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-------------------------------------------------I will second the major thanks for Tim!
For those of you who aren't as aware, for many years now, Tim Erickson has worked to direct and shape this forum in ways that have made it a place of lasting, clear public and political significance. In moderating the forum, he has taken a job that takes a lot of time, doesn't pay, and is invented on as it evolves, being a sort of grand experiment in internet democracy.
We've got something pretty unique in the St. Paul Issues Forum. True, there are "chat rooms" all over the internet, but few seem to be doing as well as SPIF. Few are actively moderated with a list of clear rules, many don't require use of a real name, and few enjoy the participation of so many public officials. And how many online forums are very regularly used as a source of ideas, quotes and contacts for the local media?
Tim deserves a lot of credit for this.
No doubt, the worst part of Tim's job is playing the bad guy and enforcing some sense of forum decorum. We take that for granted, but one of the reasons the forum has thrived, and not turned (for the most part, at least) into a group of raving lunatics, is because there are some norms, and some standards. Tim has worked to make E-Democracy a sort of League of Women Voters for the 21st Century.
In fact, to help finish the work Tim helped begin, I know E-Democracy would like to formalize the structure of the organization, and will be working on finishing that work this summer. More on that later.
So sometime soon, Tim deserves a more formal thanks, but for now, I thought this would suffice. And a warm welcome for Michelle Fure, longtime member, who will be managing our list starting next week. Their dedicated work is why this place continues to be a truly meaningful public forum.
Bob Spaulding Downtown
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