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.

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.

Well, I talk about music in Natter, because I'm not into the kind of music that is generally talked about in there. And I know I've talked about books in Natter.

And on the flip side, none of those is a high-volume thread, because in most cases (Harry Potter aside), reading or listening to music or whatever isn't a mass media event that everyone participates in at the same time -- or even within a week of each other. It's just different.

I don't think there's really a serious suggestion that posters who donate more should have some preference. I think the real point was that some lurkers contribute to the board in other ways. Moreover, this seems to be a touchy issue for something that's not really serious. I would suggest we not go much further down the path of everyone expressing opposition.

People who post where ever are not lurkers.

This is it. If someone is posting somewhere on here, they aren't a lurker.

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.

Yep. There have been all sorts of votes or polls here that I haven't participated in because I didn't care strongly about them, and I was fine with whatever everyone else decided.