Hey folks; Lots of grist for arguments on the board lately. A lot of it is founded, and some of it is simply axe-grinding. While I don't think we should drop the subjects in question (PodTech, Irina, The Vloggies, Lan), I'd like to play reverse-devil's advocate.
In the spirit of Schlomo's "group hug," let's look at a few positives: 1) John Furrier and Robert Scoble continue to participate in the conversation. (Earlier, they were eviscerated for NOT speaking up; at least now they're willing to bear the slings and arrows of conversing.) 2) Irina is free-er to experiment. (Granted, this is like saying, "Well, that fired news anchor can always go back to writing obituaries," but seen from the glass-half-full POV, Irina is now free to pursue new opportunities -- and, most likely, will bring a sharpened business acumen to any future negotiations she becomes involved with.) 3) Creative Commons is now on everyone's mind. (Maybe we can do something about furthering that awareness across the board.) 4) The Vloggies are not the only game in town. (Or, at least, they don't have to be. There's room for more than one awards show in town -- if we even need one [yet]. Again, a topic that needs to be discussed, rather than all of us being beholden to one judge of quality.) 5) We've all been reminded that, first and foremost, we're a community that supports itself (emotionally, if not yet financially). When there's a disruption in the community, we take action to address it. Perhaps the community divides, or perhaps the community solves the issue; either way, we strengthen our bonds AND are forced to stand up for what we believe in -- which, very often, is each other. Onward and upward. Justin Kownacki Creator / Producer, "Something to Be Desired" http://www.somethingtobedesired.com
