[Elfsea] Cosolidation of Meetings

Timothy Rayburn timothy_of_glastonbury at yahoo.com
Fri Aug 10 14:19:11 PDT 2001


> > Moot and Business Meeting currently are one different days of the
> week.
> > While I appreciate that symmetry of days allows the calendar to
> look
> > neat,
> >
>   I don't really care how the calender looks, I worry about what is
> easier to
> remember.
>

Easier to remember is a fine goal, but we produce a monthly newsletter
with a calendar in it so that the 'activities' can be scheduled
whenever they want and people can still know when they are.  That
calendar is also available on-line, for immediate access.

Let us focus specifically on Business and Populace for the moment.
Would it be worth one person not attending these meetings to make it
easier to remember for the rest? Would it be worth 2? 10?

Personally I feel it's not worth the risk that someone /might/ not be
able to attend one or the other.  I realize we can't every meet
everyone's schedule, but we can also avoid pitfalls that could make it
difficult.


>  This makes me sound like the wicked witch of the world. I would
> never
> presume to force anything on anyone and never use athoritarian
> tactics. I
> thought I asked for advice, I don't think I dictated new policy. And
> if I
> offended you personally with my request for dialogue, I am heartily
> sorry of
> having offended you. Folks, I am not EVEN advising you, I am asking
> for
> advice. If that will cause you to burn me in effigy, so be it.

It was not my intention to make you look like the wicked witch, or to
hurt your feelings.  If I did, I am sorry.

What I was trying to do is to make clear that not everyone will take
'suggested' days for a particular activity, say A&S, as merely a
suggestion.  There is a power of influence and possible discouragement
when an officer says "we prefer that A&S meetings happen on X & Y
days." It may not be intentioned as authoritarian, but it can become
so, especially once it has the power of 'history' or 'tradition' behind
it.

There are things in nearly every office that are never questioned
because "they've always been done this way" that were started simply
because of happenstance or choice of one office-holder long time ago.
When one of these changes it is reacted to with shock because it is
outside the comfort zone.  I feel there is a risk in "suggesting" that
a particular day should be used for a particular activity.  That risk
is this habit for things to become ingrained.  Even if we intention it
well now, down the road someone who does not play right now may feel
that since they can't free adys X or Y they shouldn't open their mouth
and suggest that a Norse Ear Scoop Guild would be a good idea.

Obviously "they've always been done this way" things can be changed.
The change in format of the Elfsea Scroll is a prime example of this,
but how many Chroniclers of Elfsea (not to their fault or failure)
simply never even thought of making a change because that is how The
Scroll had always been done.  When we put something in writing, or make
it pervasive in how things are done now, it can have quiet,
immeasurable impact on things down the line.

Timothy


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com/



More information about the Elfsea mailing list