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View Full Version : Something to be aware of for future projects...




shane2
12-14-2007, 06:19 PM
I never, ever, would have done what I had to do, to get and then donate as much as I did, towards the blimp, if it had not grabbed my attention and imagination like it did.

IOW, that was $ that was not initially available, much less going towards, anything else RP campaign related, none of it, ever, till the blimp idea rose up!

There's going to be projects like that come up, and people like me, and when the way is clear to let em rip, get out of the way! I say that because...

I then went to work encouraging others who were similarly motivated to 'be blimped', and do the same, and started sending them here to the forums to get hooked up and check it all out.

But, unfortunately and disappointedly, I quickly had to stop sending them here because of the spate of droning negativism about it all, well past any constructive criticism, as it was turning my best prospects off, not on!

They were then deprived of all the other good projects and support and direction and encouragement going on here, too, that could have helped them better and more enthusiastically support RP in many different ways.

Anyways, yes, folks need to donate directly to the campaign as much as they can first, especially on bombing days like the Tea Party, but be aware that sometimes some of these other or new projects, like the blimp, unleash imaginations, and then funds, that were never earmarked for any RP project to begin with!

I'll bet that $25,000 blimp donor would agree.

So, yes, we need open discussion and constructive criticism to assure the best expenditure of time/money/energy for every project, but when it crosses the line, like it did here for a spell, we are tragically losing new folks that originally came eager to help make things happen!

- Shane

P.S. - I know most know this, but we need to also go easy on the newbies and go out of your way to welcome them aboard, too, as you've got a ton more lurkers here more apt to sign-up then, and participate, too, if they see they'd likely be treated as well!

mpython77
12-14-2007, 06:22 PM
So true sir.

QuesoPantera
12-14-2007, 06:22 PM
AMEN

Ron's Problem is no longer money, it's getting things done, NOW.

mdevour
12-14-2007, 07:40 PM
I assume the people who own ronpaulforums.com and pay the hosting bills have some kind of mission or purpose in mind for their creation.

From the guidelines:


This forum is dedicated to pursuing the agenda of Dr. Paul and seeing his campaign win the 2008 presidential election, the forums structure and guidelines are designed to fulfill this purpose while allowing as much latitude in posting as possible and de-empowering agent provocateurs.

I also see these points:


+ Any form of antagonizing other members is not allowed by non-established members.

+ Floods of low-value material may be subject to being moved into an alternate sub-forum or deleted. More tolerance will be allowed for established members.

+ No excessive / pointless negativity on the campaign, its future or elements of it. All messages with a negative tone about the campaign from new users must provide supportive facts as to why there is a perceived negative and provide some suggested solutions to the issue.

I'm afraid a few of the worst disruptors of blimp project discussions were established members, and the deference they are given in the forum guidelines may have led the moderators to give them more lattitude than they deserved.

In my personal experience running forums and mailing lists I have learned that the moderators must realize and accept that NO member is so valuable to the group's mission that they can be permitted to be uncivil to the point of destroying the group's usefulness.

There is no need to fear purposeful disruptors and agents provocateur when established members are allowed to behave in a way that is indistinguishable from them.

I do not know if the hands-off approach of the moderators results entirely from this, or if they are also short-handed or reluctant to be seen to "censor" the discussion.

I do know that had I not had ample past experience with these kinds of situations I WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVEN AWAY IN DISGUST from this project and anything else to do with Ron Paul's grassroots movement! Shane's lost prospects are hardly an unexpected outcome.

It should not take days of abusive posting by any member, new or well established, before a moderator takes them aside to correct them, puts them on moderated status, or suspends or bans them. VBulletin software permits moderation or banning on a per-subforum basis, so there ought to be ways to restrict abusive posting without completely throwing away a long-time member.

Instead, I saw obnoxious people mocking others' use of the ignore function and openly contemptuous of every effort to elicit even the slightest degree of self-restraint from them.

I respect the owners efforts on Ron Paul's behalf, and I understand that, unlike a few posters here, the moderators have a life apart from the forums. I still cannot help but feel that they fell short of giving this project the protection it needed and deserved.

If Ron Paul is to reach the White House, these forums will have to grow to several times their present size. The owners need to ready themselves for the additional demands on their time and finances, start recruiting and training more staff, and should consider a serious review of their posting guidelines.

For Liberty!

Mike D.

Ozwest
12-14-2007, 07:52 PM
When trolls like Menthol Patch and LaughingManOO make over 100 posts per day with un-constructive criticisms directed towards the blimp it is difficult to create an atmosphere of cooperation.

Thankfully they have been banished to the "troll" wilderness.

Constructive criticism and debate is always welcomed, but we must remain vigilant and remain aware of infiltrators whose only intentions are to wreak havoc on this forum.