Skydancer -- A Democratic Bluelight *see first post for link to Skydancer's response*

Thanks very much SD, I think (hope?) that your post will calm a good number of posters.

Personally I found it to be very informative, and confirmed numerous beliefs I had about how the board is run.

I believe, IMHO, that SD has these things under control...Catch may want to try to be a little more responsive to things, but...generally...the way BL is going does not seem to be such a terrible thing.
 
If Catch and SD are to busy on the technical side maybe there should be a 3rd Senior Administrator to handle the political aspects of BL
 
skydancer said:
Some of the people in this thread I have had on ignore for years because they are worthless trolls and I can only see when people quote them.

Srsly, I could care less about many posters.

Cheers!
sd
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power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Aston.

guess who has too much power?
 
SmC said:
I still don't get why all this shit has had to happen to the EDD board.
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I hadn't addressed this but it deserves another Q. It is a simple name change and not a takeover. We are not shooting moderators or users. Currently the forum is titled "Drug Discussion" but it is more social in nature and this has generated complaints. This causes misinformation and confusion to the naive user and that has been the reason to address it. There have been other examples of forums with ambiguous or unclear purposes and this makes a forum not realize its potential.

So if the regular users want to talk about drugs, a new forum will be created specifically for that purpose. There will now be two forums, one of which would be just the social aspects from EDD, and one will be focused on serious drug questions, and both audiences have the most appropriate environment. Someone who is interested in both simply can post in multiple forums (just like all other regional forums at Bluelight).

And if people do not care for a serious drug forum, the forum will become a social forum and people can chat freely without interfering with people looking for drug information (because these people would be specifically redirected to the drug forums).
 
skydancer said:
Catch plans and executes difficult harm reduction projects and staff management because other people do not WANT to.
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No offence skydancer, but, give me a break. 8(

I'm sure that a lot of people will buy that assertion who haven't had a hand in organizing something in a virtual community, but "difficult harm reduction projects???" Catch's response to the LEAP promotion proposal, is but one example of where Catch mixes up personal issues with decisions that effect the greater good of the harm reduction community.

Skydancer, if you can't see autocracy at work in the way that Catch "plans and executes difficult harm reduction projects" then I would suggest that you turn off your ignore settings. :\

Here is what I had to say about it in the LEAP promotion proposal thread:

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=181921&r=53
Originally posted by Invalid Usename
Catch,

Exactly, what does the failure of your harm reduction essay project have to do with promoting harm reduction and anti-prohibition issues to the law enforcement community? This is definitely a case of apples and oranges.

Your program is a failure because you've done a poor job of promoting it (both on the contributor end and on the visitor end). If you would like to gain a perspective start collecting statistics on the number of click-thrus that both your announcement received, and that the harm reduction receives (if you have not already done so). It is not because it isn't important, and it is not because people are not concerned with harm reduction. It is because it's entry point occupies a tiny spot on the front page titled "Harm Reduction."

Those who do go in there are presented with a list of articles "by Anonymous." And the titles are about as inviting as a colon rectal exam. "Face the Facts by Anonymous" you think that someone is going to click on that? And then it begins with:

"Let's face the facts. Drugs are dangerous. People take them and sometimes they die..."

And the article only goes on to further promote the sense of "sin and guilt" which is a byproduct of our prohibitionistic culture. How you think that this is going to be a "big hit" and are disappointed when it flops is beyond me. If you want your harm reduction essay project to be a success, then make it cool and interesting. And if you don't have the correct temperament to do it then find someone else who can.

Regarding the LEAP banner, you know as well as I do that it takes less then 10 minutes to add it, and that after that there is no further work involved. Given your response led me to believe that your decision had a lot more in relation to why you've blocked my emails than whether the notion of getting law enforcement on board in anti-prohibition has any merits or not (and that was the second time I had ever sent you an email).


If it is bothering some people that I "own" the suggestion, then by all means pretend that someone else made it. I am goal driven, and could care less if I am popular or not.

Bluelight's mission is to promote harm reduction. And the US (for example) contains 5 percent of the worlds population and 25 percent of the worlds prison population. If you want to reduce the harm that drugs have, working towards the goal of getting all of those people out of prison on victimless drug related charges goes a long way in that direction. Bring down prohibition worldwide, and the world will be a much happier place in which to live.

On the other hand, if all of this is nothing more than a popularity contest then that is your concern. I'm too old to play that game, Rome is on fire and I'm just a guy carrying a bucket of water to help put the fire out.


Now tell me again about "plans and executes difficult harm reduction projects."


And regarding Catch's "staff management." I would suggest that you schedule some time and re-read what has been said in this thread again. There are a lot of legitimate complaints which have been raised which you have basically colored as being nothing more than "personal whining."

I'd say, given the nature of many of the complaints, that it is apparent that Catch's "staff management" has been a disaster.

And, "staff management because other people do not WANT to???" It's easy to make such statements in a total vacuum. :|


And, although I appreciate your posting here, why are you answering here and Catch is not?
 
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skydancer said:


So if the regular users want to talk about drugs, a new forum will be created specifically for that purpose. There will now be two forums, one of which would be just the social aspects from EDD, and one will be focused on serious drug questions, and both audiences have the most appropriate environment. Someone who is interested in both simply can post in multiple forums (just like all other regional forums at Bluelight).

And if people do not care for a serious drug forum, the forum will become a social forum and people can chat freely without interfering with people looking for drug information (because these people would be specifically redirected to the drug forums).
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But why wont we asked about this first? It is clear to me that we all want things to stay as they're. All we were given was a flawed poll. Everyone has complained about the changes and some have even threatened to leave completely(i have been one of those people) We like things the way they're and being able to chat about what we want. I mean, if it ain't broke why fix it? EDD has just started becoming good again in the last couple of months, whereas before it was a pile of shit. Literally. And to have it split in two would only damage it. If people want to talk specifically about drugs surely there are enough drug boards anyway?

Just to finish this post, I see what your going to do, your going to make it like the austrailia forum, right?Well just so you know, i hate that set up and much prefer it the way it is.Basically I prefer everything on one board.
 
First off, I'd like to start by offering a bit of an apology to skydancer. Technically speaking, the site does run better than it ever has, and based on how challenging this issue was when I was part of the staff, I must commend him on an excellent job in overcoming those issues. However, this is a social board. No one gives a damn about the techinical achievements of a message board. Its a social environment and it's social problems need to be addressed with far more importance than its technical ones.

I admit freely that I, and probably many people that have posted in this thread, have been ill-informed about the amount of work that Walt and Brian put into this site. Having never actually been a Tech-Admin for this site (I just knew one of the old ones very well) I tried, but failed, to look at things fairly from that persepctive. Walt touched numerous times on just how little we all know about what goes on in his and C22's world.

And isn't that what the meat of the problem has always been? Lack of communication. The ruling theme in all of the many different grievances that have been aired in this this thread is that people are upset because they don't understand why things happen, and are never given a reason or explaination. It's impossible to know what is going on if no one is addressing this issues. Walts rant, and specifically his reply about the EDD issue, would have had a very large and signifigant impact on this thread, had it been posted a day, maybe two, maybe even three days after the discussion began. This entire thing may have even been avoided completely if the explaination Walt offered in his second post was offered in the first place, in the EDD forum, instead of Catch posting an ambiguous poll with absolutely no explaination as to what was happening, and then very firmly stating that any and all comment and suggestion would be ignored.

The problem here isnt that anyone thinks that Walt and Brian do bad work. The work they specialize in is done very well, and I completely agree with Walt's statement that while the decisions they make aren't always popular, they tend to be for the best. They make the tough decisions that they, as the leaders of the site, think will be best, and they sacrifice being part of the "cool crowd" and, dare I say, the "bluelight elite", to try and improve the site.

Their intentions are noble. Their delivery is deplorable. It doesn't take a genius to realize how much a PR Admin would ease the tension around here. There is a second teir administration staff already in place that should be able to do this. Rather than be silent because they don't want what they say to be construed as "official", there needs to be someone who *can* speak freely, and "officially". Have a PR Admin, and keep them constantly briefed on whats happening and then have it be their respinsibility to make sure everyone else knows whats happening. There needs to be at least one person with access to the Senior Admins, that can make inquiries to them and recieve prompt answers,a nd then deliver information to the public at large. This will surely take most, if not all, of the heat off the Senior Admins heads.

We now officially know that at least part of the Senior administration doesn't care about a great many of the users on the board. By assigning a PR Admin to handle the dispersal of public information, they would never have to assoiciate with an end user ever again. They would only have to deal directly with one or two admins. Then, rather than treat the populous like children with "Because I said so, now leave me alone" answers, the users can be treated with respect like the adults that (most) of them are.

This is just a suggestion. One that I doubt will be acted upon due to just one voice in the crowd. If you like the idea, pass it along to a few other people, and have them pass it along. And then send a PM to Walt. And Catch-22. And xtcxtc, michael, thelovebandit, and blue lava. Let the people in charge know that this is something you want, and then cross your fingers and hope that they have the sense to do something.
 
great post spence, i think thats a great idea.

does this situation remind anyone else about office space where the guy is trying to keep his job by explaining his people skills? :-p
 
I've been following this because of the anonymous email and I am quite satisfied with sky's response.

It wouldn't hurt if catch paid the same respect skydancer did to the members of the site of which he has contributed so much to would it?

I know I'd appreciate 5 minutes of his time.
 
Spencer, that was a good post and your suggestions are well placed.

However, I think that the idea of a PR go-between adding a level of abstraction between those making socio-political decisions and those effected by those decisions offers little in the way of effectively dealing with the problem.

I am well aware what is involved to technically provide a service which is responsive to the demands of a user bases as large as Bluelight. And you are in every bit justified in saying that it is a large task.

The technical issues involved and the way in which they have been addressed , deserve the label of "masterful." And Skydancer deserves the thanks of many people for that technical feat.


But I don't think that putting a PR administor between Catch and the Bluelight population is going to change anything. Effectively denying programs which deny improvement in Bluelight's harm reduction goals have the same effect whether they are delivered with a simle or a frown or no expression at all.

Catch is not benefical to Bluelight's harm reduction goals. And that fact will not change so long as he is making such policy decisions.
 
walt continues to disappoint....

things are not on track, there are many many people willing to do what catch is doing. you are basically hearing what you want to hear, and its really quite sad.
 
Invalid Usename said:
Catch is not benefical to Bluelight's harm reduction goals. And that fact will not change so long as he is making such policy decisions.
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Catch has contributed an incredible amount to bluelight you are not giving him respect for; don't use one inconsideration (edd) as a reflection of a life’s work.

I have no bias here but I think this witch hunt is definitely not in the best interest of bluelight.
 
Fry-d- said:
Catch has contributed an incredible amount to bluelight you are not giving him respect for; don't use one inconsideration (edd) as a reflection of a life’s work.

I have no bias here but I think this witch hunt is definitely not in the best interest of bluelight.
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catch has fucked up more than he has helped, sorry to say.
 
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