To begin, thanks to one and all for the discussion to date. Before reading my comments below, please note I am not upset. If anything, I am now even more enthusiastic. We need this kind of discussion to stimulate the best ideas for the good of this forum. It's OKAY to disagree, so don't hold back if you have good ideas. Just be ready to defend them, as I shall now do below. Because the best ideas will likely be used by the board to make better decisions going forward. The worse one can do in this discussion is not participate and turn a blind eye to it.
This Discord discussion is definitely off topic - and illustrates that it really doesn't matter if it's discord or forum or whatever, off topic chat happens anywhere
Naturally, took note of the pop-shot my way. (No, I am not upset,.) But as I wrote before, I disagree with such "off topic" assertions. The entire discussion about 1 year or 3 year terms has to do with the BOARD, which has to do with the way this site is MANAGED and HELD TOGETHER. Long term viability is at stake. I view the topic of "Discord" (for better and for worse) as very much being a part of the long term viability of this "FORUM." To merely relegate any and all talk about Discord as being "off topic" is to treat that important and RELATED topic too flippantly. It basically says:
"Even though this is a POLL, we shall tighly restrain all talk in the comments thereunder by forcing participants to talk ONLY about the POLL and they shall not talk about anything else pertaining to the long term viability of this forum or decisions made by the board, including the decision to advertise Discord on the top page of this forum."
While it may upset some to hear this question I shall nevertheless ask it...
How is that NOT being too strict?
It's not like I was talking about having waffles for breakfast, which would TRULY be off-topic. All topics that benefit the Board and the long term viability of this forum SHOULD BE valid here. I will continue to fight for people to have that level of FREEDOM, and yes, FREEDOM is indeed one of the reasons this forum was created in the first place. Not "waffles for breakfast" ridiculousness, but the freedom to talk about very closely topics which are needed at this time in this discussion.
Consider a situation where people are voted in and decide they want to take the forum a totally different direction than the membership wants. What happens then? Who holds the Board accountable? Who can say no and actually stop them? What happens then could be the death of the forum. We need protections against this sort of thing.
Well, I wouldn't have become one of the first people on the Founders team had I not been approached by Mr. Fahrenheit, who was the lone man who came up with the idea of a new forum (for the good of the community) and who assembled the first people. Those people (myself included) then proposed other people to come on board, and we eventually went on to have 12 or so, but some decided not to participate, so the numbers dropped a bit. This was summer 2021, when we started off using email (my preferred method of contact, so we all have permanent records which cannot be deleted), then later switched to Discord (which eventually was deleted), and then ultimately we elected a Board based on rules proposed by Mr. Fahrenheit and voted in by the Founders, agreed to by all those elected to the Board.
So the fact THE original one-man Founder (Mr. Fahrenheit) who assembled (directly and indirectly) all other Founders had a particular vision that was largely upheld by the original Founders team establishes an original framework with which we can compare to what we have today. And if there is any deviation from that original vision, it should be noted. I'm not saying such deviation is right or wrong. But obviously, Mr. Fahrenheit has the right to chime in and say how he feels about it, as that adds important perspective. Some pop shots were fired his way, so I stand in defense of his right to speak. I also defend Mr. Fahrenheit because I am well aware of the animosity some have toward him, even though those same people staunchly defended him when he led the original founding team in the summer of 2021. The root of animosity is emotion, and that needs to be switched off.
But in answer to Android's excellent question about what happens "where people are voted in and decide they want to take the forum in a totally different direction" well, technically speaking, it is the right of the board within the framework established to take the forum in a totally different direction if they so choose, AND AT THE SAME TIME, those who vote in the board (forum members) hold the board accountable. If you can vote in a board member, YOU CAN VOTE THEM OUT!
If we are to have a board elected by votes, then we must have a system in place that can RECALL board members if that is what the forum membership wants. No, I am not saying we need to recall anybody now. I am merely answering the question put forth by Android which asks: "Who can stop them?" Android asked it. It's a good question that has an answer. The answer is and must be "the people who vote them into office." And the term of that office is what the poll is about, and largely what this entire comment section is about.
I would also like to go back to what I said about Discord, which some who DISAGREE with my comments want to label "off topic."
If we truly CARE about the board, and good management, should we be so harsh and strict about what SOME consider to be an "off topic" discussion that really isn't? Speaking of strict...
I'll also add there is no way I could take doing this as seriously as I take my day job, family, or IRL responsibilities. This _is_ a (fun) hobby. Turning it into a job ruins the fun and joy of it. Of course board members should attend meetings and take on responsibilities to better the forum in their capacities and if they can’t step aside, but I whole heartily disagree with making it a job. It's easy enough to burn out with your real job and IRL responsibilities.
Just my 2c - also It's great we can even have these discussion vs just taking whatever you get.
That has to do with "strictness." So we see some will be strict in one area but not in another. The above quote is also an opinion which on some level suggests that the board should take the job less seriously "because it is a hobby." It seems to say, "to get too serious on the board ruins the fun and joy of it."
As I said in my earlier posts, I disagree with those who treat nearly every matter flippantly by quipping "it's just a hobby!" because that suggests we can just drop it all at any time. It suggest people can simply NOT APPEAR for board meetings if they aren't having enough fun, etc. But it is due to some board members not having attended meetings in the first place that this POLL exists.
If you are just a member of this forum not elected to do anything, you can indeed drop whatever you are doing any time. You aren't elected. You have zero responsibility. But when you are elected to anything, the situation changes. That doesn't mean you can't have fun. But the type of fun changes in light of one's responsibility. And let's face it, nobody on the board was elected against their will. Everybody elected threw their name into the pot.
Why am I, JDW, not on the current board? Because I didn't throw my name into the pot in the last elected, that's why.
Friends, what is the entire point of this POLL? Let's talk about that.
Was the poll created because things are going well on the board?
No. Quite obviously not. And that doesn't mean anything bad about board members necessarily. It does say that things are not going well, as per the original comments by Kai and others. But it also shows the board is taking action by getting everyone involved, which is a good thing. (Although I still think we need to grab more people off Discord so they actually see this thread and chime in.)
Indeed, to extend the length of terms via the POLL is to basically say: "the board, at times, is somewhat disfunctional now, and this poll is our means of addressing the core problem centering on participation and the need for board members to be more responsible and participate by understanding their job better." In other words, board members don't just get elected for the badge of honor and then party till the sun goes down.
While it is great that
"we can even have these discussions vs just taking whatever the board dishes out to us" the fact is the board is accountable to its voter base, which is how it was originally designed. And yes, Mr. Fahrenheit was very much a part of the original design and the original founders largely voted in the framework that was largely established by him.
No doubt, some will chime in saying my words are yet again off topic and therefore should be relegated to another forum like FEEDBACK where they know it would not gain traction. But I vehemently disagree with that. That talk is DEFLECTION and not constructive. Let us be open and friendly here, not harsh and restrictive.
And that brings up the last topic....
Most people are too emotional.
Even during the founding days, I disagree vehemently with some of the Founders. But here's the crux.. It's NOT all fun and games. There are times when we need to get serious and even disagree. But as mature adults, we need to do that by way of the one great trick taught to us by Lt. Commander Data — we must switch off our emotion chip! That way, we can STRONGLY DISAGREE, yet go home FRIENDS at night. We MUST DISAGREE, yet not get pissed off, or say within our hearts, "I hate that guy!" Sometimes we'll need to AGREE TO DISAGREE, and that too is okay. But the backbiting and hidden animosity toward each other must stop here and now.
This is why the board isn't just one or two people. There are various jobs and various perspectives. Not everyone will agree with me, and that's ok. Not everyone will agree with Mr. Fahrenheit, and that's okay. But the Board HAS TO LISTEN to all forum member voices because it was created that way by design. And part of LISTENING means we are appreciative of all feedback, even if that feedback happens in this particular comments section and not in the magical "FEEDBACK" section of this forum.
So again, going back to what Androda asked, the answer really is simple. The Board can indeed be stopped if it takes a different direction. Too many are worried about that. It can be stopped! "NO PERPETUAL KINGS" means we have established a framework to stop rogue rulers. It's that way by design. Limiting terms to 1 year was an attempt to better control that power versus something like 2 years or 3 years or 5 years. But it is up to the voter base and the current board to determine if longer terms, staggered or not, are really necessary and how they are to be implemented. It requires consensus by the voter base. That is one big reason why this POLL is important, because it asks Forum members to actively participate in this decision which impacts governance.
Thanks to everyone who have participated to date. Let the discussion continue freely and unrestrained. Please invite people you know who are fellow forum members if you feel their voice could help. We really do need more voices than we have right now (and no, I'm not taking a pot shot at anyone by saying that). Let all constructive opinions flow freely.
