Really, le nubian? In my brain, anyone whose name I know is a "core member". But in some ways, I think we are governed by our core members... I would have to agree with Jesse that, at least in the past, the I "knew" most of the people both donating and voting, and it is fairly a fairly large group encompassing almost everyone I "know"

It just seems like people are saying, "Okay, we'll take this poll, but if we get answers from people that don't post in Natter or Bitches we'll just discount them because obviously they are not truly "One Of Us"."

That's not what I'm getting from what people are saying. People who post where ever are not lurkers. Those posters should speak up when we have these discussions and/or participate in voting, polls, whatever. If they don't, I think they've ceded what happens to the will of those of us who participate in this kind of thing. (And someone suggested making sure the poll could be anonymous, which I think is a fine idea.)

Ditto actual lurkers, actually, but I really don't feel any need to take their wishes into account when we try to figure out what this community is, because it isn't them. Sorry lurkers, I don't mean that to sound as mean as it does. What I mean is more like, I don't get to tell Rachel that she and Ross are all wrong for each other because I'm just watching them. Or something. I don't know what I mean.

Okay, so let me ask this question: given our current level of fundraising and costs, how many more threads can this website support before we have real degradation in service?

To me, this is a really important point that I'd like to hear someone address definitively.

Those posters should speak up when we have these discussions and/or participate in voting, polls, whatever. If they don't, I think they've ceded what happens to the will of those of us who participate in this kind of thing.

I agree with this. Obviously if someone's not willing to even vote or answer the poll there's no way to take their wishes into account even if people wanted to.

I agree that we should not bend over backwards to accomodate people who don't tell how us how we can accomodate them. That way lies madness. We've got plenty of madness without going and getting extra.

To me, this is a really important point that I'd like to hear someone address definitively.

So I have the spare cash to donate $250, do I get a bigger say?

or

I want more threads, if it's a tech issue, I'll pay to make it happen.

I don't like the path this might lead down.

I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of using money to decide who is a core user or not.

me, too. I've donated to the board off and on throughout the years, sometimes I had the money to help, sometimes I didn't. The amount varies depending on random things like what time of the month the pleas for funds goes out. I've been around since 1997 and consider myself a core member of the board, but don't think that my contributions would necessarily reflect that.

and the question about what makes someone a "core" member is legitimate.

I agree that we should not bend over backwards to accomodate people who don't tell how us how we can accomodate them. That way lies madness. We've got plenty of madness without going and getting extra.

Heh. For reals.

The technology issue is real, it seems to me. The bigger discussion about b.org culture of course overlays all this, but if we have real constraints on what we can do, then I think this should be taken into account.

I don't think those who are willing to donate more $$ should have a bigger say. Not what I was saying at all nor is that my intent.

Hec, I don't know. I honestly see this as yet another fruitless, tension filled conversation, now with added poll that can be a font of more fruitless, tension filled conversation for years to come.

But to me there doesn't seem to be any more inclination to talk television than Harry Potter or theremins or fanfiction.

If that were true, then there would not be a push to have multiple TV threads.

Yes, but there is a thread for Harry Potter -- and white font isn't required in it, and another for all books (~a general TV thread, only with books). There is a thread for music, in which the theramin talk would not have to be white fonted. In the fan fiction thread, you can discuss all fan fiction. We don't talk about those things in Natter.

I know people keep calling us a TV board. I think we aren't, really. We grew up around two specific shows, branched out almost effortlessly to follow the work of two specific guys.

We don't even really do that. I mean, Joss won't give us anything to follow. Tim, bless him, keeps trying, but he can't keep the fox out of his hen house.