[Theforum] Re: Sub-categories

[aardvark]

> From: Madhu Menon <webguru at vsnl.net>
>
> I'm gonna take a step here, and ask why the tone of your message
> suggests that I somehow insulted your intelligence and that I said
> something akin to "You didn't put any thought in building the site". I
> did no such thing.

nope, didn't say that you did, but i did want to qualify my 
responses in advance... that and the fact that my experience on 
these lists shows that absolute statements about what's right or 
wrong for a site/user/UI/etc. tend to get misinterpreted as just that 
(absolte statements with no room for compromise), as opposed to 
the suggestions they really are...

so, no offense intended, just how i sound in email...

> >i'm gonna take a step here, madhu, and state first off that your
> >insight is valuable... i also want to say that much (all) of what you
> >detail below has actually been discussed in painful detail in the
> >past, so we *are* familiar with these issues...
> 
> Perhaps, but I haven't seen it discussed in theforum. It may have been
> discussed in admin while building the site last year, but since this
> is a bigger group (many of whom were not privy to your earlier
> discussions) and since we *are* considering redesigning the site, I
> just revisited the issue.

absolutely, which is fine... i wanted to point out that we do, in fact, 
have the history of our decisions available to everyone here 
(although it's more of an oral history for now), so you can call on 
the logic for those decisions, good or bad, at any time...

> "We" is not the same group it used to be. It's 55 people now. If it's
> been discussed before, please tell us what was discussed and what
> conclusions you reached. I'm not assuming anything. Assumption is
> dangerous.

oh, if i had the time... that's the problem, it's impossible to bring 
everyone up to speed on *everything* we've discussed over the past 
three years, so instead i'm going to be chiming in here and there 
and let you know that there is a history behind something in case 
it's relevant... i'm pre-qualifying that now so you don't think i'm 
sitting on the sidelines sniping... i firmly believe decisions need to 
be well informed, and challenged...

> I don't understand why you think I'm attacking you (as in all of you)
> or your abilities, or why I would think that no thought was put into
> building the site. Is there something I've done that's bugging you?

erm, no, i don't think you're attacking me... i think i'm used to 
talking like this on admin and having everyone know i'm not angry 
or annoyed, so, sorry if i came across as combative, it wasn't 
intended...

[...]
> Again, why do you see my post as a reflection on your abilities or
> experience?

hmmm... third time you've asked... you really musta taken my post 
the wrong way... sorry 'bout that...

[...]
> >- i'm not going to agree with you on everything you're saying, and
> >given your matter-of-fact statements about what's good or bad in IA,
> >i want to make sure that you know you'll get challenged (so you don't
> >think i'm ambushing you or just waving my wanker)...
> 
> Well, I expect debate. That's what a mailing list is for, isn't it?
> Are you objecting to me stating my opinions on IA or anything else?
> What else am I supposed to do? Keep quiet? I can do that too.
[...]

no objections, and by no means would i ask you to keep quiet... 
i'm just letting you know that my debate *won't* be personal, 
although it's clear that my heads-up was taken as such...

and i'm *still* not using emoticons.