[LINK] Maintaining the link list

Craig Sanders cas at taz.net.au
Mon Feb 21 08:34:24 AEDT 2011


On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 02:02:43PM +1100, Kim Holburn wrote:
> If this is going to be a democracy, it is a big change.  Are we going
> to take this democracy idea further and have terms?  Or just a one off
> to elect an oligarchy?

in my experience, democracy added to small groups after they already
exist kills them in short order - online and offline.

it shifts the focus away from what the group was originally for, and
onto the all-important "who is the leader?" and "what are the rules?"
and "why are we doing X when >=50.1% can be rabble-roused into thinking
we should do Y instead?" questions.

IMO, we've got some willing volunteers (there's one born every minute,
they say :) to do the minimal administrative work needed by the list.
let's leave it at that until there's either a major problem or they want
to retire.

as for list policy, i hope it stays roughly the same.  Tony's
light-handed moderation, and occasional setting of direction has worked
extremely well over the years.  LINK would have been very different (and
less useful & interesting, IMO) otherwise.

craig

ps: i'm a firm believer in the 'benevolent dictator' model for small
groups with voluntary membership, especially if the 'dictator' doesn't
act like one(*). it's the most *effective* way of getting things done.
with little or no scope for squabbling over the minute details of what
they 'should' be doing, members just get on with doing it.

(*) being too autocratic with volunteers is about as effective as
herding cats.

-- 
craig sanders <cas at taz.net.au>



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