A Communication from Democracy for America

Hi Monica Smith -

As you know, we have made many changes over the years to the Democracy for America websites, including the Blog for America. As with all other aspects of DFA, we have made changes based on feedback, suggestions, and ideas provided by members of our community.

No suggestions of mine have been considered. Nor have I even been given the courtesy of responses to my reports of technical problems to staff.

DFA staff work hard to bring together the needs and wants of our membership, the organizing tools that can empower and mobilize activists, and the goals and missions of the overall progressive movement.


Unfortunately, the members of my group, almost a hundred strong, find it virtually impossible to negotiate the web site and so it is useless to them.

After years of receiving numerous complaints and in consultation with members and state leaders throughout the country, we instituted a new policy for commenting on the Blog for America.

As I said, there was no consultation with this member, nor were communications sent out to the general membership. The "code" that has been attempted to be imposed is a unilateral creation, presumably by staff, and ill-advised.

Comments on blog posts are now required to be on the topic of the content in the original blog post.

No doubt it will eventually be discovered that one does not issue ultimatums or place requirements on voluntary participants.

To make it possible for members to have long running open ended conversations about any issue at any time, we have also developed The Watercooler.

It has already been pointed out by innumerable visitors to the blog that the WC terminology is a poor choice. Never mind that an archive arranged by day and hour is a waste of space.

This easily accessed permanent open thread is available from both the BFA sidebar and included in the headline navigation menu for BFA on all DemocracyforAmerica.com webpages.

Since the new changes have been launched, you have taken your disagreement with the new policies to the level of personal attacks on staff.

Not true. I have never made reference to a person. Indeed, it is my habit, now practiced for almost five years, not to refer to individuals, unless it is to voice a compliment.

These attacks on staff are insulting, inappropriate, and an abusive use of the tools provided to members of our community intended for political action.

What has been insulting is the attitude of staff that we either "take it or leave it," without any apparent awareness that we have actually paid to keep this site up and running. Never mind the many hours of free labor and careful consideration of important issues of the day.

We are asking you to respect the community we have all built together by complying with the comment policy.

We will not be making this request again. Please consider this your last warning. If you fail to comply with the Democracy for America website policies, we will be required to delete your DemocracyforAmerica.com profile and no longer allow you to post blogs or comments anywhere on the website.

I will leave it to others to judge the tenor of these two paragraphs.

This decision is not up for discussion. That time has passed. We hope you will understand why we are asking you to do this and choose to work within these parameters. The Blog for America is there for all 725,000 DFA members and millions of progressives across the country. We hope we are able to continue to include you as well.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Charles
Charles Chamberlain, Political Director
Democracy for America

Danny
Daniel I. Medress, Communications Director
Democracy for America


As I observed the other day, I have better things to do than put up with this foolishness.

M/H

I am hereby resigning my role as organizer of the Rockingham/Strafford DFA and hereby cancel the meeting scheduled for later today.