[wplug] Trivialities... Re: A gentle reminder on posting etiquette

[Bill Moran]

In response to Ian Robertson <robeis1822 at yahoo.com>:

> Constantly witnessing people going off on trivialities (like becoming
> enraged when someone's cell phone accidentally gets left on) is exactly
> why I quit coming to WPLUG after only a few meetings.
> 
> Just a little food for thought for those of you trying to boost the ranks.

I agree with what you've said here ... however ....

> "You never get a second chance to make a first impression..."

This is the most ridiculous aphorism I've every heard, and it bothers me
that people continue to repeat it.  It's teaching people wrong things about
how the world works.

I, personally, have had dozens of opportunities to make up for bad first
impressions.  I can think of 2 specific incidents where I lost a job (I.e.
was _fired_) and was later able go back and work for the person who had
booted me.

Especially with younger folk, it's common knowledge that people grow up
and mature.  If there's any of you that _can't_ say that someone
gave you a second chance after you screwed something up as a kid or as
a teenager, then I feel very sorry for the lousy friends and family you
have.

With direct regard to WPLUG, I think it's _very_ bad to assume that once
we've made a mistake we can never recover.  I think it's bad for the morale
of the group and it's leaders to even insinuate that if we have a bad
meeting and make a poor impression as a result, that we'll never get
another chance -- that's simply not true.

Ian, I'm terribly sorry that you had a bad experience at a few WPLUG
meetings.  I'm also terribly sorry that you waited until you had such
a poor opinion of WPLUG before you said anything.

WPLUG is your group.  And by that I mean everyone who is involved.  The
point to last year's reorganization was to put control in the hands of
the members.  If you don't like something at WPLUG, it's your _duty_ to
say something, either privately to an individual, privately to the board,
publicly to the entire group, or by contacting the investigating committee:
http://wplug.org/pages/bylaws#7.3
Whichever you feel is appropriate for your issue.

If folks just stop showing up instead of letting us know what they'd like
to see done differently, then we (the elected leadership) are just
wandering around in the dark aimlessly.

-- 
Bill Moran
Collaborative Fusion Inc.