On 2/8/01 10:44 PM, "Janet Detter Margul" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Okay, this lurker will bite on that one. I see all the list
> personality types you mention, do you see my "need to organize" types?
Depends on the list subject, I think but yes, they're there. In general, I
think they should be encouraged -- volunteerism ought to be encouraged as
much as possible. Even if you think it's silly or trivial, the results might
surprise you, and it might give you an opportunity to shift them into
something else with "higher responsibility" later.
> These are the ones who, well, I won't even speculate as to motivation,
> but need to keep Lists of Things.
Much of the time it's simply a case of wanting to help (a pay-back or
pay-forward) and they tend to not be technical, so they see it as one of the
ways they can help.
Volunteerism is good. I wish I promoted it on my stuff as much as I think it
ought to be (don't do what I do, do what I say... Grumble), but I'm slowly
looking for ways to open that up again (I've had some bad experiences, so I
got too gunshy...)
> And don't we all have the list police, the ones who point out every
> waste of bandwidth/minor infraction (talk about a waste of space)?
My lists have a strict "don't play list cop" policy -- because I've found
the meta-discussions that break out over this kind of stuff to be the most
destructive and disruptive fights on the lists. Someone posts something
that's marginally acceptable to the list -- I, as admin, look at it and let
it slide. Two hours later, a cowboy pops in and yells "off topic! you shut
up!" and next thing I know, they're throwing furniture at each other again.
The response creates a problem that so overwhelms the original problem it's
not funny.
So I go yell at the cowboy, who pouts and says "I was just trying to help"
(no, you weren't. You were turfing. Besides, don't TRY to help. Help, or get
out of the way. But haven't you noticed, whenever someone posts the latest
virus hoax, or false rumor, or name your favorite, and you call them on it,
they're always "trying to help"? Helping is spending two minutes validating
something before forwarding it -- but.. Oh, never mind. Preaching to the
choir).
My list rules have a specific "don't play list cop" rule in them. So when a
cowboy pops up, I have explicit language to shut them down. My usual
response is something like "how can you enforce my list rules when you're
not the admin -- without knowing the rules? Because if you knew the rules,
you'd know that one of the rules was "don't do that!". )
It's a nice hack to slow the cowboys down and keep these meta-fights off the
list (instead, the cowboys usually get huffy and yell at me privately, which
is fine. Just let the list do what it's supposed to do, not argue about what
it's supposed to do...). And it allows me to create a consistent atmosphere,
since you don't have 12 self-appointed admins working a cross-purposes to
each other...
--
Chuq Von Rospach, Internet Gnome <http://www.chuqui.com>
[<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> = <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> = <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]
Yes, yes, I've finally finished my home page. Lucky you.
USENET is a lot better after two or three eggnogs. We shouldn't allow
anyone on the net without a bottle of brandy. (chuq von rospach, 1992)
