CTA Tattler

Since I pay per text, I can't afford to have the CTA alerts sent to my phone.

I used to check them online before I left work to see if anything was going on, but now nothing's showing up on the website, even if I log in. Is this just one of those Safari things, or are other people not seeing the alerts online too?

Anma, I used to check the website w/o becoming a member, but I can't anymore. Does anyone know what happened? I just don't want to pay for text messages that don't mean anything to me.

Check Derivative Works' entries for May 7th.

http://www.derivativeworks.com/2007/05/cta_alerts_reit.html

Thanks to a flame war, the group is now private.

Let me state that I'm in no official capacity with CTA Alerts, this is Kevin and Dan's baby. I am just a supporter who decided to post my thoughts about this situation and provide what I think may some helpful hints to remove some roadblocks with this system. Here I go...

Unfortunately, as much of a great idea CTA Alerts is, there are some inherrent problems with it.

This doesn't reflect negatively on Dan and Kevin, their creativity helped to bring us all a solution to some commuting woes. Though the power of the people, it gives many of us enough of a heads-up to make decisions on alternatives to getting where we need to be. However it's greatest resource can also be it's major weakness.

The system is only as good as the people who contribute to it. Unfortunately there are some folks who have signed up for CTA Alerts who aren't particularly keen on what exactly constitutes an alert. These are the people who want to remind us about the "3-Track Plan" and other items that have been covered by the media.

On the other hand there are a handful of those who do know what an alert is, but tend to be a bit impatient when non-alert items come through. These are the people who post a reply to the group, chiding the original poster about their faux pas.

These two types of members collectively are the reasons behind the flame wars and the subsequent lockdown (privatization) of the CTA Alerts group on the UPOC site.

Sadly, Dan and Kevin can't be everywhere. This is as voluntary to them as it is for everyone else. They have jobs and lives. Therefore they cannot be expected to step in immediately to correct the situation before it gets out of hand.

This is where we have to do our parts. If you are posting something, ask yourself. "Is this a situation that will adversely affect today's commute beyond 5-10 minutes?" If the answer is 'yes', then ask yourself, "Has this been covered in the media or a pre-scheduled event?" If that asnwer is 'no', then please, let us all know.

Now, if you have an issue with a posting, the best way to deal with someone who doesn't know what constitutes an alert would be to contact that person directly via the UPOC website. If you click on their name you'll get a window to send them a message. This way, any flame-wars that may or may not happen will take place between the two individuals instead of the group. If these individuals want to pay for the extra text messages, great. Argue amongst yourselves and leave the rest us out of it.

Thanks, TEKKY and Buena, I thought something like that happened. Which is precisely why I didn't/won't join. It was convenient to check it before leaving work, but I didn't need the hassle of the many, many posts, legit or not, that would have no impact on my ride. Perhaps if I change phone plans and go with something where texting is free, I will join.