Hands! Hands in new places!

Willow ,'Storyteller'


Bureaucracy 1: Like Kafka, Only Funnier  

A thread to discuss naming threads, board policy, new thread suggestions, and anything else that has to do with board administration and maintenance. Guaranteed to include lively debate and polls. Natter discouraged, but not deleted.

Current Stompy Feet: ita, Jon B, DXMachina, P.M. Marcontell, Liese S., amych


Jesse - Feb 27, 2003 10:05:35 am PST #5759 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Crap, now I realize what Jon was talking about. Nevermind!


Jon B. - Feb 27, 2003 10:14:21 am PST #5760 of 10001
A turkey in every toilet -- only in America!

No worries, Jesse. I edited for context.

Because it seems to me that if we say we're establishing a new policy, we should handle all issues through that new policy. Otherwise, it (to me) seems like we're confused, and not really committed to changing anything.

In theory I agree, but given the short amount of time left where this is even an issue, I thought we might expedite it.


Typo Boy - Feb 27, 2003 10:39:02 am PST #5761 of 10001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

I know some people are impatient with this process. But others feel it has been rushed a bit. Also one reason we are having this discussion is that some people feel that our "consensus" process actually rushed things through, and let a few people who happen to be in Kafka at a certain time decide for a everyone.

And "Minyan" is fine with me.

Then again, being the Buffistias, why not make it "minion"?


Wolfram - Feb 27, 2003 10:52:55 am PST #5762 of 10001
Visilurking

I disagree. I might care enough about an issue to think that it should be decided one way or another, even if I personally have mixed feelings on the issue. I just want it decided!

Exactly, also, many people may just not give a damn about an issue, one way or another, but cast an abstaining vote out of deference to those who care deeply.

Obviously I disagree with both these statements because people can show they want an issue decided (or deference to the issue raisers) by posting in the discussion (here or in a separate thread if that's what is decided) without having to go ahead and vote abstention (which is also a bit oxymoronic.)

And regarding the number for quorum, I think 50 is way too high for most issues, and I would set it somewhere closer to 10. (FYI, minyan is 10 people.) The big issues (like the current one) will automatically get more people and the small issues - well I think 10 Buffistas should be enough to matter.


Jesse - Feb 27, 2003 10:55:58 am PST #5763 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

But we've gotten more than 50 votes on recent thread-naming polls. And I don't think 10 Buffistas are enough to make significant changes to the site. I don't, sorry. I'm sure there are many groups of 10 people who would like a new thread added. We can't afford to add that many new threads. Etc.


Wolfram - Feb 27, 2003 10:58:00 am PST #5764 of 10001
Visilurking

But we've gotten more than 50 votes on recent thread-naming polls. And I don't think 10 Buffistas are enough to make significant changes to the site. I don't, sorry. I'm sure there are many groups of 10 people who would like a new thread added. We can't afford to add that many new threads. Etc.

I'm not saying 10 people are enough to get a new thread. I'm saying if 10 Buffistas care about something and nobody else bothers to vote it should matter.


Jesse - Feb 27, 2003 10:59:48 am PST #5765 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

OK, I realize I can't come up with an issue that only 10 people would care about. So I abstain. (Heh.)


Typo Boy - Feb 27, 2003 11:00:46 am PST #5766 of 10001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.

But if we are to have a minyan requirement at all, I would want abstention to count. Because an abstension says "this is issue is important enough to me that I want it decided, but I defer to others on HOW it is decided". An abstention is the equivalent of being present at a meeting but not voting. It still counts towards the quorum. If voting "abstention" is too oxymoronic for you, how about voting "present". This only makes sense if we have a quorum requirement. But if we do than allowing some sort of vote that counts towards the quorum, but does not decide the issue make sense, or is at least worth debating and voting on.


Burrell - Feb 27, 2003 11:04:31 am PST #5767 of 10001
Why did Darth Vader cross the road? To get to the Dark Side!

I realize that I am becoming Cranky McCrankypants on this thread but here goes: If someone doesn't want a quorum, they don't want a quorum, period. But if we do vote it in, then it means most of those who voted DO want one, and therefore it needs to be meaningful. A quorum of 10 out of several hundreds is NOT meaningful. Neither is a quorum that includes abstentions, IMO, but if the number were meaningful enough I might be okay with the idea.

Honestly, I think that any issue will get to the voting stage would have anywhere from about 75 votes to well over 100, so I would think a quorum of around 50 would be reasonable. 100 would be too many, I think, for some resolutions to pass.

But that's ONLY if the quorum votes passes. Otherwise, 1 vote is enough, theoretically, the change the structure of the board. Like I said, I doubt that we would get to the voting stage with anything that generated that little interest on the board.


Jesse - Feb 27, 2003 11:06:10 am PST #5768 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Honestly, I think that any issue will get to the voting stage would have anywhere from about 75 votes to well over 100, so I would think a quorum of around 50 would be reasonable. 100 would be too many, I think, for some resolutions to pass.

But that's ONLY if the quorum votes passes. Otherwise, 1 vote is enough, theoretically, the change the structure of the board. Like I said, I doubt that we would get to the voting stage with anything that generated that little interest on the board.

Yes. This.