Text 2515, 139 rader
Skriven 2006-12-05 23:51:38 av Jeff Smith (1:14/0)
   Kommentar till text 2498 av Carol Shenkenberger (6:757/1)
Ärende: FidoNews Editor MIA?
============================
Hello Carol.

05 Dec 06 23:42, you wrote to me:

 CS> *** Quoting Jeff Smith from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***

 CS>> Well, we have to submit articles before we can bemoan the lack of
 CS>> them.


 JS>>      That is true and I blame us all for not submitting more.
 JS>> Can't blame the editor when articles are not being submitted.

 CS> True.  None of us have done our part on that.  I used to do so with
 CS> one a month or close to that, but havent in some time.  Now i face a
 CS> quandry.

 CS> I face a difficult post and a response, and a desire in my own heart
 CS> to not use and abuse fidonews.  Fidonews is more than the current
 CS> holder of the editor

     Agreed. The Fidonews is a part of Fidonet that should not be abused
or used as a tool for anyone to use to further their own agenda. My problem
is that I have a rather specific view of Fidonews and what I would like to
see it as being. Like you I guess I just hate to see it be used for persoanl
reasons instead of as a important part of Fidonet.


 CS> (though I count him as a friend even if many of
 CS> you do not).


     I would like to also. I don't hate Bjorn or even dislike him. I have
problems with him as editor but not with him as a person. I would very much
like to see him remain as editor. But he has stated clearly that he doesn't
care anymore and has allowed the Fidonews echo to become what it is today. I
know how frustrating it can be to try to moderate people some times. But when
Bjorn states in the echo that he doesn't care and that people are free to act
as they choose. That doesn't speak well of him as an editor or a moderator.
It also screams free-for-all to the name callers and flamethrowers out there.
I very much respect Fidonews Carol. But I and many others have lost alot of
respect for Bjorn as an editor and especially as a moderator. While I can't
and will not speak for others. My opinion is based on what I have seen of
Bjorn's behavior and what he has stated.


 CS>   Fidonews is mythic in my world.  I posted my first note
 CS> there with trepidation because I didnt feel 'mythic enough' to be
 CS> allowed in those hallowed spaces.

 CS> Times have changed but my attitude is still to have respect for the
 CS> idea, if not every issue published.

 CS> I will reply with the respect my heart has for the fidonews.

 JS>>      It's not so much that the editor doesn't post articles from
 JS>> other zones. At least I haven't seen a problem there. My point was
 JS>> that if y are from a zone other that Z2 what you have to say is
 JS>> rejected out of hand. At least that has been my experience. It has
 JS>> been plainly stated in the Fidonews echo that things are done the
 JS>> Z2 way. If people don't like it then leave or start their own
 JS>> Fidonews and echo. IMO that isn' a solution but just another way
 JS>> to further divide Fidonet.

 CS> Fidonet now has a thought pattern of Z2 is bigger. If Z1 did that when
 CS> they were bigger, it was not as obvious.  It may have held sway, but
 CS> was not the systematic 'your zone vs mine' that we have seen in the
 CS> past 3 years grow.

 CS> People have polarized and it's very obvious from outside the 2 zones.

     And that is the problem as I see it. People are hung up on which
zone is better. Who's way is better. In some cases which country is
better. I know it sounds naive but I consider us all members of Fidonet
more than I consider us members of a part of Fidonet based on some
geographical boundry. As I have said to Bjorn and Michiel. Why does it
matter that I am from Z1 or that I live in the US? Lets use whatever way
that works best regardless of who's way it is.


 JS>>      I submitted an article and Michiel was given a copy or made
 JS>> privy to the article so he could reply in the same edition of
 JS>> Fidonews. Bjorn and Michiel of course deny this. The reply by
 JS>> Michiel isn't what bother me. It was the special privileges that
 JS>> Bjorn seemed to be showing his friends over everyone else.

 CS> Well, I am not sure.  I think if Bjorn did such, he would have done
 CS> same for me.  Fortunately he did not and will get a better reply less
 CS> rushed <g>.

 CS> Consider this.  Michiel posted one note. I asked a question. I got a
 CS> reply. I got a Fnews article apparently from that.  I postd here not
 CS> having seen it, but in ways that address most of it.  Did I read his
 CS> article?  No.  I just had a feeling what weas there and addressed
 CS> things as they came up.


 CS> Could your situiation be like that?  Possible?  I do not know, only
 CS> you would know.

     If Michiel had posted a message or a reply in the echo to what I said
in the article or followed with a reply article. I wouldn't have had any
problem with that at all. In fact I replied in the Fidonews echo to his
article about you and the nodelist. I chose the echo over the Fidonews
because I didn't want to use the Fidonews as just another forum to argue.

     In Michiel's reply article to me there were enough common points
mentioned or raised that left little doubt in my mind that Michiel knew
what points that I had raised that he wanted to respond to. Again to me it
wasn't the response as much as the principle used to allow the response
that bothered me.

     In my mind a Fidonews editor needs to be fair to friend and foe
alike. To apply the same set of standards to everyone including himself.
As editor and moderator they need to avoid projecting their personal,
political, or religous views in either the Fidonews or the echo. I don't
think that Bjorn is intentionally acting this way. I think that he is being
honest in that he no longer cares enough but can't allow himself to let go
and find someone that still cares.



 JS>>> they will listen to what you have to say.

 CS>> Thats been a bit of a problem perhaps, for all of us.

 CS> Hehe lets see.

     Ok. <g>

 CS>                                        xxcarol

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 CS>  * Origin: SHENK'S EXPRESS, Sasebo Japan 81-6160-527330 (6:757/1)

Jeff

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