Posted by shar on July 10, 2002, at 18:13:59
In reply to May I post?If so, a response for Shar and others.., posted by krazy kat on July 10, 2002, at 13:10:19
>I remember the wonderful and sometimes life-saving interchanges with people on social. There wasn't an air of fearing to post....
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Luckily, there are people who continue to post in warm and helpful ways, evidently without that fear...> But to say something such as "I guess if someone isn't interested in supporting the people who are in pain, or their interest is superceded by political considerations, so be it" (Shar)
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I guess I don't see where my take on the situation, stated above, relates to your hitting a brick wall over the deficiencies you see in the board. It is a simple issue of priorities, imo...
>>when the ability to communicate easily with those suffering is taken away
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I do not see how the ability to communicate with others has been taken away. If the priority is communicating, and one is blocked, one can learn how to communicate in a more acceptable manner. But that is only if the priority is to communicate with those who need help.
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> "If posters leave because they don't think someone (or 20 someones) should have been blocked, obviously their commitment is not to the people who remain (you and me, and all the others)." (shar) - there's much more to it, than that.
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I honestly believe you believe there is much more to it than that. I also believe people do what they want based on their own priorities. If one's priority is to be a part of communicating with people here who need help and are in pain, then that's what they will do. There may be a lot of 'he said, she said' kind of stuff, and ideas, and opinions flying around...but the bottom line is people will do what they want, some stay and some go. They make choices.
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>Most of us have left emails where we can be reached if someone needs help or to stay in touch, so this is not necessarily true.
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It is only true in the sense that someone who has a desire to participate in this *community* will do so. Leaving an email addy is different from what my post was about.>Admin is a place for both to express their concerns and help get them resolved. It's just that nothing's been getting resolved lately.
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Well, this is where our thoughts and opinions diverge about the purpose of the admin board. It allows posters to give input, to talk about what they do and do not like, to make suggestions. It was never set up to "resolve" concerns based on majority rule or something. It is set up to bring concerns to the attention of Dr. Bob, which I believe people have been doing. What he does with the information, whether or not he changes something in regard to the concerns expressed...that's up to him. And, that's all that I ever felt was offered to posters via the admin board. I don't know how it began to be seen as a place where posters could come and change how the board is handled. It always has been up to Dr. Bob to make decisions. What has happened (imo) is that he has made his decisions, and posters continue to post frequently about why he is wrong, and the moral/ethical aspects of his unwillingness to do things a different way (my way, usually), and keep things pretty stirred up in general. Which is fine, if that's how they want to spend their time.
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> "They'll undoubtedly be missed by some, but if PSB gets back to the business of support etc., I think the grieving process will be short" (Shar) - wow. ouch.
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This is simply how I see the dynamic: back to basics; we have people here who are in serious pain and need support. If Person X leaves, sure Person X will be missed, but to someone in serious pain, what they need is support (which the missing person no longer gives in the context of this board). If I am on the verge of suicide, writing a post about 'how am I gonna make it,' it is unlikely I will spend a lot of time wishing Person X was here to reply. What I'd need and want would be to hear from the people who ARE here and ARE willing to talk to me, and help. Again, just my own take on the situation.
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> "I am ready for the Psycho Babble power struggle to come to an end" (Shar) - it's not really a power-struggle. We all know Dr. Bob calls the shots. But without a place to express our concerns re: the running of the board, well...
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This is one place that loses me. You say "without a place to express our concerns" but there is a place to express concerns about the way the board is run. The only thing I can figure is that maybe people want to express concerns in a certain way, and that's not acceptable. I am at a loss as to what the statement means 'without a place to express our concerns..' when there's a whole board devoted to it. And, I do see it as a power struggle--the dynamic of it is about who will/should/could change this board in a way that a group of people want. Now, is my take on it right? That's a whole nother question. Obviously, it feels right to me, but not right to you, and who is to really say? I fully expect that some people will disagree with me, and that's ok.>there's an option for Dr. Bob and those who feel compelled to stay. Get rid of the admin board. I feel certain you will lose many more people that way out of frustration, but Dr. Bob Could just accept e-mails instead. And of course, there is lost information for Dr. Bob re: the communication between posters without admin... but it's an option.
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Again, I'm confused. I choose to stay (it doesn't *feel* like a compulsion, but then who knows?), and I also choose to make use of the admin board in its current incarnation. If people choose to leave for administrative reasons, or really for any reason, that is unfortunate. But, I don't see the need to modify the admin board because of it.> I meant to address other specifics so as not to target that one post, or poster, but this is getting far too long.
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>It [the board] has problems, though, which I'm guessing are mostly due to growth and an inability to handle it individually.
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Maybe so, it's really hard to say, and the perception of what problems exist would no doubt vary widely among posters.
> Those arrows sure hit the mark.
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If I had my druthers, you would not take my opinions and apply them to yourself, unless you felt they 'fit.' My goal was to look at what I saw happening, and express my thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the situation, not about you.
I hope you will find a way someday to come here and have it be a good experience. You will certainly always be welcome as far as I'm concerned. And, there is value in having the historical knowledge of what has taken place, imo.This board is not the one I came to originally, either. In some ways it's better, some ways it's worse. But the bottom line is, for people who need help and are in pain and are having a hard time every day, I believe it's a good place to be, for me, for now.
Good Luck, KK.
Shar
poster:shar
thread:6155
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020627/msgs/6165.html