[HPFGU-OTChatter] My Two Knuts (long)

[Iggy McSnurd]

> Laura Ingalls Huntley
>
> Contrary to being pissed off, I'd like to thank you for your input, as
> an explanation of this sort is exactly what I'd been looking for from
> someone from "the other side" (or, at least, the middle ground) in the
> conflict.  Thus far the admin team (as an official body) has been very
> tight-lipped about the whole affair.  Not that I blame them exactly, as
> a "WELL, she did *this*!" post from the admin team as a group would
> hardly be seen as dignified or appropriate.  However, this *does* leave
> general list members with only one side of the story, and the general
> impression that poor Cindy is getting clobbered by the nasty and
> despotic list elves.

Iggy here:

I agree with this.  It would be nice to hear more of the story, but there's
two things standing in the way of that:

1 - As we have been told, it would take hours of post to give a blow-by-blow
relating of exactly what happened on both sides.

2 - Cindy is no longer with the list, and therefore can't respond to
anything the others would say.  Whether Cindy was right or wrong in things
that she may have done in this whole situation (and the same goes for the
admin), it would be unfair not to let her state her responses to what gets
said.


> K
>
> Actually one of the admin team mailed everyone who participated in the
> thread Cindy started (or at least everyone who had participated up to the
> point she posted) explaining that while she would not go into details of
the
> dispute because she was trying not to make anyone into the 'bad guy' the
> argument was longstanding and far more complex than we realised. She also
> said that Cindy's post was not the reason (or certainly not the sole
cause)
> she was asked to resign.

Iggy here:

I was on that list who received a letter from this admin member.  Some of
the points raised, along with the fact that (aside from notes explaining why
a post may be blocked on the main list for someone on mod status) all
official letters are worked on by a group of admin, makes me wonder one
thing...  Was the letter we saw from Ali already set to be sent out *before*
Cindy posted her letter?  Or was it a reaction to it?

Is there an admin out there who can answer that question?  (Ali, perhaps?
Since she was the one who sent it to Cindy...)

This isn't an accusation, or anything, just a desire to understand the
situation a little better.


> K
>Now I personally have no desire to get in the middle of this dispute as I
am not anything to do with
> the admin team and can't possibly know exactly what is going on but as I
> told the elf in question I also would like a place where the general
> membership can discuss policy. If only because I wouldn't want to go to
the
> admin team with general and vague complaints about something when I could
> discuss it in a more public forum first and maybe help hammer out a
> suggestion for dealing with it. While the elves would be by no means
> required to follow any suggestions made I think a general discussion of
> things to eliminate the pointless and unworkable suggestions might save
them
> work.

Iggy here:

One of the list elves contacted me for a moment after I suggested the "town
hall meeting" idea and said that they thought it was a good idea.  It's
something to consider.

Would anyone else be interested in an open forum chat, that's scheduled on a
regular and accessable basis, where people can freely (and respectfully)
discuss problems they see with how the list is run?  (And also give positive
feedback as well, of course, since if you don't know what you're doing
right, you might change that in an attempt to fix something that's wrong...)

>K
>I don't like the idea of a chat because I don't
> really know how to use the chat facility. Besides I prefer e-mail to the
> list because it lets me think more carefully about what I'm saying
(doesn't
> always stop me saying stupid things  ... but it's a start <g>).

Iggy here:

Perhaps if the admin started a list titled something like "HPFGU-TH"
 (HPgGU - Town Hall), where people could post admin relatied issues,
observations, and constructively work on helping the admin see what people
feel about how things are run... and then have an associated and regulat
"town hall meeting" on chat for those who like to have a more direct chat
method to aid the town hall list...

What do people think of that?  The people who want the more post-oriented
format can have that, and those who like to discuss things more directly can
do that as well.



Iggy McSnurd