[wp-hackers] Future of wp-hackers

[Doug Stewart]

On 9/26/07, Jennifer Hodgdon <yahgrp at poplarware.com> wrote:
> Chris Williams wrote:
> > Same goes here.  Just stop noise early.  And it's the community's
> > responsibility.  When a thread goes off-target, when the horse has been
> > beaten to death, anyone should feel free to guide it elsewhere.
>
> I am not sure that would work... I belong to exactly one high-traffic
> list that manages to stay on target. There are a few factors that make
> it work:
>
> a) Rather than community policing, there a few designated moderators
> (benevolent dictators) who "fling a wet noodle" when anything gets out
> of hand, and say the thread must stop. If someone else wants a thread
> stopped, they can ask a moderator to do it. People generally respect
> this and stop discussing the thread.
>
> b) There are very strict list guidelines regarding what can and can't
> be discussed, which are written down, and a link to the list
> guidelines is at the bottom of each post.
>
> c) In order to get a post through the mailing list software, one of
> the designated subject indicators must be in the subject line. For
> example, for the Hackers list, you could have subject lines like
>     (plugin) Proposed plugin for better tag editing
>     (core) Better tag editing needed in core of WP
> etc. There are only 7 approved subject indicators in the other list
> I'm on. Posts that don't fit in one of those subject areas are outside
> the list. Also, people can subscribed to only a subset of the subject
> areas if desired.
>
> d) There is a separate list called "NWR" (not web related -- this
> particular list is for discussion of web-related topics) for people
> who want to participate in off-topic discussions with like-minded people.
>
> I think something like this could work on wp-hackers, and would
> improve the list greatly. It would take a little work to write the
> list guidelines, but I think the list software on wp-hackers already
> supports topical subject header filtering.
>
>      --Jennifer
>
> --
> Jennifer Hodgdon


As my mother-in-law would say: "You've been reading my mail."

I think that what is being lost in this discussion is that what makes
WordPress great ISN'T just the code, but the code + the community.
Would WP see the usage that it does, sans a vibrant aftermarket in
plugins and themes?  I'd wager not.

The idea is to foster community wherever possible, and segmented/gated
portions of the community are definitely not the way to go. They breed
resentment, suspicion and an aura of distrust of the gatekeepers.

So, that being said, if everyone's amenable (and it only works if they
are), I think we ought to look to sanction a couple of
Gatekeeper/Keymasters, folks who would work not just under the
auspices of the community but also have some manner of official
recognition from the official documentation.  Elections?  Appointments
from on high?  What say you?

Maybe we institute terms -- say, 6-8 months at max, rotating through,
so that there's less burnout for the G/K and so they don't get a
little dictator's schwerve on...

Thoughts?

-- 
-Doug

http://literalbarrage.org/blog/