I stand corrected.
Jim Thurber was indeed asked to stop posting to this list in an email from Bob Raiselis a couple days ago.
Now what?
One side of me says this is a shame. Someone complained enough about Jim Thurber's posts that ValleyNet felt they needed to take some action. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and if enough listserv participants counter-complain, his posting rights will likely be reinstated. We can go on and on about whether Jim Thurber should be voted off the island. The bottom line to me is that I have a choice whether to read Jim Thurber, Steve Thoms, or the Valley News for that matter. Let them write and let people vote with their eyes. I hope Bob Raiselis will relent.
For those who want to hang ValleyNet in effigy, I would be interested to hear how a community non-profit should handle complaints of abuse such as these. I don't see an easy answer, but I think a solution will prove itself. If censorship really becomes an issue then readers will go elsewhere. If snarky comments, snide remarks and angry emails about prolixity or naivete become too common, readers will go elsewhere. If people go elsewhere, the point of a community listserv is lost -- not what ValleyNet or most readers can possibly desire.
Another side of me says this is all too precious to contemplate. There are people being maimed and killed in our names in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. Dan Weintraub isn't the only person who sincerely believes our economic future is under dire threat. There are people going hungry and sleeping in their cars tonight within a few miles of us. I love to hear myself verbalize as much as anyone, but I struggle to see clear villains in this matter.
ValleyNet's trying their level best to accommodate a wide variety of interests and uses for an avowed public purpose. Give them credit for the attempt and perhaps a bit more understanding for the difficulty of their position responding to abuse complaints from readers. Jim Thurber likes this list and some people apparently don't like that he now lives in Colorado. In the big scheme of things, we're talking annoyances here, not capital crimes. How about a little more tolerance and a little less vitriol.
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2 comments:
Thanks for this posting, Watt!
Firstly, I think we should consider the facts: from its origins the Norwich list has had a policy that limits postings only to residents, representatives of town government, and representatives of organizations and businesses located in town. Others are free to subscribe, and indeed to comment in other fora, but the policy under which it has been made available (for right or wrong) is that "outsiders" cannot post. So JimT's ability to post was always in danger. Should posting be open to any outsiders? Who decides? In the case of our current list policies, there is no clear answer that would include JimT.
Secondly, other options were available for hosting this list, but the current host stepped forward and/or was chosen, for better or for worse.
As others have noted based on their own experiences, my personal experience as a member of (many) other lists and an administrator of a few is that our hosts have been fairly hands-off, the policies are decided by the group, and the job of the administrator is almost always limited to helping people with mechanics. I've also found that the few lists with moderators tend not to flourish.
I do believe JimT's voice should be heard. As a work-around, I recommend that he continue blogging, and that friends of his (from Norwich!) post links to his commentary on the list. I believe that would comply with current policy!
Thanks for publicly stating that you stand corrected.
I think that the ValleyNet is a good enough option for postings of the cats & keys kind, but that it is inadequate for more complicated conversations. The time has come to create a separate forum for that kind of conversation elsewhere.
There are many other options, most of them free and easy (Google groups, PhPBB, Ning, Facebook groups...). As I'm sure you know, over the past few years, improvements in technology and increased experience with social networks, have made forums much easier to create and maintain.
A first topic could be: "What should be rules of this community and how do they get enforced?" I trust that participants -- seeking successful examples from myriad online communities -- could arrive at some ground rules very quickly and amicably.
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