[Noisebridge-discuss] Problem: messy electronics area

[Naomi Most]

Nice, daravinne!

Distilling down to what looked like key action points to me:

* Data-gathering about usage (e.g. a daily log of photos w/o people in
them, love that idea)

* Area stewardship (a la PS:One's "Area Hosts" as was discussed a few
weeks back)

* Making sure to recognize exceptional efforts.

--Naomi



On Thu, May 8, 2014 at 11:06 AM, daravinne <daravinne at gmail.com> wrote:
> 0.  yes, it is a problem because:
> - when regulars who want to use these resources come to find a mess, it is
> harder for them to both start and complete their desired tasks/projects
> - when newcomers who want to use these resources come to find a mess, it is
> much harder for them to feel comfortable working in the space, harder for
> them to start/continue their work, and the likelihood that they will give up
> and go elsewhere or just leave is also much higher.
>
> 1.  One cannot completely avoid entropy, however, it is entirely possible to
> keep an area of frequently used parts in reasonably good order.  Good
> signage can do a lot to keep a large portion of users mindful of their
> contributions. I wonder if it is worth it to data-gather over a period of
> time to see what events are correlated with the electronics area becoming
> messy...is it always after in-space events that use the electronics? is it
> because some random rifles through the stuff in the middle of the night? is
> it just entropy over time?  perhaps a log with photos (that don't include
> people) taken every day over a period of a week or two weeks would provide
> some insight.
>
> 2.  As we the space are very subject to the Tragedy of the Commons, or that
> what belongs to everyone is owned by no one, a small dedicated group should
> be able to take ownership of the electronics area and own and champion the
> maintenance, organization and updating of same.  this group's ownership
> should express quality on the part of the group, and should be lauded and
> supported by the community at large in various ways such as cleaning help,
> donations, and generally making an effort to not fuck things up
> unnecessarily.  In the meantime, volunteers who do go out of their way to
> singly play the difficult role that a dedicated group should be playing,
> should similarly be supported and lauded by the community.
>
>
> On Thu, May 8, 2014 at 10:02 AM, Naomi Most <pnaomi at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Johny reported:
>>
>> "All the component storage cleanup and organizing i did over several
>> weeks has also gone to crap. Useful stuff mixed with random junk all
>> over the floor, parts completely disorganized."
>>
>>
>> #0: is this a problem?  [yes, i'd say so]
>>
>> #1: What should we do to prevent this?
>>
>> #2: If it can't be prevented, how should we address it when it arises?
>>
>>
>> Does it seem as though we are all relying on a few heroic martyrs to
>> keep the whole space together?
>>
>> How can we do better about protecting various areas so we can enjoy
>> them on as continuous a basis as possible?
>>
>> It seems unreasonable to expect that Noisebridge will never get messy.
>>  It is also unreasonable to expect random bursts of individual
>> motivation to keep a space as large and dense as ours in good working
>> order.  Too much stuff, too many people.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Naomi Theora Most
>> naomi at nthmost.com
>> +1-415-728-7490
>>
>> skype: nthmost
>>
>> http://twitter.com/nthmost
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>



-- 
Naomi Theora Most
naomi at nthmost.com
+1-415-728-7490

skype: nthmost

http://twitter.com/nthmost