From: anderson@macc.wisc.edu (Jess Anderson)
Subject: A Better Year Ahead
Organization: Madison Academic Computing Center, UW-Madison
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 92 05:44:27 GMT


As is obvious from recent discussions, I've been concerned
that 1993 should be a better year than 1992 was in and for
soc.motss.

In addition to the possibility of splitting soc.motss into
several newsgroups, along the lines presently being
discussed, there is the issue of vigilance about
cross-posting, which way more than half the time raises the
heat without raising the light.

But there are other issues to be worked out too.  I see
these as including, but not limited to:

-  Changing the base name from motss to something more
   obviously related to lesbian, gay, and bisexual
   interests.  We've had very full discussions of this issue
   several times in the not too distant past.  From those
   discussions, "gay" alone won't fly.  There's close to
   complete consensus, I think, that we need greater
   inclusiveness than that.  Strictly for economy, lots of
   us say LGB or LGBO to refer to the cohort.  But unless
   you're already familiar with that acronym, it's every bit
   as opaque as motss.  That's why I currently favor
   soc.lesbigay.

-  Several posters make regular appearances here *primarily*
   as harassers.  This includes the recently present Clayton
   Cramer and Phil Ronzone.  *Long* experience has shown
   there's little or no point in engaging such people in
   debate or other discussion.  I think it's an individual
   judgment call what to do, if anything, about that, but my
   own inclination is to refuse to let them co-opt my
   energies.

-  Since its inception, we've loosely considered the
   founding message as a kind of charter for soc.motss, the
   major tenet of which, in practical terms, is that our
   sexuality is not open for discussion as something that
   needs to be defended.  Notwithstanding that we can always
   profit from talking about what is or isn't appropriate
   here, it seems to me that at a minimum we can agree that
   who and what we are is not an appropriate debate.  To
   that end, perhaps we should now create and ratify a
   formal charter, and when people post inappropriate things
   here, send it to them with some form of cease and desist
   message.

-  Newcomers have brought us much of great interest over the
   years, thank goodness.  Most of them, anyway.  More and
   more of the newcomers, it seems to me, are from
   non-computing environments, and I've been thinking it
   might be a good thing to find volunteer mentors to guide
   anyone who wants help with their posting software.  This
   could be fairly simple help, like how to edit the
   headers, how to cite previous text with your editor, how
   to get better software if possible, and so forth.  My
   guess is that lots of people would appreciate the help,
   if the requests I've received by email over the years are
   any indication.  Of course, volunteers have to be found
   and pointers to them included in the FAQ.  But the whole
   idea there is to be proactive about things that formerly
   have been left to chance.

Well, I'm falling asleep in my chair, so that's enough for
now.

-- 
[Jess Anderson <> Madison Academic Computing Center <> University of Wisconsin]
[Internet: anderson@macc.wisc.edu <-best, UUCP:{}!uwvax!macc.wisc.edu!anderson]
[Room 3130 <> 1210 West Dayton Street / Madison WI 53706 <> Phone 608/262-5888]
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