[IMC-Seattle] Re: imc-seattle Digest, Vol 19, Issue 7

[Laury]

On Nov 19, 2004, at 12:02 PM, imc-seattle-request at lists.indymedia.org 
wrote:
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Lance Larkin [mailto:inzimbabwe at yahoo.com]
>> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 12:46 AM
>> To: imc-seattle at lists.indymedia.org
>> Subject: [IMC-Seattle] proposals
>>
>>
>>
>> However, I found one of the reasons for hiding posts
>> to be extrememly problematic. Position #11 says that
>> the IMC can hide posts that are, "off-topic or are not
>> news."
>>
>> I see where this one comes from. We don't want little
>> Suzie to turn the newswire into a running thread about
>> her dog. However, there is also a lot of room for
>> abuse here. Who defines what is news and what is not?
>> Is an article on the Burning Man arts festival in
>> Nevada on topic?
>>

The issue here is one of honest empowerment.  I would like you to 
consider two things.

First, the purpose of the Editorial Policy is to layout expectations 
for our end users.  If Suzie posts a notice soliciting volunteers to 
create a anti-Bush Burning Man art car, she may not appreciate 
Troll-ella coming into the discussion trying to convert everyone to 
Jesus.  IMHO, openness demands that Troll-ella have access to the 
policy that empowers the folks running the site to remove her post if 
begins wasting bandwidth with  off-topic or non-newsworthy items.

Second, everyone seems to talk about trust, but few people are willing 
to empower anyone to make decisions.  The items listed in the policy 
are not intended to create a dictatorial environment where discussion 
cannot exist.  In the contrast, all of the items -- including #11 -- 
are found in the Editorial Policy of other IMCs.  The irony in running 
an open forum is that good, rewarding conversations occasionally 
require someone to act as facilitator or monitor.  In my 6+ months of 
continuous clerking, I've noticed that the goal of Trolls is to disrupt 
the newswire until the conversation ends. Our users complain most about 
our LACK of moderation and ask that Trolls speech be monitored.   IMHO, 
this is the abuse that we should try to eliminate.

Is it possible to abuse any of these rules?  Yes.  But let's trust the 
people and the process.