discuss: Dealing with poor maintenance by maintainers
Subject:
Re: Dealing with poor maintenance by maintainers
From:
Tabatha Persad ####@####.####
Date:
14 May 2002 19:37:00 -0000
Message-Id: <20020514192206.MOWM29832.rwcrmhc51.attbi.com@there>
More than happy to help! I'll get an outline together... I find it helpful
to start with a TOC and expand from there, so let me gather up these thoughts
and get to work!
Tab
On Tuesday 14 May 2002 15:14, Joy Y Goodreau wrote:
> Policies on how we handle issues are a great idea. This would set an
> standard of cause and effect relationships for actions. It seems like we
> have some of the same discussions over and over again. Yet, we determine a
> course of action for the one instance but not the overreaching topic. It
> think it is easier to make room for the exceptions to a policy than to
> re-invent the same decision for each document.
>
> An example of a policy area that I am deciding is: new documents to the
> site are being reviewed before being published, if review suggestions are
> ignored, what happens then?
>
> Another is: The same documents are called into question over and over
> again. What is our procedure for addressing these "problem" documents. What
> is our policy on removing the document from the site if authors refuse to
> update or fix documents that are full of incorrect information.
>
> A policy manual would also make it easier when we staffers pass on our
> positions to others for them to understand where we are and how we do
> things. I have been working out the policies for my areas and trying to
> define my role. I feel like I have been re-defining a wheel that already
> worked.
>
> Tabatha, if you are willing to at least rough this out or define some
> areas, I will co-chair or assist you in any way possible.
>
>
> Joy Y. Goodreau
> Linux Information Developer
> LDP Collections Editor
> Ofc. (512) 838-4118
> T/L 678-4118
> ####@####.####
>
>
>
>
> David Merrill
> <david@lupercalia To:
> ####@####.#### .net> cc:
> Subject: Re: Dealing with
> poor maintenance by maintainers 05/14/2002 07:25
> AM
>
> On Mon, May 13, 2002 at 12:14:59PM -0400, Tabatha Persad wrote:
> > Yes! This is exactly what I meant!
> >
> > To me, the idea of being published in the LDP does give an author a place
>
> to
>
> > showcase their writing abiities and benefit the community at the same
>
> time.
>
> > When I incorporated the FAQ (previously the only source of information)
>
> at
>
> > The Linux Counter into my HOWTO, I credited the author of the FAQ in my
> > credits section. Since he got credit for his original work, he was
>
> pleased.
>
> > Of course, it helps to point out that before I got started I did ask the
> > author of the FAQ if he had created a howto or any additional help
> > documentation, and he handed the job over to me since he didn't have
>
> time, or
>
> > anymore beyond the faq.
> >
> > We also now credit authors of press clippings who mention The Linux
>
> Counter
>
> > to encourage people to write about it, so they will have more incentive
>
> to
>
> > use and write about the statistics. Hey if they're going to mention our
> > name, we should mention theirs too!
> >
> > My verbose point is that showing authors upfront how their document will
>
> be
>
> > handled, should they choose to stop maintaining it, should either
>
> encourage
>
> > them to maintain it, or consider an alternative if they choose not to. I
> >
> > suppose it would help to mention the benefits in there somewhere before
>
> the
>
> > detriments (if you can call it that). Above all, these authors chose to
>
> list
>
> > their documentation with the LDP, and with that there are standards....
>
> after
>
> > all, there's not an Author's Guide for nothing!
>
> We really should develop a policy manual on how to handle all of these
> things. We have traditions and conventions we follow, but not all of
> them are written down.
>
> Anybody want to try collecting that stuff into a document? Hint, hint,
> Tab!
>
> You could start with an outline of what policies we should have in it,
> then we'll lay out the noncontroversial stuff, and see what
> controversies we uncover. Probably not too many, we have worked
> through most of those types of issues. They just need to be documented
> so we have it in print and it can easily be communicated to authors
> and volunteers.
--
Tabatha Persad
Web: http://www.merlinmonroe.com
The Linux Counter Project Area Manager US:wa (http://counter.li.org)
Linux Documentation Project Editor (http://www.tldp.org)
Gnu Writing Movement Project Developer (http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gwm)
