jgd@Dixie.Com (John G. DeArmond) (02/12/91)
ptownson@cs.bu.edu (Patrick Townson) writes: Tsk, Tsk, Pat, lighten up dude. Take a breather. Get control of yourself. Listen to what people have to say here. I hope this is not a bit of meglomania creeping in: >.... But I built the Digest up to the ^^^ >level of readership it has today, and I did the same for >comp.dcom.telecom. Hmm, wonder if the readership level would have anything at all to do with the people who actually WRITE the articles? Pat, you have the unique ability to piss a lot of us off even when we AGREE with your position on an issue. A lot of folks, me included, think that you take advantage of your position as moderator with your wisecrack additions and pontifications to articles. Why can't you just post replies like the rest of us do? And then there's your habit of stirring flamefests between participants. I feel pretty confident that you instigated the fight between Lippman and myself. I KNOW, as does the rest of the readership, that you promoted it once it got started. No, we don't forget the teasers you put out well in advance of your packaging up our fight in a "special" issue. And I'm only one. Perhaps you should read sci.military sometime and try to learn a bit from Bill Thacker, someone who I consider to be a model moderator. Bill goes out of his way to keep fights down even though military subjects have as much religion associated with them as do telcom. He took an issue that arose between me and another person and instead of escalating it in a "special digest" like you do, he put us together in Email and suggested we discuss our differences there. Turns out that we found common ground to agree on. If we'd squared off in telecom, I have no doubt the result would have been much different. Perhaps what the people in this group are saying is that they'd like for you to be less of a hate monger and more of a calming influence. After all, that is why people vote for moderated groups. Finally, >I don't intend to be silent merely to placate those of you who do not >like what I have to say. I will continue to say what I want, when I >want, and try to always accomodate 'the opposing viewpoint'. If you and encourage others -- And if you can't quite manage to accomodate "the opposing viewpoint', you get upset that people use the means available to them, such as header forgery, to be heard? Amazing. >presumably people from a socially responsible organization like EFF to >violate news etiquette by posting direct to the news group bypassing >the moderator? Is that any more incredible than the fact that not one >person from the socially responsible among you criticized such a >technique? The reason such techniques are not being criticized here is that it strikes to the heart of electronic freedoms. This "electronic frontier" allows "the masses" to exert some control and feedback on the "masters". Abernathy learned that the hard way and as a result, he backed back into his safe little print cocoon. You and the other moderators serve at the pleasure of me and the others who pay the freight on the net. When you get a bit out of line, we'll tweak you to remind you that you do NOT hold any special authority. If you get really out of line, we'll vote you out completely, we'll direct telecom to the bitbucket or whatever other things are appropriate. This is a true cooperative; you have to cooperate with us as well as vice versa. Didja ever wonder why telecom seems to get more forged messages than other moderated groups? Perhaps it should tell you something Pat. I personally welcome seeing your opinions framed in the proper context. I think you're dead wrong on things like caller-ID but then opinions are like assholes, we all got 'em. But when you abuse your position by inserting your snide comments into a majority of opposing articles or when you fan the flames, don't be surprised when people call you shithead or bypass you with articles. You should realize the same thing that managers and politicians learn - the more power and authority you accumulate, the more carefully you have to apply it and usually, the less you get to say. John -- John De Armond, WD4OQC | "Purveyors of speed to the Trade" (tm) Rapid Deployment System, Inc. | Home of the Nidgets (tm) Marietta, Ga | {emory,uunet}!rsiatl!jgd |"Politically InCorrect.. And damn proud of it