Arek'Jaalan Mailing List W1: Regarding the Selection of Team Leads

I do not believe the proposed vote for team leads is a good idea. Further, requiring registration to view the forums is something I am against, but as it is your forum you are within your rights to require it. If the forum is to be used as a place of discussion, however, it should be open to view to those who have not registered. The reason is that there are many who may be able to contribute to the project, but are reticent to register on the forums for various reasons.

I also do not feel the "voting" of team leads should happen at this time. It is far too early for the project. 48 hours to conduct such an important part of this process is far too short.

I believe that these proposals should be passed on to Hilen Tukoss before such action is taken. If you wish to conduct your own investigations under your own oversight and contribute to the Arek'jaalen Project, that is perfectly fine; pushing into a lead role this early, without properly passing this through others (like, for instance, Hilen Tukoss) is poor form.

I would suggest writing up the proposal for a means of selecting team leads. I will point out, however, that a democratic system this early is not conducive to a proper atmosphere of cooperation and inclusion. It is a popularity vote, plain and simple, and with such a short window of opportunity, it becomes very clique-ish.

That is not the kind of program that I want to be a part of.

I am not saying there is no merit to this idea, simply that it is moving far too quickly for such a proposal to truly move forward with success. I also believe that unless the individuals chosen as leads are chosen for their vision and goals, this project will not succeed.

I believe that the position of team lead should be given to the individual most qualified, as opposed to the most popular. I would submit that it is more advisable to have a period wherein those interested develop proposals, and submit said proposals to Hilen Tukoss for review.

These are important steps for the program, and one stumble here could lead to months of wasted effort.

Thank you for your time.

-Alessandra

P.S. Regardless of whether or not the suggestions above are followed, I will not be actively participating in the project. I will be available for consultation should the need arise. I have removed my Operator status on the Arek'jaalan channel in accordance with this decision.

I propose that a small commitee be selected by Dr. Tukoss to jointly evaluate project lead candidates and appoint them based on their qualifications. This would be a relatively long-term search, and would not be concluded until at least week hence to ensure that all candidates come forward and are sufficiently considered.

This should satisfy both sides of the aisle - those that put their trust in Dr. Tukoss, and those that are still skeptical.

However, before any of this can take place, we need to further define the role of each division. Without such definition, qualifications cannot be determined, and the proper infrastructure cannot be put into place to begin the divisions' works.

The only positions beginning to be filled should be those within Administration, Security, and Archiving and Documentation, as well as any salaried work to be done. Once we have our framework in place, we can begin to build our research teams and progress in our work.

Submitted for consideration.

-Vanneth Deckard

So, it seems we've had another moment of inner conflict. Rest assured, it will not be the last. With patience, cool heads and faith we can overcome much more.

I agree with Ms Karris, Mr. Kivvic and most of all, with Mr Mossari (what did he say? I don't know, you'll have to read it yourself, it's slipped my mind somehow).

I believe there has been some confusion over what being a project lead actually entails. This is my fault, so let me clarify.

Project leads would be, in my mind, key contributors to a particular field of research.

They are "leaders in their chosen field".

Their "employment" and their "tenure" would be determined by their body of research and contributions, and that alone. We Caldari are strong believers in the idea of a meritocracy.

As such, no voting is required and political machines such as a short-notice democratic vote serve us little use, and with the utmost respect, I suggest they could even harm our fledgling collective.

As others have pointed out, it risks slowing our progress at a time when we simply cannot afford to place filters on participation and obstacles in front of otherwise willing contributors.

I would much rather like to capsuleers self-organize: If you believe you have what it takes to be a key researcher within a particular division, step up as a project lead. Time will tell how correct for the role you are, and much better than any democratic system could.

There is also no reason why we cannot have multiple leads. Within these divisions there are any number of sub-divisions.

Finally, if you are unfamiliar with the using the network, but you wish to be involved, then you can pass your request for placement on to myself and I'll have the network page updated. Over time, it is my hope that other archivists can fulfil that role, but in these early days, I am more than happy to.

Rikaato,