David, Obviously, you can make your own decisions about whether to use Texascavers or Facebook or some combination of both. It hardly inspires confidence in the credibility and security of Facebook, however, when you describe how easy it would be for "any teenager" to maliciously create a Facebook group called "Join Al Kaeda" and use it to defame people who never had anything to do with it. Nor does it motivate people to invest their time in learning and using newly created Facebook groups when you talk about how easily you "could delete the groups out of spite." Your earlier message didn't exactly make us eager to jump onto the Facebook bandwagon, either, when you wrote, "I emphasize that Facebook is just a fad, like the pet rock." Personally, I think I'll stick with the Texascavers listserve group and will continue to avoid Facebook for now and the foreseeable future. Much of what you like to write probably is better suited to Facebook or to an OT list than it is to the main Texascavers listserve, but that certainly is not true of everything you write. There is no reason why use of one has to preclude use of the other. People just need to use good judgement about what they post where. I don't know whether Facebook is here to stay or whether it will soon go the way of Myspace or even the pet rock, but I certainly recognize that it is currently popular among numerous people of all ages, especially the young. I agree with you that it "has potential for the time-being to educate potential cavers." In fact, that already has been happening during the last few years here in the Austin area. There already have been a number of instances when new people have shown up at UT Grotto meetings after learning about us through Facebook and through contact with the many local cavers who already use Facebook. I think this generally has been good for our Grotto. For cavers who knowingly choose to use Facebook (and who seemingly are oblivious to its privacy and security risks), I see nothing wrong with them using Facebook to communicate with other Facebook users about caving and caving organizations. I think this is a good thing that should be encouraged. Basically, if you are going to use Facebook (or other social media) anyway, it's good to use it in a constructive way that helps to educate interested people about caves and caving and encourages them to participate in caving organizations. What I strongly believe that we should NOT do is to use caving events, caving organizations, or the Texascavers listserve group to pressure people into joining Facebook (or any other commercialized social media). Those who choose to use Facebook should understand and respect the fact that others do not want to use it or to encourage certain of their objectionable policies and practices. The pressure has come not only from the kind of repeated explicit promotion of Facebook we've seen recently on Texascavers, but also from the much more subtile and usually unintentional fact that cavers not on Facebook are simply overlooked and inadvertently left out of activities that are announced only on Facebook. Most problems of this type can be prevented if people simply follow the following guidelines: 1. If you use Facebook to announce anything of general interest to Texas cavers, then please also copy it to the Texascavers listserve. If you think the announcement is unsuitable for posting on Texascavers because it's only of local relevance, then please consider announcing it at local grotto meetings and/or using ordinary email to notify local caver friends who are not on Facebook. 2. If you want to share something (such as photos, videos, audio recordings, etc.) with cavers by placing the material somewhere on the Internet and then posting a link to it on Texascavers, then be sure that readers don't have to sign up with Facebook or any similar commercial service before accessing the material. I see no reason why the users and nonusers of Facebook can't coexist peacefully within the caving community if they simply exercise good judgement and respect each other's preferences. Rod -----Original Message----- >From: David >Sent: May 24, 2011 3:39 PM >To: Cavers Texas >Subject: [Texascavers] It was just an experiment, folks. Calm down. > >Folks, I am sounding arrogant and hard-headed in my e-mails, but that >is not the case. > >I can delete the Facebook groups I described at the push of a button. > But I would like the >Facebook users out there to look at it before I delete them. Maybe >the idea can be tweeked, >or at least discussed civilly. > >In fact, even if you thought the idea was brilliant, I could delete >the groups out of spite or >for whatever reason. > >Some of you will be surprised to learn, that I can create a Facebook >group, for example, >"Join Al Kaeda," and create dozens of fake members all wearing turbans >and named Ali >Kaleb Jr., then I would make you the administrator of the group, using >the same method >the anonymous caver used to defame me, last week on CaveTex. Then >it could be broadcasted >out to the whole world, and then I could unjoin the group, leaving you >as only real member >and leader of the legions of members on Al Kaeda on Facebook. Does >that leave you >shaking in your muddy cave boots ? Any teenager could do it, and >probably already has. > > >The problem with CaveTex is that people don't want to be bombarded >with e-mails, so it >makes a stagnant situation for new ideas. The only ideas that get >heard are those >of the Texas Speleo-Police ( here-in, May 24th, 2011, known as, TSP ). > The other >problems are the people like the one that told me to "go away." >They lurk on listservs, >but never say anything that is interesting. And, another problem is >that newbies are >scared to say anything, especially that they went in >a cave without the permission of the TSP. > >David Locklear >moving to Facebook sooner than you think > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >Visit our website: http://texascavers.com >To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] >For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] |
- Re: [Texascavers] Good news and It was just an experiment, folks... Rod Goke
