[Ravensfort] Communication in Raven's Fort

aodhfionn at unforgettable.com aodhfionn at unforgettable.com
Tue May 22 23:55:21 PDT 2001


Greetings,

I would like to apologize for my part in the inability to discuss these issues
coherently on previous occasions.  I have trouble thinking on my feet when in a
non-confrontational mindset.  Once I've gone into a confrontational mindset, I
like others, have trouble holding a reasonable conversation in person.  In all
of my attempts to deal with this I have encountered those who, in *my*
perception, want to argue, or want answers _right now_ or not at all.

Having had the opportunity to think about the questions asked of me and to ask
others how they felt, I have managed to gather the following information:

There are six methods, or potential methods, of conveying information in this
barony: Populace and Business Meetings, Quoth the Raven, The Email List, The Web
Page, Word-of-Mouth, and A Phone Tree.

Populace and Business Meetings:  The baronial meetings, as much as we might wish
otherwise, do not cover everything.  Primarily, the biggest concern is that time
is so pressed that even if there are questions, some feel that they must be
confrontational to get answers, but most would rather avoid conflict.  When
questions are asked, the answers are frequently hurried, incomplete, or put off
until 'later'.  So, there are quite often unanswered questions after the
meeting.  I understand that these questions could be asked at the less pressured
post-meeting get-together, but some must skip this to get sleep, others simply
may forget to ask their question.  There is also the consideration that even
though one person asks the question, there are probably others who had thought
of it, but either were confused about who to ask or were too insecure about
asking, but weren't around to hear the answer.

Quoth the Raven:  I do not know what specific mandates, restrictions, or plans
Lady Clarissima is working under, but I want to be clear that I am not blaming
her specifically and wholly for any problems.  The Quoth, except for the one
being sent in June, is not mailed out until after Populace.  This places a _lot_
of faith in the U.S. Postal Service.  I can understand the need to save on
postage, but there are some who still have not received the _May_ Quoth.  Those
who have received it are used to it arriving too late to be of any functional
use for at least the first two weeks of every month, unless they are handed
their copy at Populace.

The Email List:  The email list does not seem to get information to the populace
in a timely manner. Usually, when information finally gets to the email list
about something, it is no longer an email designed to get people involved in
plenty of time, but a notification of work done, or a last minute plea.  In
other words, the email either says something like 'here is the report...', or
'here is what's absolutely needed in two days even though we've been at this for
a while', or 'Don't forget XXX is happening tonight!'  There are those times
when information gets to the list _well_ in advance.  Unfortunately, there is
seldom anything in between these two extremes.

The Web Page:  Again, I do not know what circumstances control Lady Jacinth's
actions, and I am not blaming her for any problems.  Being newer than all of the
other methods, it isn't being fully utilized as yet.  I'm not sure how many are
actually aware that it exists, but it is located at:
http://www.ravensfort.org/.

Word-of-Mouth:  In my opinion, this method is depended on entirely too much.
Especially since we are constantly reminded that this method is how rumors get
started.  Another problem with it is that people only tell those they are close
to.  In an ideal world, this would mean that the information would spread like
lightning throughout the barony, but this seems to only happen with the bad news
and hurtful gossip.

A Phone Tree:  Since this is organized word-of-mouth, it is almost being used
now, but it definitely lacks the organization to make it effective.  Seeing that
this method has not been used in an organized fashion, yet, it is difficult to
say whether or not it would work.

All of the above:  As I said in my previous response to Mistress Lorraine, the
main problem, as I see it, is that these methods are not being used _fully_.
Just because something is discussed at a meeting does not mean that there would
be no interest generated by mentioning it on the list or in the Quoth.  I
appreciate the attempts made earlier, by Lady Hrafnhildr (sp?) to post the
minutes of the meetings to both the email list and the web page, but I have not
seen anything new since January.  She _volunteered_ for the job, and I praise
her for her efforts.  I mention this to point out something good that could
be/was done, not something that has gone wrong.  Just because something is
mentioned in the Quoth or on the list does not mean everyone in the barony is
automatically aware of it.

When I have brought this up previously, I have been asked for specific examples
and the names of the "others" I claim to be talking to.  I would like to be able
to give such out, and might eventually be able to, but there is difficulty with
this.  The difficulty is that, too many times, someone has pointed this out only
to be treated as if they did not care enough to try to get the answers in the
first place, even though that is not necessarily the case.  Due to this
reaction, people are gun shy.  Also, in order to avoid conflict and
disillusionment, we try to forget the times when we found out what was going on
too late.

There are people who might want to be active, but not be in the 'public eye'.
Can you understand that desire?  Sure, many people (I daresay most) love the
recognition, but few desire the attention that comes from actively searching for
ways to participate, and those few often become officers--the members least
likely to keep their privacy.

I realize that I have been asked for, and not expressly given, specific
solutions.  Like many, I do not know _why_ the barony is doing some of the
things the way it is.  There _might_ be sound, reasonable explanations for every
problem listed above.  If there are, then what I have stated above are not the
problems that need to be worked on, but the _reasons_ for them are.  A terrible
situation, but my efforts to get information in person have failed.

So, that's the way those that I have talked to and I see these things.  I feel
that there are solutions already evident in the problems as I stated them, but
not necessarily having all of the information, I can't know for sure.

Finn



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