Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Steven Champeon <schampeo AT hesketh.com>]

on Tue, Oct 14, 2003 at 08:57:02PM -0400, Alan MacHett wrote:
> I don't believe this will change INW.  The expansion of the site will only
> augment and formalize a process that already occurs, namely the transfer
> of knowledge from more experienced members to the less experienced or to
> the public in general.  With Michael's communal-effort concept, I think
> it's a win-win proposal; if you or someone else wants your expertise
> posted as an article then it happens, and if you don't like the idea then
> you don't have to play.

Sure, as long as I, and anyone else here, who doesn't have the time or
energy or desire to transform a brief splurt of info into an article
that will live up to some reasonable editorial standard, can decline to
make a post into a more polished article, I don't have any objections.
Go for it.

But I think it's also worth pointing out that many of us here do this
for a living; we all have reasons to balance whatever value we believe
we have as professionals against the value of contributing to the
community.

And, as may have been clear from my reply to Tanner, for many of us
writing is hard work, and something in which many of us take less
pleasure than might be suspected, especially if you want the product to
have some value outside of the context of a quick give-and-take on a
list.

I don't have any problem with any community (or any part of a community)
wanting to tap into the resources it has available, even to change
and/or enhance the basic nature of that community. I've wanted for
several years to do something similar for the community I founded. In my
case, I had to ask for help, had trouble getting out of the way, and for
the most part the efforts generated much light and not much heat.

But when the desire to make something more, with help, turns into a
pressure on someone else to simply deliver /more/ on top of whatever they
may already give, don't be surprised if you get some pushback. It is
difficult to expect a gift economy to tolerate much regulation,
especially if it feels like a tax on knowledge.

If there is an editorial review board, I'd be happy to volunteer.

Steve

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