Posted by Timne on July 7, 2009, at 19:57:58
In reply to Dr Bob, posted by Dinah on July 7, 2009, at 18:29:09
That "sorry the community didn't" comment caught my attention, too. I've read up a bit on the doctrines behind administration of this site, and understand that the putative architecture is one in which group members offer support, and the site owner does primarily admin stuff.
This raises an interesting question. Does the Mr. Hsuing consider himself a member of the community? It could be consistent with his published goals to not not to consider himself part of the direct support network, but how could an owner of a community not be a member? Slum-lord isn't the only conclusion, and absentee landlord doesn't entirely describe the situation, but to whatever extent he is involved here -- and he clearly has been for as long as this thing has been here -- he would seem a member of the community. If not, well, that seems a bit removed and some people might see it as condescending.
Then, if he's not a member of the community, he does seem to blame the tenants for not getting along when he was the one who primarily determined what boundaries would be set, so the tenants can't shoulder all the blame. If he is a member of the community, he seems to be shouldering some blame, but not exclusively.
Is this an admission of failure or an expression of hopes? If it's an admission of failure, I would prefer to see more clear admission of one's role in the failure, rather than blaming all the other drivers on the road, too. If it's an expression of hope, couching it as an apology on someone else's behalf (the community) might be off target. What I think I hear is that he wishes there was a way to inspire "the community" to resolve these things. "Sorry" is a bit toward "there probably isn't a way, we've tried," whereas "I'm searching my soul for a way to make it happen" is more forward looking and doesn't suggest he's stuck with nowhere else to turn.
This is not atypical for people who put themselves in a position of authority with no oversight. When your only checks and balances are those over whom you have a modicum of authority, it can be difficult to find inspiration to resolve problems. The Web has not moved in the direction he set here, with dynamic personalities leading long-term communities. Personalities have gravitated toward personality sites -- blogs -- where it is clear the editorial policy is idiosyncratic to the particular personality. Forums instead have moved toward more anonymous oversight, with the rules and general brand concept providing the "personality" that sets tone on a site. You'd think at some point he might get tired of carrying the load alone, and consider his guests worthy of leadership beyond his unsupervised offering and that he recruits volunteer members to offer under his guidance. -- maybe he asks casually for advice, but a board of qualified advisors and a brand more focused on concept than on personality might go a long way to quell his need to apologize for things he doesn't really seem eager or able to change.
My $0.02
poster:Timne
thread:905306
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20090707/msgs/905546.html