Guest Editorial

Stepping into the Hornet's Nest

Welcome me to the ranks of one of Fido's most persevering entities: the rebel without a clue. In a brilliant display of naivete, I've managed to mention the terms "feed cut," "policy," and "committee" all in the same breath... in the MODERATOR echo! Judging by the heat, there are no other terms used in Fidotalk so emotionally charged.

Actually, this particular hornet's nest has been swarming just about forever, and I'm not the first who has ever stirred it. Perhaps that's the reason Policy 4 speaks in hushed tones about matters echomail. Lacking any formal policy, moderators and sysops have generally followed an informal set of guidelines collected in the North American Backbone's BOFAQ text file, distributed on the BACKBONE file area on a monthly basis. Most agree that the informal method has worked well, and may even be optimum.

But now we're talking about feed cuts, which aren't going to work well no matter what system is used. A feed cut is the ultimate confession that the purely voluntary approach to echo moderation and distribution has failed in one small area. A moderator doesn't like to employ it - he's spent a lot of time trying to promote the conversation, not kill it. A sysop doesn't like to make the cut - he's spent a good part of his life bringing people into his system, not ushering them out.

No one even likes to talk about feed cuts.

But then, that's the reason such a thing should be talked about in advance. When it's necessary, when the heat is on and the atmosphere is emotionally charged, it's just the wrong time to be discussing philosophy and organizational charts, who's in charge and who does what.

But the conversation is going well. My motives have been challenged, my premises have been challenged... but my lineage is still not a subject for discussion :) It's a good start for a Fido bash!

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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.
| From Mdtn_BBS @mdtnbbs.com [ In the Heart of Three Mile Island ]