Guest Editorial

When a Plan Doesn't Come Together...
The End of a Dream?
Douglas Myers, 1:270/720, doug@mdtnbbs.com

Fido's most persevering conflict is that between technical organization and social organization. At times it's bitter, but there's an awareness in both camps that they really need each other. Without the technical organization, the net doesn't stay connected. Without the social organization, there's no need to be connected.

Presently, the net is ruled by it's technical organization. Typical of those things designed by a technician, the basic organization is efficient, authoritative, and very logical. And, as typical, the organization falters when dealing with the social issues of right, justice, and feelings.

Those of a more social bent would prefer democratic election for all offices, and even issues. They've made significant progress at the net and regional levels. Typically these elections are slow and inefficient, but proponents feel that they better deal with social issues. Until recently, though, there had been no democratic elections at the zone level.

The scene for Fido's first democratic election in 1997 was a strange one. It involved an office, Zone Echomail Coordinator, which wasn't even "real" in that the position is not mentioned in Policy 4, Fido's governing document.

Many feel to this day that the position is not even necessary. Nonetheless, the position was offered to the sysops of Zone 1 for their selection.

Many feel the election failed. In the manner of elections, it was a loud and hotly contested affair. And, in the ultimate analysis, it produced a candidate who didn't survive his first term, judged by the technical and social proponents alike to be unsuited to the job. Now, in the selection of his replacement, it appears that the technical leadership has declared the grand experiment a failure and will simply select his replacement.

Is the dream of the social organizers dead?

Probably for now <sigh>. It's still theoretically possible for Bob Satti to insist on a sysop-level vote, but it would be at the risk of antagonizing the RECC, whit whom he's working well right now. It's still theoretically possible that the Regional Echomail Coordinator Council charged with determining how the next ZEC is to be selected, will ignore the feedback from their regions that the sysops just don't care to go through another election. It's still theoretically possible for the sysops, possibly stirred by this rhetoric, to convince the individual REC's that they truly want such an election. But then, it's still theoretically possible that there will be peace in the middle east and that the internet will shut down in favor of BBS's across the world.

I don't believe that we'll see a sysop-level vote for a zone office for a long time, and I wanted that because I'd caught a piece of the dream myself.

But I don't think it's the end of sysop-level influence at the zone level either. Though it's an evolutionary truth that authoritative organizations tend to lose touch with their constituency, I don't think this process is complete with Fido yet. For whatever reason, Bob Satti, as the head of this organization, _did_ put the election on the table in the first place. The RC's who make up the zone organization still takes input directly from the sysops. Even if there are varying degrees of sincerity. Even if some only make the pretense. It's significant that the form is still in place.

For my own part in all this, I plan to continue to work within the system, to keep the dream alive as best I can :)

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| Fidonet: Douglas Myers 1:270/720@fidonet.org
| Internet: doug@mdtnbbs.com
| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.
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