Put me behind the wheel - I won't let you down
EDIT 6/25 0930 EDT: I have conceded the election. Please redirect your votes accordingly. If you care about who I think would do the best job(s), click here.
Last year, I decided too late. I waited until I had less than twenty-four hours to garner the 100 (now 300) comments necessary, and unsurprisingly, I did not get enough support. I'm trying harder this year.
This election is not a popularity contest, though many parts of LJ get used as such.
It's not a see what I can do, though many parts of LJ are used as such.
It's an election to a board of user-level representatives who will do their best to give input to the PtB at LiveJournal/SUP that will best serve the multitudes of users who call LiveJournal home.
p.s. My journal is marked may contain adult content so that I won't have to constantly be vigilant about what I do or don't say in my posts. It's not X-rated, but neither is it G-rated. I deal with death of friends due to cancer and I deal with the highs and lows of an adult life. It's who I am and it's what I am and I'm thankful that LJ gives me the ability to mark it as such.
Contacting Me
One of the complaints I've seen regarding previous representatives was that they were (nearly) impossible to reach via any communication (email, IM, LJ, whatever) or that they were reachable but unresponsive. I own my own domain and, if elected, I will create a unique email address for all Advisory Board email. That email will never be delayed and will always be answered - even if the answer is "I don't know but I'll see what I can find out" or "I disagree with your approach - here's an alternate suggestion based on what I've seen so far."
In this electronic age, there is a notion that all emails should be answered within moments of their sending. This is a fallacy and one that I will NOT promise to do. I have a day-job. I have kids. I have a house. I have a girlfriend. I have a life. I am a volunteer with several organizations that hold a prior claim on my time before the LJAB. I do not promise to get back to folks immediately, but I do promise to get back to them in a reasonable time. Typically, this time will not exceed 2-3 days... but if I'm under deadlines at work or on vacation with my kids, other representatives will need to back me up -- and LJ users will have to understand.
If they don't understand, then I'm not the right candidate for them. My best guess is that the only one who would be right for them would be, perhaps, Eliza.
Reporting on my actions
The simplest thing I can think of sounds like a good solution -- at least in my head. I'll create a unique tag (ljab, perhaps) and will tag all posts related to my activities on the Advisory board. These posts will be public on my LJ. If there is another forum that is more appropriate, I'll put links from my LJ to the better place. It's not rocket science, but it has been ignored by previous LJAB members.
Adults/Teens
Yes, I'm an adult. Yes, I have teen-aged children. I have been working with people of my age plus-or-minus fifteen to twenty years since I was a teenager, and I still do. The "whining and kvetching" that I had referred to in my original post was originally intended to refer to the sibling rivalry that comes from having two children in the house of similar ages. While I concur that it could be read differently, that's how I meant it. *sigh*
LJ as a Creative Outlet
Absolutely! LJ is a fantastic creative forum -- a feature used by a large number of friends (IRL friends, not just LJ readers/readees) and thousands of their peers. I would love to see LJ include features that allow not only commenting on such collaborative works, but permit more integrated collective editing as well.
On Zombies and Sock Puppets
Hey folks! I've now been asked several times and I've responded privately to each. It's time to make it official.
1. If you are here supporting me only because someone (asked|told) you to do so, please move on to the next candidate.
2. If you own multiple accounts and would like to increase my comment-count by supporting me from all of them, please move on to the next candidate.
Bottom line - unless you are here to support me on the merits of what I have to say and to offer and to do for the users of LiveJournal... please move on.
Clarification: if through any misunderstanding, I have inadvertently tarred anyone (whether other candidates or other supporters) with any portion of any zombie or zombie-master accusation, I humbly apologize. My original request, however imperfectly stated, still stands though. Please encourage everyone follow any/all links to any/all candidates and actually read their platforms and vote as they see fit -- not just vote for all candidates.
Rocking the vote just plain rocks. Voting for everyone just to get the candidate count up doesn't.
In short, I think I can help. Please help me to help you.
EDITS:
1. (6/16 1211 EDT) comments changed to screened per the rules.
2. (6/16 1211 EDT) answers to the five questions listed in the rules posted to my journal
3. (6/16 1434 EDT) Six Apart --> SUP (yes, I knew that, but had a brain fart and don't promise to not do the same again - but will promise to try!)
4. (6/16 1434 EDT) apparently I can't count either. 100 --> 300
5. (6/16 1727 EDIT) as a response to a specific question from a user, I've added the "Contacting" and "Reporting" sections, above.
6. (6/16 2128 EDT) as a response to two more specific user questions, I've added the "Adult/Teen" and "Creative Outlet" sections, above.
7. (6/18 1255 EDT) as a response to several PMs, "Zombies & Socks" added, above.
8. (6/18 1452 EDT) clarification added to "Zombies & Socks"
9. (6/18 1634 EDT) go HERE to read another (long) set of questions from another user -- not reposted here only for length
BTW - what would an LJ election be without a bit of drama and name-calling. How... special.
Last year, I decided too late. I waited until I had less than twenty-four hours to garner the 100 (now 300) comments necessary, and unsurprisingly, I did not get enough support. I'm trying harder this year.
This election is not a popularity contest, though many parts of LJ get used as such.
It's not a see what I can do, though many parts of LJ are used as such.
It's an election to a board of user-level representatives who will do their best to give input to the PtB at LiveJournal/SUP that will best serve the multitudes of users who call LiveJournal home.
- I'm an adult. I'm 39 years old and, as such, have more interests than the latest movies, hairstyles, and least favorite teachers.
- I've got two teen-aged kids. This means I'm used to dealing decisively with whining and kvetching. I've taken a lot of grief (starting here) about this line... let me say (again) though that it was NEVER intented to paint all teens as petulant! It was entirely referencing the fact that sibling rivalry involves a boatload of "yes she did" and "no she didn't" and "she doesn't do so why should I" and "but he won't let me". Oy! Yes, I know how to deal with such idiocies... idiocies that have NOTHING to do with age and everything to do with mutual combatants.
- I'm a geek. Professionally, I've been a systems administrator (with MCSE) and/or configuration management engineer since 1996. I speak geek. I speak not-geek. I communicate to both sides equally well.
- I've run two web-based businesses in my time and assisted with two others. I speak HTML and CSS fairly fluently.
- I'm a volunteer -- I've participated the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for the past five years and I've sat on the Board of Directors for Team Wench in an effort to help the group raise money for various charities.
- Quoting, in part, from my profile page:
Created on 2002-09-15 16:10:35 (#706334), last updated 2009-05-13 7,153 comments received, 6,203 comments posted, 28 Support Points Permanent Account 1,026 Journal Entries, [...] Certainly not the most prolific poster out there, but no slouch either
p.s. My journal is marked may contain adult content so that I won't have to constantly be vigilant about what I do or don't say in my posts. It's not X-rated, but neither is it G-rated. I deal with death of friends due to cancer and I deal with the highs and lows of an adult life. It's who I am and it's what I am and I'm thankful that LJ gives me the ability to mark it as such.
Contacting Me
One of the complaints I've seen regarding previous representatives was that they were (nearly) impossible to reach via any communication (email, IM, LJ, whatever) or that they were reachable but unresponsive. I own my own domain and, if elected, I will create a unique email address for all Advisory Board email. That email will never be delayed and will always be answered - even if the answer is "I don't know but I'll see what I can find out" or "I disagree with your approach - here's an alternate suggestion based on what I've seen so far."
In this electronic age, there is a notion that all emails should be answered within moments of their sending. This is a fallacy and one that I will NOT promise to do. I have a day-job. I have kids. I have a house. I have a girlfriend. I have a life. I am a volunteer with several organizations that hold a prior claim on my time before the LJAB. I do not promise to get back to folks immediately, but I do promise to get back to them in a reasonable time. Typically, this time will not exceed 2-3 days... but if I'm under deadlines at work or on vacation with my kids, other representatives will need to back me up -- and LJ users will have to understand.
If they don't understand, then I'm not the right candidate for them. My best guess is that the only one who would be right for them would be, perhaps, Eliza.
Reporting on my actions
The simplest thing I can think of sounds like a good solution -- at least in my head. I'll create a unique tag (ljab, perhaps) and will tag all posts related to my activities on the Advisory board. These posts will be public on my LJ. If there is another forum that is more appropriate, I'll put links from my LJ to the better place. It's not rocket science, but it has been ignored by previous LJAB members.
Adults/Teens
Yes, I'm an adult. Yes, I have teen-aged children. I have been working with people of my age plus-or-minus fifteen to twenty years since I was a teenager, and I still do. The "whining and kvetching" that I had referred to in my original post was originally intended to refer to the sibling rivalry that comes from having two children in the house of similar ages. While I concur that it could be read differently, that's how I meant it. *sigh*
LJ as a Creative Outlet
Absolutely! LJ is a fantastic creative forum -- a feature used by a large number of friends (IRL friends, not just LJ readers/readees) and thousands of their peers. I would love to see LJ include features that allow not only commenting on such collaborative works, but permit more integrated collective editing as well.
On Zombies and Sock Puppets
Hey folks! I've now been asked several times and I've responded privately to each. It's time to make it official.
1. If you are here supporting me only because someone (asked|told) you to do so, please move on to the next candidate.
2. If you own multiple accounts and would like to increase my comment-count by supporting me from all of them, please move on to the next candidate.
Bottom line - unless you are here to support me on the merits of what I have to say and to offer and to do for the users of LiveJournal... please move on.
Clarification: if through any misunderstanding, I have inadvertently tarred anyone (whether other candidates or other supporters) with any portion of any zombie or zombie-master accusation, I humbly apologize. My original request, however imperfectly stated, still stands though. Please encourage everyone follow any/all links to any/all candidates and actually read their platforms and vote as they see fit -- not just vote for all candidates.
Rocking the vote just plain rocks. Voting for everyone just to get the candidate count up doesn't.
In short, I think I can help. Please help me to help you.
EDITS:
1. (6/16 1211 EDT) comments changed to screened per the rules.
2. (6/16 1211 EDT) answers to the five questions listed in the rules posted to my journal
3. (6/16 1434 EDT) Six Apart --> SUP (yes, I knew that, but had a brain fart and don't promise to not do the same again - but will promise to try!)
4. (6/16 1434 EDT) apparently I can't count either. 100 --> 300
5. (6/16 1727 EDIT) as a response to a specific question from a user, I've added the "Contacting" and "Reporting" sections, above.
6. (6/16 2128 EDT) as a response to two more specific user questions, I've added the "Adult/Teen" and "Creative Outlet" sections, above.
7. (6/18 1255 EDT) as a response to several PMs, "Zombies & Socks" added, above.
8. (6/18 1452 EDT) clarification added to "Zombies & Socks"
9. (6/18 1634 EDT) go HERE to read another (long) set of questions from another user -- not reposted here only for length
BTW - what would an LJ election be without a bit of drama and name-calling. How... special.