Why I'm STAYING (long)

[junediamanti]

Well,

Quite a debate going on here, worse than the British House of 
Commons in a major debate (now that's insulting).

As is common in such affairs, there is probably blame and 
misunderstanding on both sides.  At present, I'm on nobody's side 
but my own.  But I personally will be staying ON LIST and here's why.

I joined this list shortly post OOP publication.  I spent some time 
on the internet after reading OOP and as I was the first person in 
my "real world" acquaintance to read it, was fairly desperate to 
discuss it with someone.  So like probably most people here I took 
to the internet and eventually found the main HPFGU list.  I was 
blown away by the variety and smartness of some of the posts.  It 
took some doing to keep up with the volume and I was too scared to 
post for a while - but did a lot of reading of Fantastic Posts so I 
could get the ethos of the group first.  Scared I might have been, 
but it was a blast to come across theories that I thought only I 
knew and had figured out.  

After about three weeks I posted - most terrifying experience of my 
life.  Then after a few weeks more I came "off moderation" - boy was 
I proud.  AND no one had flamed me.  

That was in June.  Since then, I've made a lot of friends, taken to 
writing fics, generally, this list has been a good catalyst for good 
changes in my life (though you may not agree as regards the fic 
writing...<g>).  I've found other lists, too and so all in all, the 
main list has been very good to me.  

Firstly the rules.  Sure. I've had the odd warning - has anyone 
not?  Elves are doing their job and I've never had any impolite 
emails from elves.  A good many lists I'm on don't have elves or the 
like, but they don't have nigh on 12,000 members either.   It's the 
volume that makes this list different and probably very hard to run. 

Now I'm making it clear that I'm not going to get in the middle of 
the row that started this.  Like I said, I know a number of people 
involved on both sides and I deeply respect them as people so hope 
they will realise why I'm not prepared to come out on any particular 
side. Both have rights, both are entitled to opinions and lets not 
forget the right to free speech.  Living as I do in a so called free 
country where the so-called free press cannot detail the pathetic 
decadent behaviour of the heir to the throne..., but I digress.  

Here's my take on what I consider to be the main points of the 
debate so far...

1.  Cindy has been a good friend to me and made me welcome when I 
joined the list.  You have no idea how good that made me feel.  I 
know nothing of the background to the present dispute, but I just 
want to place this on record.  It's good to be made welcome to a 
large community - don't lose someone who does this  - it's a hugely 
underrated service.  Its hard to generate warmth in a large 
community like this.  Let's keep that.

2. People should stop getting personal.  Yes, someone will post or 
say something you don't like.  Just ignore it.  I recently made a 
post on the main list and received a post back that I found 
insulting.  But at the end of the day, their opinion was just as 
valid as mine (but not as right of course <g>).  

3.  The role of moderator, administrator, boss whatever, is ALWAYS 
going to be a thankless task.  I would not want to do it.  But 
someone has to.  At the end of the day, the Admin team are people 
too, and they were recruited from the likes of us too.  Lets respect 
that.

4.  This list needs healing.  I would welcome an informed debate on 
its way forward.  What's wrong with debate in a vibrant community?  
The Admin team should see that (from me certainly) not as criticism 
or a challenge, but simply as an acknowledgement that some healing 
process may be required here.  Lets look at the structure of the 
list and hear what people from all ends of the debate have to say.  
The admitted fact that the community is schismatic (formation of the 
Old Crowd, etc) makes it clear that all is not well.  There's some 
great people here, let's never lose sight of that.

5.  Newbies.  What is the problem with newbies?  On all other lists, 
newbies are made formally welcome and encouraged to post.  I have 
some fantastic email correspondence with people who have welcomed me 
to lists, ie. Tolkein lists.  Now I know that none of these lists 
are as large as this one.  Given.  But everyone on every list is new 
at some point. The senior members of this list were new at some 
point.  At what point do people become allowed to post?  This 
worries me.  Yes I know there will be repetition.  That pisses me 
off sometimes, quite frankly - but at the end of the day, I know 
that I went through doing my turn on whether Snape was a vampire (he 
isn't so don't go there...) and who could see the Thestrals.  I 
don't engage in these debates anymore, because I've been there.  But 
when I joined the list - I hadn't so I wanted to say me piece.  

The only way to improve any set up is to work to reform from 
within.  History teaches us that those who went outside the system 
generally did little good to the community at large.  But let's 
reform by debate and respect.  Not by abuse and criticism.

And I think I've said me piece now.  

Please.  Let's remember why we're here.  This is a big community and 
a very disparate community too, but that's part of the magic.  Don't 
lets be like the worst part of the Wizarding World and just want to 
get rid of the mixed bloods.

Love and peace?

June