Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sdcsvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!jww
From: jww@sdcsvax.UUCP (Joel West)
Newsgroups: net.news,net.news.group
Subject: Re: Newsgroup creations and deletions
Message-ID: <1039@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 13:20:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.1039
Posted: Wed Aug 14 13:20:57 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 08:33:01 EDT
References: <725@vortex.UUCP> <1352@cbosgd.UUCP> <1438@islenet.UUCP> <3091@nsc.UUCP>
Organization: CACI, Inc - Federal, La Jolla
Lines: 50
Xref: watmath net.news:3816 net.news.group:3451

In article <3091@nsc.UUCP>, chuq@nsc writes:
> In article <1438@islenet.UUCP> richard@islenet.UUCP (Richard Foulk) writes:
> >Private meetings among small groups of net wizards is just fine.  Just
> >as long as they don't make any real decisions for the rest of us without
> >bothering to consult us.
> 
> Well, I've never considered a Usenix BOF to be a private meeting. Sheesh.

Well, I've never noticed that a precondition to Usenet membership is
attending Usenix BOF's (or vice versa).  C'mon, not everyone can swing
the travel, get away from REAL work (whatever that is) or leave their
loving spouses long enough for a junket to chat with a bunch of hard-core
hackers.

> Okay, Richard, I have an offer for you. I have a writing career I'm trying
> to get off the ground. 
	... excess ranting deleted

> Just give us the word -- Spaf will send all of the mod.announce.newuser
> stuff to you, Mark will transfer moderatorship of mod.announce to your
> site, Rick will ship you all of the stuff so you can finish up 2.10.3, I'll
> pass along my mailing list of list. We can give you the job of head
> coordinator for the moderators, forward all of the network related mail for
> you to answer, and let you coordinate the mapping project with Usenix and
> all of the involved sites. 
	... more ranting deleted

Isn't this going a little off the deep end?

Volunteers are first, last and always volunteers.  They do things because
they want to, because they obtain internal motivation for doing something,
and not because of external pay, promotion, sexual gratification, etc.,
etc.  When a volunteer no longer wants/is able to do something, (s)he
resigns (When I wanted to pretend to be a writer, for example, I 
un-volunteered as our Mac user group newsletter editor.)  When someone
complains but doesn't quit, one must assume the power/recognition or
whatever is more important that whatever is being complained about.

Volunteer organizations are very much wrapped up in the egos of the
volunteers.  The key to making one viable is harnessing the energy of
those who have ideas and constructive criticism(== growth), not starting 
wars between the riff-raff and those who say "If you don't let me win, I'm
going to take my ball and go home." (==decay and stagnation).

	Joel West	CACI, Inc. - Federal (c/o Gould CSD)
	{decvax!sdcsvax,ihnp4!bonnie}!gould9!joel
	gould9!joel@NOSC.ARPA

PS: I'm still volunteering to help on the UUCP mapping project, if
    anyone has any ideas.