Questions for MEG

[Cindy C.]

Hey, everyone,

With all due respect, I have the following questions for our Interim
Liaison about the MEG policy mandates and clarifications posted on
this list:

1.  How are FAQ members to know when Interim Liaison Abigail is
speaking in her official capacity on behalf of MEG versus on behalf of
herself?  Will she specify this in each message, or will another
protocol be observed?

2.  Does Abigail unilaterally decide which FAQ messages to forward to
MEG?  If so, will Abigail always advise FAQ when this has been done? 
If not, must FAQ members make an official request that a message be
forwarded, and should that be done on FAQ, off-list to Abigail, or to
MEG directly?  Once an issue has been raised on MEG with the Liaison,
will the Liaison provide periodic progress reports?  If these reports
are not forthcoming, may FAQ members inquire of MEG directly via the
owners' account, or must they seek information only from Abigail on FAQ?

3.  When Abigail forwards a FAQ issue to MEG, will she copy the
transmittal message to FAQ?  Will the transmittal message contain
advocacy for Abigail's personal position or contain any sort of 
recommendation or commentary?  Will she also forward or summarize
competing points of view or opine on the weight of FAQ opinion in the
transmittal?  Most importantly, will she copy FAQ on the MEG comments
so that the FAQ members can take the MEG concerns into account in
deciding how to adjust their proposal in the event the proposal is
denied or modified or if MEG has other reservations? 

4.  MEG selected Abigail and declared that she will serve until a
Liaison is elected.  Given that MEG selected Abigail and that MEGs
outnumber non-MEGs on FAQ, will the MEG/FAQ members abstain from the
selection of a Replacement Liaison so that it is not a foregone
conclusion?  Can the Replacement Liaison be a non-MEG who will then be
admitted to MEG?  Can FAQ or MEG change the Replacement Liaison if
they are not happy with his/her performance, and how is this to be
done?  Can FAQ select their nominee in some fashion other than an
election?  Are there any current members of MEG who refuse to function
as Liaison such that the FAQ list members can cross them off the list
of potential nominees?

5.  Presumably, some MEG matters are not the concern of FAQ.  What are
the boundaries between what MEG considers confidential versus those
that are not considered confidential?

6  Who decides who may be a member of FAQ?  What is the maximum number
of members MEG will allow FAQ to be?

7.  Do MEGs have an automatic right to join FAQ upon request?  Must
MEG members write FAQs as a condition of membership, or may they observe?

8.  Have any FAQ policy decision been made by MEG already?  Are there
any current policies of FAQ that MEG wishes to or plans to overturn?

9.  Does MEG have the power to moderate, demand the resignation of, or
oust a FAQ member?  If so, will there be a system of howlers before
this is done?  Will all FAQ members learn of any disciplinary action
taken or howlers sent to any other FAQ members, or is this the
exclusive province of MEG?  Can a FAQ member advise other FAQ members
of disciplinary action taken?  Can a FAQ member complain to MEG (via
the liaison) about rudeness on FAQ or rudeness off-list by a FAQ
member or MEG?

10.  MEG has declared that "members of FAQ are responsible for much of
the governance and certain policy decisions of the list."  Which
portions of governance and which policy decisions are the
responsibility of FAQ and which are the responsibility of MEG?

11.  MEG has declared that "FAQ list must adhere to those policies
that MEG determines apply to all of the lists in the HP4GU family of
lists."  Which policies are those?  Does this extend to matters such
as snipping and combining and attribution as stated in the HBF, or do
you mean something else?  Will MEG provide the non-MEG FAQ members
with a statement of its community-wide or MEG internal policies on
matters such as membership, discipline, governance, pulling rank, and
scrubbing so that FAQ members will know which MEG policies apply to
FAQ?  Are FAQ members allowed to object to or contest the merits of
(that is, weigh in on) these internal MEG policies that apply to FAQ?

12.  Why does every moderator of this list retain the power to invite
a new member, which is presumably something the FAQ (or the MEG list?)
list would decide.

13.  Heidi is not a MEG.  Why was Heidi chosen as the only non-MEG FAQ
to have heightened security privileges?

14.  Once FAQ decides a FAQ policy question, must the MEG members of
FAQ abide by that decision until such time as it is overturned by MEG?

15.  What is the current governing structure of MEG, and what are the
zones of responsibility of each MEG, e.g. ombudself, facilitators,
committee heads, etc.?

16.  Prior to making the unilateral changes to moderator privileges
for security reasons, did any FAQ member make any threat to delete the
FAQ list?  Has any FAQ member ever threatened to delete the FAQ list,
and if so, why is that person still a member of the FAQ list?  Why
were the remaining trustworthy members of the FAQ list who did *not*
threaten to delete the list not advised off-list and in confidence
that these steps would be taken?  

That's all for now.  Thanks, Abigail!

Cindy