Plea

[serenadust]

Can we please, please, *please* just stop this?  Now?

What I mean is stop EVERYTHING in terms of actions concering this 
group.  This would include adding new members, unsubscribing, 
putting up polls.

I feel absolutely whipsawed, and suspect I'm not alone.  I haven't 
posted any opinions or taken any sides over the past 2 days because 
every time I think I've got a handle on things, more charges fly, 
more spleens are vented, and more blood is spilled.

I joined this group after receiving an invitation.  I was frankly, 
thrilled and flattered, and accepted in the knowledge that I had a 
lot to learn and expected to be guided and helped along by the more 
established members.  I'm the ultimate techno-squib, and have been 
reading all the files, but I admit that I'm going to require 
guidance and hand-holding before I begin to produce anything of 
value.  So far, all I've done is join the team for the Weasley FAQ, 
and nominate 2 posts for consideration for FAQ (one of which hasn't 
taken for some reason, so I'll have to re-nominate).

FAQ was also attractive to me because I'm frankly too uncomfortable 
with inter-personal conflicts to be much good as an elf, and I knew 
the MEG list has long been rife with them.  I didn't know the 
particulars and though I admit to having been curious about them at 
times, didn't really need to.

However, obviously the whole soap opera dragged on for *so* long 
that many members of the main list and elsewhere became more and 
more concerned and curious.  They got information where they could, 
speculated and gossiped and drew the best conclusions they could, 
given the information available. 

Sound familiar, anyone?

It's too bad it all had to spill over on this list, but it has and 
you really can't blame people for asking questions out of concern.  
Sometimes the MEGs and former Mods seem to forget that they are not 
the only ones who care about the list continuing to be the excellent 
resource it always has been, and the recent decline has been obvious.

It's obvious that there's plenty of blame to go around, and everyone 
can make a case for finger-pointing but I don't understand what 
everyone engaging in it hopes to accomplish by it.  I'll be bold 
enough to speak for everyone who has been silent so far and say that 
we *all* feel terrible.  Was that the goal?  Congratulations.

I've also considered doing what Jen has decided to do, but I keep 
thinking things will settle down, and I want to hang in and 
contribute.  I've made a conscious choice to check my ego at the 
door because I know that I have lots to learn.  However, if everyone 
else cannot leave their grudges and conflicts (justified or 
otherwise) elsewhere, then I fear we are doomed to irrelevance.

I'm already feeling a bit paranoid, wondering who will be hostile 
toward me because I happened to have been invited to join by Cindy. 
I'm trying not to wonder what may have been said about me, on or off 
list before that happened.  I didn't request Mod status and would be 
happy to relinquish it if it bothers anyone, and I really won't bear 
any ill will over it.  I don't care.  I won't be responding to the 
governance poll because I can see the costs and benefits of all the 
options, and I personally don't have enough experience with this 
sort of group to feel strongly about any of the choices.  I'll be 
happy to work under whatever system results.


What's happened, has happened. It may be deplored, it may be 
regretted, but it can't be changed.  If any of you can't move on 
without nursing grudges, then these kind of conflicts can be swept 
under the rug, but they are sure to erupt again.  So, I'm asking 
that no one take *any* unilateral action on behalf of FAQ until this 
episode is behind us.  If I've offended anyone at all by anything 
I've written here, I'm truly sorry.  Please believe that was never 
my intent.

If anyone has any tangible suggestions for how I can begin working 
on the Weasley FAQ, please email me off-list.

Thanks for listening,

Jo Serenadust