The only stuff I've deleted is a couple of the hostile, "This blog sucks" posts. But thanks for thinking of one more thing docents can do to make your life easier.

than it is. The system is biased, and we that have complained need to give up. This post is more for my middle of the road co-horts, than for the docents or others.

Clearly posts don't need to have any connection with science to be good posts by those who seem to sing that song regularly. Al Gore who is neither a scientist nor did he have good facts is followed by the green crowd like rats after the pied piper. Yet I post on a scientist's point of view on the AGW debate, but because his area of expertise in his field of science is geology, he is immediately disregarded. Even though he makes a compelling argument based on science. The same occurs with none science related posts.

So to my more conservative bloggers here, let it go. This is Rick's pond and he and his appointees get to call the shots. If you don't like a totalitarian styled blog, create your own or go to one you like. If you try to stay here an encourage or force a true community blog you will either go away frustrated or get banned. Either way, you will get more gray hair, larger ulcers, or want to take a long drive in a short garage.

For me, I will post a news article here once in awhile that I think is neutral and maybe enjoyed. And will really try to stay out of debates other than those that are LE related.

Yes Rick, your older...disfunctional brother is going to reduce your stress some!! :)

"Forgiving or punishing the terrorists is left to God. But, fixing their appointment with God is our responsibility."

itchyhitch.blogspot.com

Getting more and more like corporate media that we are all supposedly "tired of".

I remember an email from a certain publisher of a corporate newspaper that said "we can ban anyone without reason"

The natives are restless.

JT, what should the docents be doing differently? Should we just put up with people we feel destroy the atmosphere here through personal attacks? Should we allow anybody to post anything and not try to be an Olympia news source? We're trying to stick to a hyper local model, and some recent posts haven't fit that. What should have been done differently? Basically, I feel like you've been saying "Tear it down!" without presenting a plan to build it back up.

Give me a topic and I'll hyper local it for you in 15 minutes guaranteed, using nothing but my Google search bar.

Topic: New York Cops acquitted in "wedding day-50 bullet" slaying.

 First off, I do think there is some sort of bias.  I am not certain it is on purpose though.  I'm likely to jump on stuff I view as distorting or damaging to the Right to Bear Arms because of my own fervant beliefs in that particular civil liberty.  I'm sure other people here also are liable to view things as filtered through their own biases and belief structures.  There are no true neutral people IMHO.

As far as creating a webpage and managing sections, I have had a pretty easy time on mine, although Drupal is probably more complex than the Wordpress I use.  Also, I am not maintaining a community site, but rather a benevlolant dictatorship.  I want interaction, but the title is "Steve's Blog" not something that suggests a community like "Olyblog".

I know I've ripped into the docents a few times, and some of it was unjust...  I'm still here though so that must count for something on both ends.

I think this nearly insane emphasis on "hyperlocaling" everything is tearing the blog apart.  People's bias and opinions about certain topics, and/or posters are causing problems, and those posters who feel marginalized or picked on are starting to get angry.  Add to this some very fluid ideals about what works and what doesn't...

I like the idea of hyperlocal on the front page.  If folks want to discuss something else they have an interest in maybe there should be other sections.  Again, I don't know how hard Drupal is to tweak, but I add new sections in about a minute on my page...

I think what really drives people apart here are non local politcs and science issues.  Perhaps sections on such topics, segregated from the rest of the blog would work.  I'm happy to host neutral and pro gun discussions on my webpage, but I also will post such things here if they have a firm hyperlocal connection.  

For the most part I think the docents do a great job.  I have issues with one of them and I'm not giving names, and I'm not alone with it, nor disucussing it further.  Things can't be 100% happy happy joy joy.

Is Olyblog a benevolant dictatorship, or is it a community driven blog?  If it is a dicatorship that's fine, most webpages are, but they usually have firm rules spelled out so there are no grey areas.  If it is community driven, either the vocal group here that has issues are simply being ignored due to idealogy, or there is a silent majority that the public isn't hearing from, which I feel is unfair.  Community disucssions should be public.  It allows for accountibility and for everyone to see what is proposed.  

It seems though, the new changes are not working as well as is hoped.  Maybe another tweak is in order.  The sad thing is change seems to come about here through contention and strife...   

Those are great ideas. When are you going to get started? I look forward to seeing the results.

 

I have started.  I am proposing the sections.  If the community wants to reorganize itself along some of these kind of lines, I suspect that we can find people who will agree to manage the section.  

It starts with agreeing about what sections we would have.  I think it is clear that hyperlocal/metro is the front page.  

I propose a Ballistics section, I bet we can get a volunteer within a day to manage that section.  S6, Norm, JT all are likely to offer their time and knowledge in that section. 

I propose an Arts section.  Enpen clearly creates a lot of entries for that kind of page. 

I propose a Science and Technology section.  

I propose a Hall of Shame section where cut and paste entries and other examples of just lazy and stupid entries could be displayed with a short explanation of why an entry makes the hall of shame, and the comments should be turned off for that section.  

There is more, but my point is that when I take the time to propose these sections, or a strike and temp suspension model to create a community here, I am already functioning as a volunteer here.   I am not simply complaining about the docents or the structure or individual decisions, I am taking the time to think about this community and to make concrete and detailed suggestions as a volunteer interested in this community. 

I will be Anon Larry's mini-me here and echo that he is correct that volunteers sometimes make their own work harder.   I don't think that is a knock on the volunteers, I think it is a function of volunteerism as a labor pool.  In that sense, the work of the docent/volunteers with Tschida comes to mind.  Way too much time and energy.  A strike and temp suspension model would have cut the time and discussion way down and Tschida would have picked up his suspension strike fairly regularly and suspended himself most of the time with little or no effort by the docents to help Tschida understand where the line is, what constitutes a strike, etc.  

I will also echo S6 and say that I believe ideology is almost always in play.  It is the water that we swim in. It is so pervasive as to be invisible to many.   To discuss this further requires a meta discussion and everybody has to step back, take a breath, drop their defensiveness and forgo any impulse to exploit a "gotchya" moment in an open, authentic and vulnerable conversation.  These kind of discussions are like catching lightning, it's a powerful moment, but it's probably over pretty fast as someone or thing steps up to be the lightning rod and end the powerful moment.  

Everytime I take a few minutes and propose constructive and detailed approaches to this community, I am a volunteer here.  The community can take the suggestions up or not, but I am volunteering my time and ideas when I post them here.   

Ya know, one of the reasons I started 'blogg'n on the OlyBlog is because I didn't feel like I was just out there alone, by myself...

...I really enjoy'd the comments here, and just want to say that >regardless< we have formed a community of folks here in Rick's O-Land, we are in community, and while we don't see eye-2-eye, we are sharing, responding, engaged...like it or not, we are an OlyBlog family (funky as all get-out, but a fam none-the-less)...

...OK, so after a few nice days and some celebration I'm all luvy =) my best wishes to you all