Also: it sounds like the problem might be the haste with which certain decisions have been made (thereby leaving some folks out).

Well, maybe the problem is the time frame-- discussions are too long or too short.

I've just caught up on the discussion and am wondering if the anti-concensus feeling is half a dozen people who happen to be around at the time.

It could well be. I confess that I don't think we've had any real problames withactual decisions reached. (With the movie thread issue, I got the impression that was reopened and a different decision reached because it was decided something would be done for the Foamies anyway; so there was at least a trigger for reopening it.)

In any case, with this vote we'll hopefully get a more complete picture here. If it gets voted down, then that's good evidence that there's a broad consensus in favour of the broad consensus model.

Trudy, if it is a small bunch of people with the anti-issue, it'll come out in the vote, and what's the loss?

a) people who want to influence the decisions include themselves in the decision process and b) there is nothing barring ANYBODY from participating in that process.

Honestly, by the third time something I was against comes up, I bow out because I feel like a harpy. Which is also what I feel like when I'm agitating for something I'm pro.

The current process exhausts me, and I'm glad that I'm being given a clear opportunity to say so.

I don't think consensus is definitive of us, not at all. It's more complicated than that.

Trudy-- I am also thinking of it (and the WX thread tells a better story of how we moved into this than this thread, IMO.) as us argueing to a consensus, and then voting to make sure that no one is misreading the consensus.

Also: it sounds like the problem might be the haste with which certain decisions have been made (thereby leaving some folks out).

Sometimes haste is in the eye of the beholder, though. If you've been part of a several hundred post discussion on something, you feel like it's been discussed and thought about properly. But if that discussion was during the day your computer was down at work and you just came in at the end, it ruffles feathers when your last minute "but wait!" post isn't met with enthusiasm.

I've wavered on this, and I'm basically fine with either outcome. I wasn't unhappy with consensus, but a vote and a process won't bother me. Regardless, I like the idea of a short-term discussion thread when these things come up.

Now, since I voted to test the form and again for real whoever is counting might see me twice! If only I could have voted twice in 2000. Sigh.

For future reference, I'd suggest that the next iteration of the poll take you to a "thank you, your vote has been received!" page after your vote is processed correctly -- the red band is really an awfully small an area to change the text in and have it be noticeable.

I agree Michele. I tried to fix that, by moving the text and making it more prominant, but had trouble getting what I wanted to work. For now, I just made the text bigger.

Jon, I just voted and noticed that this:

If item is voted down, the size of the higher majority required will be put up for a separate vote.

appears at the end of both 3 and 4.

Way to go on putting the form together so quickly, though. It's a much nicer way to do this than cut and paste emails.

(Also, I was listening to your CD in the car today.)

Now, since I voted to test the form and again for real whoever is counting might see me twice!

Nope. Your first vote went to me, before I finalized the form with the correct "to:" email address.