Re: [AML] AML Discussion Board

Gregory Taggart wrote:

>>>Hmmm. Let me see. How else could you have seen it? I guess you could have
seen that maybe AML's un-paid leadership deserved the benefit of a doubt.<<<

It's not often that I jump in on Michael's side of an argument--I generally
feel like the balance needs to be on whatever the other side of the issue
is--but in this case I have to offer a bit of a "me too."

Attempting to dial down on the defensive rhetoric, I did find it a bit
precipitous to be told that everything about our little community was about
to change in a scant three days. Yes, there was a conversation on the list
about moving to a more blog-like environment, so we certainly had some
warning that changes were a-coming. But I also recall a fairly strong
reaction to that conversation that a lot of people would hate such a change.

I'm not arguing the fact of the change, its possible value, or its long-term
potential to expand and enhance the overall experience. Still, from an
individual user perspective it felt a lot like having a door slammed in my
face by a friend. It felt like the AML had told me there was a better party
across the street with the new friends they've been hanging out with for the
last three months--bye.

I felt like the middle-aged wife of a polygamist telling me he was marrying
a nubile plural this afternoon and will be back after the wedding--oh, and
what's for dinner? I wasn't sure whether I was really invited to the new
party or whether I was now functionally unnecessary. I'm still not sure, but
being socially inept I'll blunder into the new forum anyway.

Fair or not, that's how it felt to me.

Of course the AML is free to do whatever it wants with its forums,
auxilliaries and programs without informing me. Still, after ten years of
participation it would have been nice to get more advanced notice. It's a
matter of respect for those of us who actively participate in those
programs.

If it were possible to back up and do it again (hindsight is easy, after
all), I would have offered a transition period. Give people a month or two
to get used to the switch. Find a way to maintain both forums at once with
synchronized content (a lot of human cost overhead, but it gives people time
to alter their behavior over time and adopt the change is a less threatening
manner).

I would still consider offering some seed posts targeted to the specific
forums you've started over on mormonletters.org; create overlapped content
in both places (as Kathleen Woodbury did in the Writing forum, and Eric
Samuelsen didn't in the Misc Literary forum). Reflecting a conversation from
this (well established) forum in that (not yet established) forum builds
crossover and helps seed the new environment.

This kind of cooperative crossover makes me feel like a partner in the new
venture, which is what I think people in this old forum want to feel.

>>>You know, you could have seen that just maybe there were a few good, meek
souls on the board of 11 men and women and that not all of them were serving
because Enron no longer needed their services. <<<

I don't think anyone perceives ill intent on the part of the board, we just
feel like you sprung it on us in a sudden manner when there was no real need
for it. I think it was predictable that people might feel disoriented and
even betrayed that the core rules of interaction for the past twelve years
were changing in a matter of days, like it or not. You didn't give us time
to prepare for a move or to close out our accounts.

Pulling the bandage off in a swift yank may hurt less than the slow method,
but it still hurts and people still tend to cry out.

I understand that there's no easy way to make that kind of radical change. I
work in software and we tend to do that to our own customers--release new
product that's incompatible with the old product and requires a complete
reinstall, data migration and alteration of longstanding best practices.

It's the cost of progress. And the customer always complains, even when you
give them plenty of advanced notice. Still, that notice is very much
appreciated and shows respect for your customer.

I think that's why some of us feel betrayed and even a bit angry. We feel
that the organization has shown us the same kind of disrespect that has so
incensed you in Michael's responses. Perhaps it was not intentional, but it
stung just the same.

Scott Parkin