Hi All — This is an exchange I had with someone in FB last week. It sure was difficult to wedge it in there and make it clear whose words were whose. At any rate this FB person (whose name I unfortunately learned) said "OK" when I asked permission to post our exchange in this QT, but requested me to redact their name.
Hello S.O.S.,
===> (I'll be marking paragraphs of my responses with that ===> symbol, and showing your text in indented italics) Hi
FB UID redacted! This FaceBook naming convention will drive me quite nuts! :) and pls pardon the length of this... almost 50% of it is your words anyway...:)
Been watching your posts and I must say personally I am intrigued by your proposals. Clearly some changes need to made in order for the forum to grow.. Unfortunately I am not a techy, at all, so it is difficult for me to follow or feel like my input may be nothing more than a distraction.
===> OBTW, the substantive parts of this note would imho be better placed over in the links I pointed to, which are QuickTopic (QT) links; it's so much easier a tool to use than is FaceBook (FB) because more than just me and you will read what we say... Albeit that QT is still not quite the right tool that we imho need. As far as your "I'm not a techy," nope, no distraction at all, no worries. You're more then welcome; if you have a question about anything, ask and someone in the discussion area will come to your aid.
But it's early on and I wanted to share a couple thoughts about how to get and keep this conversation going re more input. ...
===> I'm really glad to have the opportunity to get your advice! :)
About the announcements of your wonderful page in threads, I think you could address the announcement a bit more clearly as an invitation to discuss.....etc..
===> :) Thanks for that "wonderful." :) That's a really good point you just made. I try to keep the intro text as short as possible so as not to unduly disrupt the ongoing discussion of the base post, but I'll work some on clarifying what I mean. TYVM for the guidance. When "non-techy" users say "What does that mean??", then it's a sure sign that the technical writer has not done their job completely.
Also be sure a new post has been up awhile before introducing an OT. Perhaps acknowledge the author and their posts work in the current thread before getting to the meat of your OT matter.. (which clearly is intended to benefit all of us) I would also restrain from posting about this at all in a live or special guest thread..
===> That's an excellent point about waiting till the discussion "matures" before inserting my OT (clarified) :) comment. I often try to preface my OT with some sort of base-post-relevant comment, to sort of "justify" my presence there before jumping to my own OT stuff. But I'll admit I don't recall doing that recently. To my recollection, I've never done my OT thingie in a LiveBlog or Special Guest thread. I figure that in the firsst case, the server's loaded down enough without my shoveling in ANYthing that's not directly relevant. And that I realize it would be Just Plain Rude to post anything not related to the Special Guest's appearance in FDL. Though I can't recall having done the latter two "impolitenesses," I'll certainly remember your advice going forward.
As you can imagine in an open source area like FDL there is not a lot of hierarchy nor time for everyone to do everything.. like you, we are all volunteers. But one of the few clear rules mods have is not to allow OT in guest or live threads like book salon or Blue America etc. also the likes of Lew's Padilla threads as well
===> Yep. Tnx, as above.
It's tricky, I know.
===> Naah, it's quite simple really; and as long as I say something relevant or complimentary to the base-post writer, and don't post my OT stuff too early, and stay away from the two posting-types that I believe I have avoided thus far, I think I'm good to go. Again — I appreciate your taking the time to explain the "unwritten rules of our social community" more clearly to me!
May I ask a couple of questions?
===> Why, sure!
Have you sent emails/ invitations to view and or join or support your page/ideas, to the big cheese like Jane, CHS, Pach etc., directly? I noticed Jane is on your friends list at face book.. perhaps she is watching or you all have spoken.. I don't know but thought a direct invitation to view your ideas and or garner support for your efforts may help move things along with more participation from firepups who could really help you.. If so.. please disregard, if not. perhaps you should consider doing so.
===> Another good idea that I'll take you up on. No, I haven't had the guts yet to directly address them (I have so much respect and indirect friendship to them, that I hardly wanted to distract them, specially since they work so hard "herding cats") (that's us), the huge and growing community that they've created through their hard work.
===> Howsomever, someone (Pach? I'm not sure) thought that FaceBook (FB) would be a good tool upon which to further build the FDL community, off its normal blog base. I disagree strongly, feeling that FB is fine for what it's designed to do, but that it's quite offbase for what we imho need. For example:
Who cares whether person X is "friends with" person Y? Very interesting, helpful, and probably necessary in a social networking scheme, but
irrelevant to the FDL community where we are all equal (imho) in being able to comment on anything. That's why I think another user model — a modern web BBS — would be much closer to the mark. I hesitate to address Them On High because SOMEbody in that group has created this FB FDL community, and I am saying that it was the wrong decision, there being working examples out there that are closer to the goal. Furthermore, I've sketched (elsewhere, in the QT) a way for the FDL blog to be integrated with a BBS in the background — in such a way as to change the FDL blog we know and love only minimally.
Perhaps Jane has another face book weekend post in the works and you could post an extended invitation with her endorsement in that thread??
===> Interesting notion. I'd certainly be happy to influence things to that extent. Problem being I am getting snowed under with responses, most positive, and I want to keep that going... Though I certainly admit that getting Jane's imprimatur would be a major step in the right direction! :)
Sorry this is a choppy note, but I'll stop here and hope it 's received with nothing but the best intentions in mind.. hope a mssg this size will squeeze through facebook mail system and find you well..
===> Not choppy at all, in fact very interesting. This means I've received it very well, and with thanks. Interesting about your misgivings about message length. So if this thingie-larger-than-yours doesn't make it thru either, then I'll just email it along outside FB.
===> Would it be OK with you for me to put the text of your message into the ongoing QT discussion area]? If so, would you have me put in your name as
FB UID redacted? Alternatively, you could put this stuff in yourself... You can get there by clicking here:
[1].
===> You can create a QT account virtually instantly, choosing a screen name the same as your FDL nickname.
Your real name or email addr need never appear, if you like. Or if you don't want to bother with a QT user ID, you can just post and write in your nickname for every post. Same thing as a Gabbly account: You can register and thus "claim" your nickname or just pick the same one when you come back.
===> After I post your valuable comments in the discussion area, hopefully others already there will comment. You've said some important things that imho should get wider distribution.
===> The beauty part about the QT discussion is that it can go on past the temporal boundaries of normal FDL postings.
[N.B. — I'm still not endorsing QT as the "right" tool for FDL!]All the best and thanks for your indulgence, FB UID redacted
===> You're quite welcome! Thanks for your comments! Best back atcha! Cheers, "
S.O.S. from MA" in FDL, aka "
Sos von Ma" in FB :)
