On Sunday 18 December 2005 09:58 pm, tom smith wrote:
> Hello Everybody!
> To commemorate the 3rd anniversary of the founding of FLALUG, I
> am designing a linux links page, which should be completed by New
> Years Day. After the first of the year, I would like to have a
> meeting and elect officers. We also need to formulate some
> simple, but necessary by-laws. It is time for growth and shared
> decision-making.
> I invite your preferences about when the meeting should be and
> any by-law proposals.
> Best regards,
> Smitty
> Founder
Hi Smitty,
When formulating bylaws, I suggest you include a provision banning
personal insults, and *enforce it*.
There's a temptation to leave out such provision in the name of
"free speech". Indeed, as one of the 10 co-founders of LEAP, I
fought tooth and nail to keep such a provision OUT of our bylaws,
all in the name of free speech. I was successful in keeping out the
provision, and perhaps more tragically, I was successful in moving
LEAP toward an "anything goes" email culture.
A couple years later I found out just how far afield "anything goes"
could go in the hands of a persistent and determined troll. A
significant percentage of my technical and vendor based posts were
met with multipage diatribes insulting my character, abilities and
intentions. I stopped recommending friends and business associates
join LEAP because I didn't want them hearing all this
anti-Steve-Litt garbage.
As a member of LEAP's elected Exec Committee and LEAP's 2001-2002
president, I tried to undo my earlier mistake by championing a
no-personal-insult policy, which was passed by a slim majority of
the Exec Committee. No matter, the Exec Committee, whether under my
presidency or later, would not enforce the the rule, so there were
almost monthly personal insults against me and several others.
By Feb 2004 I was convinced that LEAP would never quash personal
insults, so I formed GoLUG, with a very strong no-personal-insult
policy. I made sure this policy was not only written, but a part of
our culture. Interestingly, I never had to enforce the policy --
everyone knew the expectations and nobody crossed the line.
It's now late 2005. GoLUG has been a pleasant and peaceful place for
almost 2 years.
>From what I see in their archives, LEAP is also at peace. You see,
the troll drove away some with whom he disagreed (at least two are
in GoLUG now), and silenced others to the point where there are
certain reasonable positions on vendors and technical subjects that
are never advocated on LEAP. In my opinion it's unofficial
censorship, with the troll, who has never been an officer, in
charge of what is discussed, and who stays and who leaves. From my
perspective, the troll controls LEAP's culture, regardless of who
the elected officers happen to be.
It is interesting that my vigorous 1999 campaign to prevent a
"civility clause" in the name of "free speech" resulted in what I
perceive to be censorship, while my 2004 GoLUG
"no-personal-insults" rule resulted in almost completely free
speech, except that you can't call somebody a "no good %*&%@##@".
Well, that's my advice, given as an officer (at various times) of
ELUG, LEAP and GoLUG.
SteveT
Steve Litt
Founder and acting president: GoLUG
http://www.golug.org
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