New Moderation Policy Re: Code of Conduct for OSI Mailing Lists

[Michael Tiemann]

On Jan 2, 2008 4:48 PM, Ernest Prabhakar <ernest.prabhakar at gmail.com> wrote:

> Effective immediately, I am the new moderator of License Discuss (as
> nominally expressed in the charter):
>
> http://opensource.org/lists
>
> I thank Russ for all his hard work over the years, and trust that this new
> arrangement will allow him to better focus his efforts on license-review.
>

I would like to add my thanks both to Russ  for  having handled this list
for a long, long time, and to Ernie, for stepping into the breech.


> I agree that we all have some work to do in order to better support the
> new direction, and welcome other suggestions you may have.
>

My one suggestion for everybody is to be always mindful that there is a
moderator, and that every posting any of us make, whether to agree or
disagree with a point or a line of argument being made, can be either
constructive or destructive to the value of the list itself.

Upon reflection, I see that there is an inherent conflict of interest when a
board member must act as moderator of the discussions they must ultimately
decide.  Ernie has done a wonderful job behind the scenes as a Board
Observer, rarely weighing in on the specific question of approving or
disapproving a license, and usually on the question of essense and process.
His attention to these details while debates of "yea" or "nay" are raging
have helped many on the board remain grounded.  For these reasons I believe
that Ernie deserves our trust as a neutral moderator.  And for these reasons
I would ask that all go one step further and to consciously consider "how
can my post show respect for the forum and the moderator?" while engaging in
vigorous debate.  If we all do this, Ernie's job will be easy.  If we all
treat the moderator as an adversary, Ernie's job will be impossible.  Let's
all aim for success!
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