This is a top-post. Not. [1]
I was moved to make this comment after seeing Kiran's post, the various
responses, and some of the messages posted on this and other lists
recently, asking for help or assistance on various things ("How do I do
X?" "Where can I find Y?" "Who can help me with Z?" etc etc)
There's an art as well as a science to asking for help effectively.
Kiran's message, copied below, is a pretty good example of how to do it.
I thought it might be useful to post a few pointers to HOWTOs, on this
topic. Er, this is NOT a blanket endorsement of making silklist a
classifieds list, BTW. :-\
Luckily (for me) there are people who have said it earlier and better,
such as Phil Agre [2] and Eric Raymond [3].
You may find these useful (or you may not) but I thought that they bore
repetition.
Udhay
[1] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/silk-list/message/25747
[2] http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/alerts.html
[3] http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
Kiran Jonnalagadda wrote, [on 4/15/2009 1:18 AM]:
> Does anyone here know how to get the attention of Facebook's management?
>
> Do you recall the Pink Chaddi Campaign coordinated via Facebook? It
> doesn't exist anymore.
>
> Or, it does, but Facebook doesn't want you to access it. Here's a link
> to the group. Try accessing it, you'll get redirected to the home page:
>
> http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49641698651
>
> Just a week ago, Mark Zuckerberg posted to the Facebook blog,
> highlighting the campaign as a notable use of the platform:
>
> http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=72353897130
>
> """From the protests against the Colombian FARC, a 40-year old terrorist
> organization, to fighting oppressive, fringe groups in India, people use
> Facebook as a platform to build connections and organize action."""
>
> Three days later, Nisha Susan, the campaign's coordinator, found her
> Facebook account suspended. She had already spent weeks talking to
> Facebook support over the group formerly known as "The Consortium of
> Pubgoing, Loose, and Forward Women", since mysteriously renamed to "A
> good bong is a dead bong" along with assorted death and rape threats
> turning up in its description. Today Facebook won't let you look at the
> group either.
>
> What the heck happened? It got hacked, plain and simple.
>
> Facebook Support insists Nisha isn't keeping her account secure. I've
> looked it over for her, as have others, who've examined her computer
> thoroughly and even moved her to a Linux box. None of these measures
> stopped the continuing defacement of the group. FB Support has responded
> with requests to fill out forms describing what's going on, followed by
> silence.
>
> There is only one inescapable conclusion to this: Facebook is insecure
> and they don't want to admit it.
>
> There's been only one mainstream media mention of this, in the Hindu
> yesterday: http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/14/stories/2009041459890400.htm
>
> I doubt Facebook cares about what the Hindu says. How does one get their
> attention?
>
>
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
