On Thu, Jan 6, 2011 at 11:54, Brad Knowles <[email protected]> wrote: > Does that answer the question?
(I know I said I wasn't going to participate...) Brad, I think that answers the question, quite well. I had assumed that yes, part of it was the imposing logistics combined with a perceived lack of gratitude for all of that effort that was involved. I also assumed sprinkled into that was a general frustration that could perhaps be expressed as, "Do we _have_ to go through this, again?" Let me say that speaking at least for myself, I do recognize and I am grateful for the effort that was involved to create our organization. I accept these fruits of others' labors. I will not indirectly antagonize those who helped establish our professional organization, even in jest. I recognize that the only thing I have done to support LOPSA is pay my membership dues...although I _am_ trying to at least increase my involvement in the organization...I guess I won't know if that is actually helpful, or not...unless someone asks me to stop. I would like to reciprocate. Though I am likely not the first to share the reasons for my initial frustrations with the choice of name, please make an allowance. I appreciate the clarity your answer provided...and even if this is old news for you, maybe it will help someone else understand why the issue keeps resurfacing. Disclaimer: I don't remember how actively I was following the mailing lists at the time of the split from SAGE. My recollection of events may be completely wrong. Maybe contrary to what I will describe, this actually was a completely transparent decision in which all those who wished to join the new "SAGE" were consulted as to what the name would be. But this is my subjective recollection and extrapolations, and my subsequent thoughts, surrounding the naming of LOPSA. I'm not looking for any apology, any explanation or any other form of acknowledgment or recompense. As I remember it, we were originally supposed to retain the name "SAGE". As the proposed date of separation began to approach, there were beginning to be breakdowns in negotiations between "new SAGE" and USENIX. At some point, it seemed that negotiations deteriorated to the point that the proposed separation date turned into an ultimatum...though I don't remember if it was an ultimatum from USENIX, or from the "new SAGE" board. At the 11th hour, USENIX advised the "new SAGE" board...perhaps with apologies and regrets, and perhaps not...that their legal counsel was not certain USENIX could legally release or license their copyright or trademark on the SAGE name or acronym without potentially threatening their non-profit status. Upon receipt of this news, for whatever reason, "new SAGE" proceeded with establishing the new organization. I don't know if they had no choice but to proceed. I don't know if "new SAGE" proceeded with the new organization because it was _their_ ultimatum and they didn't want to imply any weakening in their resolve to separate in the face of an increasingly reluctant USENIX...but whatever. So the new organization was to be established NOW, but "SAGE" couldn't be used, so a new name had to be chosen on the spot and "LOPSA" was it. I don't remember any discussion on the lists. There were no mass emails. Nothing. Now, from my perspective, I knew SAGE was working to become it's own organization. My understanding was that we were retaining "SAGE" as our name. "Guild" was a little wierd, but I knew of the Screen Actors Guild...and, well..."Guild" does satisfy a certain geek sensibility, so I'm good with that. I log in to read the news that the split proceeded, and, by the way, we're now going to be called the "League of Professional System Administrators". My subjective paraphrase of the resulting "debate": me (and others): "Wait...what? OK, I understand we have to have a new name. But can we discuss this?" LOPSA: "Nope. There was no time. And it's too late now. We had to choose for you." me (and others): "You mean this is supposed to be our professional organization, and we don't even get a say in what the name will be?" LOPSA: "Yeah, really sorry about that. It's just a name. Can you please just get over it? Oh...and give us 40 quid...the sooner the better. We got bills to pay." So I'm sitting here in Houston. The closest member of which I'm aware is in Austin...which isn't exactly "close" at all. And I'm wondering just what I've gotten myself into. It's supposedly as much "my" professional association as anyone elses...and yet I wasn't even asked what the name of the organization should be. But I apparently don't have many professional associations to choose from that actually represent me as a system adminstrator, so I either join and try to make the best of it or take a hike. I'm worried about whether this is going to be a repeating pattern...namely, that further decisions governing "our" professional association are always going to be made by handful of folks that, for all I know, are half a continent away, with vague apologies on the lines of, "Oh...you had an opinion on that? Oops. Sorry. We didn't have time." (Note: That worry has NOT been justified.) Two years later, I haven't really seen any tangible benefit for my membership. It seems that nothing we were unable to do as part of USENIX has come to pass as LOPSA, either. I don't even have access to anything analogous to the SAGE booklets. I have a discount to a number of vendors of which, since I'm not an independent consultant that is buying a lot of hardware for clients, I don't have any call to take advantage. I do have a discount to O'Reilly, but come to find out O'Reilly discount codes really aren't that difficult to legitimately obtain through employers or other organizations. So I get bold and ask "Why should I renew?" I feel like I'm peer pressured into renewing. No one intentionally applies peer pressure...but having met many of you at LISA, even though I don't know any of you that well, and observing how many of you still have the "fire" and great expectations, I decide I can at least renew for just one more year to help "support the cause". And then just one more year after that, I still renew out of resignation. I know of no where better to go. My LOPSA pin sits on my desk among other forgotten trinkets. So in 4-5 years I've gone from indignation, through worry and doubt, and then resignation. And though I wasn't aware of it...maybe even a little passive aggression. That is the story of my past relationship with LOPSA. So now, accepting the attitude that it's up to _me_ to make my experience with LOPSA what I want it to be, I try to get more involved. I read over and over again that we need more members...but it's kind of difficult for me to push the organization when I really can't tell anyone what the benefits of membership really are: me: "Um, There's knowledge sharing with many other experienced and well respected members of the profession!" them: "Hmmm... it's just a handful of mailing lists." me: "Well, yeah." them: "...which I can subscribe to without joining." me: "...yeah." them: "...and don't have to pay $40." me: "...yeah. Oh, but...but... we have an ACRONYM! And check out this spiffy lapel pin!" them: "Right. Please go away." Worse, I can't even describe what "problems" threaten our profession in any concrete terms...much less how LOPSA might help. So I try to get involved the only way I really can, and start a thread to see if we can really nail down what those problems are. Unfortunately I make what I think is a silly little wisecrack and it becomes a much bigger deal than I was expecting. In hindsight I do understand why others might have thought I was intentionally sniping. And maybe there was some unnoticed passive aggression venting out. Regardless...here we are. Where to now? I'm only sharing this so that another perspective is out in the open. It's likely not the first time a similar story has been shared...though maybe not in the list. I don't want any sort of explanation, apology or recognition. I don't want a pat on the back or any recompense. We're beyond that. I just want us to move forward. Personally, life situations are such that there's not a lot of time I can afford to volunteer, at the moment. I don't have any excess cash. And I can't sell the organization to new members if I don't really understand what shared, pervasive problems the organization can address now, or wants to address in the future...and when I personally haven't experienced any tangible benefit. And yet, I know from members of _other_ professional associations that there are many possibile benefits to being a member of a viable association. And so I don't want to cut and run without being secure in the knowledge that I gave my best effort to try to somehow get more involved with LOPSA and maybe help start moving it toward the organization I was hoping it might be. --Aaron _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
