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Date:         Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:53:00 -0800
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon List Moderator
Comments: To: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

well this all sounds very nice, but, seems to me it is sorely lacking in an important principle............ the well-known KISS Principle. you know..................Keep It Simple Stupid.

Elected Council of 9 sounds WAY outside of that to me. And for sure, any moderator needs to not take anything personally........ not get overly attached to things being a certain way, etc...... it requires what I would call 'tactful restraint'. And a whole lotta 'just nothing shakes them up too much.'

The subaruvanagon list is a great example......Warren Chapman there..... he guides with a not too firm hand.....never gets all tweaked out.... has to steer people back on course now and then........... and even occasionally give a weirdo the boot..............but it's never overly dramatic or painful...... distinct lack of drama. Mastery has the quality of appearing effortless............they accomplish it on subaruvanagon quite well. Should be possible here too. Scott

----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Fisher" <refisher@MCHSI.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 3:52 AM Subject: Re: Vanagon List Moderator

> --snip-- > Anyway, please share our thoughts about this. Pmail if necessary. > --snip-- > > Two thoughts came immediately to mind: The first was 'Jonas's First Law of > electoral politics': What disqualifies a person for the leader's job is > that > he or she wants it. > > The second was about those occasional but lengthy barrages of non-vanagon > related inside jokes that you and Mike Miller indulge in, especially > around > this time of year. Talk about wearing out the delete key. > > I have nothing against you personally but I don't think that picking from > a > show of hands is the way to go about this. > > If we are going to have a moderator (and we should probably have a > moderator) I'd be inclined to have a slightly more formalized structure in > the form of an elected council or board (of say, nine people) who would > then > appoint a moderator and an 'assistant moderator' (as a standby/fill-in) > from > amongst themselves; those two individuals would then be disqualified from > being the head of council or board chair (*). This council would also set > policy (as in the charter) and perform various other administrative > functions that you find in most large human organizations. > > The problem with even benevolent dictatorships, as was demonstrated so > clearly with Jim, is that they inevitably generate resentment in both the > governor and the governed. I think that recreating that situation is just > begging for more of the same problems down the road. Having a small > representative body should take a good deal of that pressure off of the > individual moderating. On the other hand, if he or she screwed up they > would > have the ability to can them if necessary, which isn't possible with > person > holding all the keys. (See * above.) > > Cya, > Robert


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