Ok so here are the concerns so far:<br><br>google ads: i kinda covered this at the end of the long spiel on the ning site itself ( <a href="http://noisebridge.ning.com/forum/topics/the-noisebridge-nings-purpose">http://noisebridge.ning.com/forum/topics/the-noisebridge-nings-purpose</a> ). the ads are automatic. i don't get any money. ning does. you actually have to pay a premium ($24.95/mo) if you wanna take the ads off. i know, it sucks, but that's probably why the site is free to use in the first place<br>
<br>source code: free doesn't always mean open source unfortunately. There are tools to do advanced layout/widget tweaking within the site but i donno if you can get the base code or whatever. honestly i couldn't code my way out of a paper bag so I'm basically sticking to the preset stuff unless someone wants to take a stab at it (there are various 'rank' options that let you add people to fiddle with different aspects of the site, one of many is appearance). as much as I'm sure all of you would like open source it's not something i could do even if i had it (see: can't code worth shit). also generally any open source stuff is very hard do-it-yourself and generally (though maybe I'm wrong) isn't hosted for free.<br>
<br>censorship concerns: i just read the article. it seems to have a problem with the vagueness between 'sexual awareness/educational content' and 'pornographic content'. unless you guys are going to form a dildo molding workshop or a BDSM how-to i don't think this will be too much of a problem. yes, it's a problem, but not one i see noisebridge touching onto too much.<br>
<br>Why the ning? because I'm familiar with it. I've had close to 2 years interacting with others on a few of these networks and i know it to be a conducive environment for sharing ideas and organizing events and projects (hell, Improv Everywhere has a ning, as well as 'chocolate rain' Tay Zonday if you can believe it.) and i spent a few months of those years with basic moderator controls. during those years a wide range of topics were discussed, some not exactly legal, and we've NEVER had a problem with ning stepping in and saying' whoa whoa you can't do that'. in fact a few of our members of that network were in contact with many of the developers while we were working out the kinks and features of the platform. I'm sure i could manage to pull those contact strings if anything were to happen. It's easy, it's free, it's familiar and I'm a simple internetter with no money who doesn't know a whole hell of a lot about setting up a personally hosted open source forum. if this is a do-ocracy, and you find something better, than please, by all means, open up that medium for use. I'm just trying to provide the best i can on my abilities and hope people are able to use it.<br>
<br>now about my identity. well i donno how that fits in really. in any system there's always going to be a small number or people (sometimes just one) who stands as a cornerstone on which the system remains available. this goes for youtube, bing, facebook, etc. the only difference between those systems and this one is that though i could give the creator account password to someone else it'd raise the risk of that password being given to a 3rd party for which i have no knowledge and putting the entire system at risk. I understand the concerns about having a faceless entity running the show but please try to trust that i wouldn't put the effort into something like this, present it to you, and defend it, if i was just going to pull it out from under your feet once people started using it. Concerning my 'tenure' at Noisebridge I've been there a number of times. I'm not there every day but i was there before it moved to the current space and i'm planning on working on some projects there as soon as i find the time. If it matters at all I'm fairly well acquainted with a number of 'regulars'.<br>
<br>But in the end this isn't about me. I'm just the one putting initiative to get this thing working (do-ocracy and all that). the rest is up to you. if you want someone who you know and trust with controls then, like i said in the link above, I'm fully willing to grant full admin powers to one of the 'board of directors' or anyone else you deem worthy enough via popular demand to have such powers. the only additional power i have is the ability to grant and withdraw other admin's and to delete the site as a whole (and to pay for premium additions to the site if it comes to it).<br>
<br>so what do i hope to achieve with this? collaboration. sharing. quick, easy, interaction between people online where they can share their ideas and work on problems together. it's merely an additional medium along side the mailing list, the IRC channel, and the Wiki. It's not a replacement to any of them, it's an enhancement to the whole. The more ways we can share the better. don't like the ning platform? don't use it. or even better, find something superior and put the effort into making that flourish. don't trust me or the kind of power my account holds? allow me to create positions of power only a smaller notch below mine to run the show. hell I'd be glad to simply contribute and leave the internal tinkering to those more capable. wanna know what the platform is capable of instead of taking my word for it? make your own and see for yourself.<br>
<br>the way i figure it: you have a lot to gain if you contribute and very little to lose. please a least give it a try.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 12:53 AM, Lee Sonko <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lee@lee.org">lee@lee.org</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2">I would have a very hard time putting effort into using a
medium that's controlled by an anonymous, unaccountable party. It puts the
medium on very shakey ground.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"></font></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2">Lee</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" align="left"><span><font color="#0000ff" face="Arial" size="2"></font></span> </div><br>
<blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 255); padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px;">
<div dir="ltr" align="left" lang="en-us">
<hr>
<font face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>From:</b>
<a href="mailto:noisebridge-discuss-bounces@lists.noisebridge.net" target="_blank">noisebridge-discuss-bounces@lists.noisebridge.net</a>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:noisebridge-discuss-bounces@lists.noisebridge.net" target="_blank">noisebridge-discuss-bounces@lists.noisebridge.net</a>] <b>On Behalf Of
</b>Noise Bridge<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 18, 2009 11:22
PM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net" target="_blank">noisebridge-discuss@lists.noisebridge.net</a><br><b>Subject:</b>
[Noisebridge-discuss] Noisebridge has a (potentially) newcommunication medium:
The Noisebridge ning network!<br></font><br></div><div class="im">
<div></div>A very new work in progress to work along side the existing mailing
list, IRC channel, and Wiki site mediums. The Noisebridge ning will be a new
way for NB members to easily exchange ideas and discuss projects. The platform
is free and simple to use (meaning if you wanna know how it ticks simply make
your own network and fiddle with the admin options) and anonymous to join if
you so choose. Please check it out and give your feedback on the medium. This
has been made for the sole purpose of making the sharing of ideas and the
collaboration of projects easier to not only the newbie layman but the
hardcore nerd as well. Please give your very best constructive criticism on
the site and remember to be excellent to each other! </div></blockquote></div>
</blockquote></div><br>