[Ambassadors] Red Hat's investments (was Re: Going passive)

Paul W. Frields stickster at gmail.com
Tue Nov 30 13:52:57 UTC 2010


On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 04:35:07PM -0500, Máirín Duffy wrote:
> On Mon, 2010-11-29 at 12:34 -0500, Bill Nottingham wrote:
> > Bruno Wolff III (bruno at wolff.to) said: 
> > > > 1. No swearing.  No exceptions.  (I look forward to the first time I get
> > > > kickbanned from the list for violating this one.)
> > > 
> > > I don't like that, but can live with it. But please clarify if that includes
> > > things like '%$&!' where people don't type a particular swear word, but
> > > indicate they are swearing and perhaps also cases where a particular
> > > swear is indicated, but not spelled out (e.g. f'ing).
> > 
> > Meh. I'm not sure what a zero-tolerance policy on swearing buys us - it's
> > orthogonal to actually behaving in a civil manner, IMO.
> 
> Swearing by itself doesn't bother me. I get upset when swear words are
> used to describe people, especially individuals but groups of people as
> well.

That's pretty close to my feelings too, although I'd hope a group of
intelligent people could express themselves in a more professional
manner, frankly.

One of the lessons that's been hammered over and over again in
community conferences I've attended, by projects including Drupal,
Gentoo, Ubuntu, and others, is that the worst effects of incivility
don't happen to participants in a conversation but to onlookers.
Onlookers are disincented to participate in discussions in hostile
venues, which in turn discourages contribution.

The advisory-board list, by virtue of addressing broad, high-level
topics, should be hospitable to onlookers and reflect a thoughtful
level of discourse.  That discourse should encourage participants to
drill down into other areas of Fedora that are of interest, and
thereby *encourage* contribution.

As a moderator/administrator on this list, who serves in that capacity
at the pleasure of the FPL, I'm willing to help ensure this list
remains hospitable to people to discuss Big Issues concerning Fedora
in a civil manner.  I'll assist in whatever way the FPL and the Board
deem necessary and appropriate.

-- 
Paul W. Frields                                http://paul.frields.org/
  gpg fingerprint: 3DA6 A0AC 6D58 FEC4 0233  5906 ACDB C937 BD11 3717
  http://redhat.com/   -  -  -  -   http://pfrields.fedorapeople.org/
          Where open source multiplies: http://opensource.com


More information about the advisory-board mailing list