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Subject: 
Re: for the eyes of Suz (Was Re: For the Eyes of Alfred Speredelozzi
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.admin.general
Date: 
Sun, 23 Dec 2001 03:21:29 GMT
Viewed: 
220 times
  
In lugnet.admin.general, Tim Courtney writes:
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek writes:

Calling for a member to be banned is a very serious matter. At least it
*ought* to be considered very serious.

Agreed.

Suz has said precisely one thing... she doesn't want to hear about it. If
LUGNET were a government, that wouldn't fly. Citizens have the right to
expect governments to act on accusations of wrongdoing. Even if that act is
to dismiss the charges, it's still a formal closure.

LUGNET of course is *not* a government.  Nor is it a corporation with
shareholders and a board. We have no rights to due process and no
expectation of any outcome in particular. Suz rules by fiat (taking opinion
into account, of course) and that has in fact worked quite well, usually.

After waiting a couple days to see if this post would get a reply, I'm
writing to voice my agreement with Larry and my disagreement with how issues
like this are handled on LUGNET.

In essence, by Suz stating that she doesn't want to hear about it, she's
damaging the community by not being there to do the proper pruning when its
needed.  This carelessness concerns me, really.

I understand LUGNET is not a democracy, its not a government, and we have
little to no say on what gets enforced here and what doesn't.  I understand
LUGNET (in a legal sense) is the sole property of Todd and Suz as well.

Despite that, I'd like to bring to the table another idea.  I think LUGNET
is in a sense 'owned' by the contributors who enhabit it.  Before people
react -- I don't mean we 'own' LUGNET legally, I don't mean we 'own' it and
have the capability to dictate what the admins do.  But LUGNET has become
much more than a set of programs and databases on a server that Todd and Suz
created, and that Todd and Suz pay the bill for (with the help of the
members).  Its a living, breathing community - with a personality, with many
personalities even.

The admins aren't the only people who have put hours of sweat and tears into
the community.  Yep, the community is greater than LUGNET itself, but LUGNET
is a central gathering point for the core of the community, for the most
serious (fanatical?) of us all, and given the numbers Todd's told me about
server stats, we have a much higher number of lurkers than posters.

What I'm trying to say is - if the admins care about the people that have
inhabited this server of theirs (and if they want them to stay), it would be
a Good Thing if they would put a little more effort into addressing the
serious concerns that people bring up.

We owe T&S a lot of gratitude for creating LUGNET in the first place, but
conversely, it would be nice if they showed their gratitude for us
enhabiting it and making it what it is by taking care of issues when they
arise.  Not petty squabbles, but serious issues - like calls for banishment.

When I saw the post by Suz 'Look: I don't care what your opinions are and
I'm not going to baby-sit. So just knock it off, and/or go away.  You all
know who you are.' it made me sick.  I refrained from commenting then
because of the tension of the debate and all, but now that the tension has
mostly subsided, I think its OK to say that now.

I think that if the admins keep acting like this, the people who really do
care will gradually drop off.  The shell of LUGNET that remains - the
discussion part of it at least, will be reminiscent of the silly web-based
forums where juvinile immaturity rule.  I've experienced those places, and
generally the people there don't care.

Its because of attitudes like this I don't see LUGNET as the center of the
LEGO universe anymore (the fan universe, at least).  I used to be a very
LUGNET-centric thinker: 'oh, that's cool but you should put it on LUGNET'
type thing.  I don't think that way anymore.

I understand a lot of changes have taken place this year with Todd and Suz,
and if they're under a lot of stress from elsewhere I understand the
attitudes and actions.  At the same time, I think LUGNET needs somebody, be
it either of them or someone entirely different, to address these issues
when they arise and deal with them.

I'm not trying to bash LUGNET or to bash Todd and Suz, just trying to
express my concern.  I'm one of the ones who has been here since the
beginning, I remember the feelings of joy when I first read the LUGNET plan,
settling into a new environment that was fresh and new and without the
squabbles and auction spam of RTL, and thinking that LUGNET could be nothing
but a wonderful place.

My naive, idealized view has faded now.  LUGNET is still a cool place, but
its not as cool as it could be.  I've watched the community climate mature
here, and I've watched others' attitudes change as well.

This used to be a great place to hang out and chat.  Some of that still
exists, but its not the same as it was.  Now, I use LUGNET to keep in
contact with a few friends, to catch the news, and to post my announcements.
I'm not giddy about it like I used to be, and I don't think that everything
in the LEGO universe should migrate to LUGNET anymore.

I hope people don't take my post the wrong way.  I've agonized over this
thing for about an hour now, trying to figure out the right words to say.  I
don't mean to hurt feelings, I don't mean to stop others from enjoying
LUGNET.  I just want to say what's on my mind and offer my honest thoughts
about how I've seen the administration act towards caring for the community.

-Tim

Hi all,

    I am just another outside member of the community, contributing with
naive reflections and ignorant posts. I like to write and usually regret my
posts when they are ignored.
    In one respect though, I feel well versed, and that respect is in
building community. Discord is expected. Hurt feelings are common. Personal
growth is realized. When building community we see all of the community's
strengths and weaknesses. We have individual experiences that can draw
tighter bonds or alienate us further from the community.
    Being an outsider, a truly appreciative outsider, I respect and gladly
acknowledge the work of the stakeholders who have envisioned and created
LUGNET. I also understand thoughtful and abrasive personalities will
participate in the community. This is all part of the human condition. We
all grow from our experience and we all share the common bond of a whimsical
toy.

Play well,

Bert



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: for the eyes of Suz (Was Re: For the Eyes of Alfred Speredelozzi
 
(...) Hi Bert - Thanks for the thoughtful comments. You're right, there will be the same social issues here as there are in any other community. One of the things that makes (made, because it doesn't seem to be happening now) LUGNET great was the (...) (22 years ago, 31-Dec-01, to lugnet.admin.general) ! 

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: for the eyes of Suz (Was Re: For the Eyes of Alfred Speredelozzi
 
(...) Agreed. (...) After waiting a couple days to see if this post would get a reply, I'm writing to voice my agreement with Larry and my disagreement with how issues like this are handled on LUGNET. In essence, by Suz stating that she doesn't want (...) (23 years ago, 19-Dec-01, to lugnet.admin.general) !! 

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