March 1999 - February 2001

    • Sarah Kogut <sjkogut@aol.com>
      Secretary, Term: March 2000 - February 2002

    • Amnon Nissan <amnon@deltaforce.net>
      President, Term: March 1999 - February 2001

    • Michael v.E. Rulison <mrulison@unity.ncsu.edu>
      Term: March 1999 - February 2001

    • Jerry Winegarden <jbw@duke.edu>>
      Term: March 2000 - February 2002

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    Last modified: 2005 Aug 29 -- JHH